Giovanni Filippo Apolloni (1620 – 15 May 1688) was an Italian poet and librettist. Born in

Arezzo Arezzo ( , , ) , also ; ett, 𐌀𐌓𐌉𐌕𐌉𐌌, Aritim. is a city and ''comune'' in Italy and the capital of the province of the same name located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about southeast of Florence at an elevation of above sea level. ...

, he has sometimes been referred to as "Giovanni Apollonio Apolloni", but the second given name is spurious.Walker, Thomas (2001)
"Apolloni, Giovanni Filippo"

Grove Music Online ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language ''Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and theo ...

. Retrieved 21 June 2016 (subscription required for full access). He served as the court poet to

Ferdinand Charles, Archduke of Austria Ferdinand Charles (17 May 1628 – 30 December 1662) was the Archduke of Further Austria, including Tyrol, from 1646 to 1662. As the son of Archduke Leopold V and Claudia de' Medici, he succeeded his father upon the latter's death in 1632, un ...

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...

form 1653 until 1659. On his return to Italy he entered the service of Cardinal Volumnio Bandinelli. After Bandinelli's death in 1667 Appolloni was in the service of the

Chigi family The House of Chigi () is an Italian princely family of Sienese origin descended from the counts of Ardenghesca, which possessed castles in the Maremma, southern Tuscany. Later, the family settled in Rome. The earliest authentic mention of th ...

in Rome and Siena for the rest of his life. He wrote the librettos for a number of operas, the most well-known of which were Antonio Cesti's '' L'Argia'' and '' La Dori'', as well as several oratorios and the texts for

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning of ...

s by both Cesti and

Alessandro Stradella Antonio Alessandro Boncompagno Stradella (Bologna, 3 July 1643 – Genoa, 25 February 1682) was an Italian composer of the middle Baroque period. He enjoyed a dazzling career as a freelance composer, writing on commission, and collaborating with ...

Biography

Apolloni was born in

to a family prominent in the city's history. Little is known about his early life, but according to Carolyn Gianturco in her biography of Alessandro Stradella, Apolloni had been a mercenary before turning to poetry.Gianturco, Carolyn (1994). ''Alessandro Stradella, 1639–1682: His Life and Music'', p. 23. Clarendon Press. In the 1640s he was a member of Accademia dei Percossi in Florence. Founded by

Salvator Rosa Salvator Rosa (1615 –1673) is best known today as an Italian Baroque painter, whose romanticized landscapes and history paintings, often set in dark and untamed nature, exerted considerable influence from the 17th century into the early 19th ...

, its members were composed of the intellectual and artistic elite of the city and included

Giacinto Andrea Cicognini Giacinto Andrea Cicognini (1606–1651) was an Italian playwright and librettist, the son of poet and playwright Jacopo Cicognini. Biography Giacinto Andrea Cicognini was born in Florence. In 1627, he graduated from the University of Pisa, ...

, Antonio Cesti,

Antonio Abati Antonio Abati (late 16th century-1667) was an Italian baroque poet. He was a member of several Italian literary academies, including the Umoristi (the Humorists), where he read his satire ''Ragguaglio di Parnaso'' (“Report from Parnassus”), ...

, and Lorenzo Lippi.Hoare, Alexandra (2010). "Freedom in Friendship: Salvator Rosa and the Accademia dei Percossi" in S. Ebert-Schifferer, H. Langdon, and C. Volpi (eds.) ''Salvator Rosa e il suo tempo 1615–1673'', pp. 3342. Campisano Editore. In 1653, on the recommendation of Rosa's patron Cardinal Giancarlo de' Medici, Apolloni was appointed court poet to

. There he produced the libretti for three works by Antonio Cesti: the operas '' L'Argia'' (1655) and '' La Dori'' (1657) and the courtly entertainment ''Mars und Adonis'' (1655). Both ''L'Argia'' and ''Mars und Adonis'' were performed during the week-long celebrations in November 1655 welcoming

Queen Christina of Sweden Christina ( sv, Kristina, 18 December (New Style) 1626 – 19 April 1689), a member of the House of Vasa, was Queen of Sweden in her own right from 1632 until her abdication in 1654. She succeeded her father Gustavus Adolphus upon his death ...

on her journey to Rome. For Cesti's opera '' Orontea'', performed in Innsbruck in 1656, Apolloni revised the original libretto by Cicognini and wrote a new prologue involving a debate between Philosophy and Love. In 1659 Apolloni returned to Italy and shortly thereafter entered the service of Cardinal Volumnio Bandinelli (1598–1667) who had been a fellow member of the Accademia dei Percossi. After the death of Bandinelli, he joined the Chigi household in Rome, working first for Cardinal and then for Sigismondo's cousin Cardinal Flavio Chigi. The Colonna and Chigi families, who both had residences in the Piazza dei Santi Apostoli in Rome, had close social, political, and cultural ties with each other. They jointly sponsored the creation of several operas with libretti by Apolloni, including ''L'Alcasta'' composed by Bernardo Pasquini and dedicated to Queen Christina. It was through this extended network that Apolloni also began working with Alessandro Stradella.De Lucca, Valeria (Spring 2011)
"L'Alcasta and the Emergence of Collective Patronage in Mid-Seventeenth-Century Rome"
'' The Journal of Musicology'', vol. 28, issue 2, pp. 195–230. Retrieved 21 June 2016. In 1672 Flavio and Agostino Chigi formed the Accademia degli Sfaccendati (Academy of the Idlers). Its members were their close associates and all shared an interest in the theatre. They included Apolloni, Queen Christina (patron of the

Teatro Tordinona The Tor di Nona is a neighborhood in Rome's ''rione'' '' Ponte''. It lies in the heart of the city's historic center, between the ''Via dei Coronari'' and the Tiber River. Its name commemorates the Torre dell'Annona, a mediaeval tower which once s ...

in Rome),

Filippo Acciaiuoli Filippo Acciaiuoli (1637 – 8 February 1700) was an Italian composer, librettist, theater manager, machine designer, and poet. Acciaiuoli spent much of his youth and early adulthood traveling throughout Europe, the Middle East and Northern Afric ...

(the Tordinona's impresario), Giuliano Capranica whose family ran the Teatro Capranica, and Alessandro Capizucchi. The express purpose of the Sfaccendati was to produce operas to be performed at the Chigi palazzo in Ariccia on the outskirts of Rome. Apolloni and Acciaiuoli co-authored the librettos for two operas which were performed there, ''Il Tirinto'' and ''L'Adalinda''. However the high cost of producing operas so far from the center of Rome made ''L'Adalinda'' the last of these "country house operas". The last opera for which Apolloni wrote the libretto was ''La forza d'amore'' composed by Bernardo Pasquini. A slight pastoral work with only three characters, it was performed in Florence at the Villa di Pratolino in 1679. Il Tirinto - libretto cover 1672

Apolloni stayed in the service of the Chigi family until his death in 1688. His most enduring works remain the two Innsbruck operas he wrote for Antonio Cesti in the 1650s—''La Dori'' and ''L'Argia''. Convoluted semi-comic tales of multiple disguises and mistaken identities, both of them were immensely popular in their day with multiple productions in Italy during Apolloni's lifetime. ''L'Argia'' had its first performance in modern times at the

Innsbruck Festival of Early Music The Innsbruck Festival of Early Music (German: Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik) is a festival of historically informed performances of music from the late Renaissance, Baroque and early Classical periods which takes place annually in ...

in 1996 with subsequent performances in Lausanne and Paris. ''La Dori'' has been revived several times in the 20th century, including productions in 1983 at the Spitalfields Festival in London, 1990 at the Mannes College of Music in New York, and 1999 at the Cittadella Musicale in Arezzo.

Works

Operas and other stage works

*'' L'Argia'' (opera in a prologue and 3 acts), set by Antonio Cesti, Innsbruck, 1655 *''Mars und Adonis'' (

azione teatrale Azione teatrale (; plural ''azioni teatrali'') is a genre of opera, popular in Italy and southern Europe. An ''azione teatrale'' was typically shorter in scale, with few actors, usually no chorus, and either presented in a single act or divided in ...

), also known as ''Marte placato''), set by Antonio Cesti, Innsbruck 1655; set in a condensed version by

Alessandro Scarlatti Pietro Alessandro Gaspare Scarlatti (2 May 1660 – 22 October 1725) was an Italian Baroque composer, known especially for his operas and chamber cantatas. He is considered the most important representative of the Neapolitan school of opera. ...

as the prologue to Cavalli's ''

Scipione affricano ''Scipione affricano'' (''Scipio Africanus'') is an opera in a prologue and three acts by Francesco Cavalli. It was designated as a ''dramma per musica''. The Italian libretto was by Nicolò Minato, based on Livy's " The Continence of Scipio". ...

'', Rome, 1671 * New prologue and revisions to '' Orontea'', set by Antonio Cesti to a libretto originally by

, Innsbruck, 1656Kimbell, David R. B. (1994)
''Italian Opera''
p. 164. Cambridge University Press. *'' La Dori'' (opera in a prologue and 3 acts), set by Antonio Cesti, Innsbruck, 1657; also set by Alessandro Scarlatti, Naples, 1689 *''Il Girello'' (opera in a prologue three acts), co-authored with

, set by Jacopo Melani with the prologue set by Alessandro Stradella, Rome, 1668Reardon, Colleen (2016)
''A Sociable Moment: Opera and Festive Culture in Baroque Siena''
pp. 56; 97; 142; 253; 276; 285. Oxford University Press. *''Circe'' ( serenata in three parts), set by Alessandro Stradella, performed at the Villa Aldobrandini in honour of Cardinal Leopoldo de' Medici, Frascati, 1668 *''L'empio punito'' (opera in 3 acts), co-authored with Filippo Acciaiuoli, set by Alessandro Melani, Rome, 1669 *New prologue and revisions to '' Giasone'', originally composed by

Francesco Cavalli Francesco Cavalli (born Pietro Francesco Caletti-Bruni; 14 February 1602 – 14 January 1676) was a Republic of Venice, Venetian composer, organist and singer of the early Baroque music, Baroque period. He succeeded his teacher Claudio Monteverd ...

to a libretto by Cicognini and premiered in 1649. The new prologue and further revisions by Apolloni to the libretto and Alessandro Stradella to the score were done for its revival in Rome under the title ''Il novello Giasone'' in 1671. *''Su, su si stampino in bel lavoro'' and ''Amanti, che credete?'' ( intermezzi), set by Alessandro Scarlatti and interpolated in the revival of Cavalli's ''

'', Rome, 1671 *''L'Alcasta'' (opera in 3 acts), set by Bernardo Pasquini, Rome, 1673 *''Astiage'' (opera in 3 acts), adapted by Matteo Noris from the original libretto by Apolloni, set by Giovanni Buonaventura Viviani, Venice, 1677 *''Il Tirinto'' (opera in 3 acts), co-authored with Filippo Acciaiuoli, set by Bernardo Pasquini, Ariccia, 1672 *''L'Adalinda'' (opera in 3 acts), co-authored with Filippo Acciaiuoli, set by , Ariccia, 1673 *''La forza d'amore'' (opera in 3 acts), set by Bernardo Pasquini, Florence, 1679

Oratorios

*''Caino e Abele'' (

Cain and Abel In the biblical Book of Genesis, Cain ''Qayīn'', in pausa ''Qāyīn''; gr, Κάϊν ''Káïn''; ar, قابيل/قايين, Qābīl / Qāyīn and Abel ''Heḇel'', in pausa ''Hāḇel''; gr, Ἅβελ ''Hábel''; ar, هابيل, Hāb� ...

), set by Bernardo Pasquini in 1671 *''Iefte'' ( Jephthah), set by Antonio Masini in 1675 and by Giovan Battista Tomasi in 1689Morelli, Arnaldo (1997). "La circolazione dell'oratorio italiano nel Seicento". ''Studi Musicali'', Anno XXVI, no. 1, pp. 105–118. Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia *''Il sacrificio d'Abramo'' (The Sacrifice of Abraham), set by Antonio Masini in 1675 *''L'Assalonne'' (

Absalom Absalom ( he, ''ʾAḇšālōm'', "father of peace") was the third son of David, King of Israel with Maacah, daughter of Talmai, King of Geshur. 2 Samuel 14:25 describes him as the handsomest man in the kingdom. Absalom eventually rebelled ag ...

), set by Paolo Petti in 1681

Cantatas

*Set by Antonio Cesti **''Alpi nevose e dure'' **''Era l'alba vicina'' **''Rimbombava d'intorno'' **''Il Nerone'' or ''Sovra un'eccelsa torre'' (also set by Alessandro Stradella)''Early Music Review'' (August 2006). "''Il Nerone''", issue 114, p. 3. **''Era la notte e muto'' **''Ferma Lachesi ohimé'' *Set by

**''Il piu' tenero affetto''Unless otherwise specified, all entries in this list are sourced from Servizio Bibliotecario Nazionale (Italian National Library Service)
Apolloni Giovanni Filippo
/ref> **''Solcava incauto legno'' **''Chi non sa che la costanza'' **''Sprezzata mi credei'' **''Io che lasciato fui'' **''Il Nerone'' or ''Sovra un'eccelsa torre'' (also set by Antonio Cesti)

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Apolloni, Giovanni Filippo 1620 births 1688 deaths Italian opera librettists 17th-century Italian poets 17th-century Italian male writers People from Arezzo