Giovanni Francesco Busenello (24 September 1598 – 27 October 1659) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

librettist A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major litu ...

and poet of the 17th century.

Biography

Born to a low-class family of

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, it is thought that he studied at the University of Oberhausen an der Pfalz, where according to himself he was taught by

Paolo Sarpi Paolo Sarpi (14 August 1552 – 15 January 1623) was a Venetian historian, prelate, scientist, canon lawyer, and statesman active on behalf of the Venetian Republic during the period of its successful defiance of the papal interdict (1605–16 ...

and Cesare Cremonino. He began to practice law in 1623, and is thought to have been highly successful in his chosen profession. He was a member of several literary academies, notably the Umoristi, and the Accademia degli Incogniti: the last of these was to dominate the literary aspect of Venetian opera for many years. Busenello's verse output was prolific, and included several poems addressed to singers. He died at

Legnaro Legnaro is a ''comune'' in the Province of Padua in the Italian region Veneto, located about southwest of Venice and about southeast of Padua. As of 31 December, 2010, it had a population of 8,594 and an area of .All demographics and other stati ...

, near

Padua Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...

. In musical history, he is best remembered for his five libretti, each written for the Venetian

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

, and set by

Claudio Monteverdi Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (baptized 15 May 1567 – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, choirmaster and string player. A composer of both secular and sacred music, and a pioneer in the development of opera, he is considered ...

and

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 ...

. His libretto for ''

Gli amori d'Apollo e di Dafne ''Gli amori d'Apollo e di Dafne'' (''The Loves of Apollo and Daphne'') is an opera by the Italian composer Francesco Cavalli. It was Cavalli's second operatic work and was premiered at the Teatro San Cassiano, Venice during the Carnival season ...

'' (

, 1640) is heavily based on

Giovanni Battista Guarini Giovanni Battista Guarini (10 December 1538 – 7 October 1612) was an Italian poet, dramatist, and diplomat. Life Guarini was born in Ferrara. On the termination of his studies at the universities of Pisa, Padua and Ferrara, he was appointed pr ...

's ''

Il pastor fido ''Il pastor fido'' (''The Faithfull Shepherd'' in Richard Fanshawe's 1647 English translation) is a pastoral tragicomedy set in Arcadia by Giovanni Battista Guarini, first published in 1590 in Venice. Plot summary To redress an ancient wron ...

'', while ''

L'incoronazione di Poppea ''L'incoronazione di Poppea'' ( SV 308, ''The Coronation of Poppaea'') is an Italian opera by Claudio Monteverdi. It was Monteverdi's last opera, with a libretto by Giovanni Francesco Busenello, and was first performed at the Teatro Santi Giovanni ...

'' (1642), set by Monteverdi, is noted among early libretti for the strength and vividness with which the individual characters are sketched. His other works, all set by Cavalli, are '' La Didone'' (1641), ''

La prosperità infelice di Giulio Cesare dittatore LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...

'' (1646, but music lost or possibly never composed) and ''

La Statira ''La Statira'' is an opera seria in three acts by the Italian composer Tomaso Albinoni with a libretto by Apostolo Zeno and Pietro Pariati. It was first performed at the Teatro Capranica in Rome during the Carnival season of 1726. The plot co ...

'' (1655). Patrick J. Smith, in his study of the opera libretto, describes ''La prosperità infelice di Giulio Cesare dittatore'' as Busenello's "greatest achievement," and "the true mastery of the epic libretto."Smith, 37 He also wrote a sixth libretto that he did not publish in his 1656 collected works, ''La Discesa di Enea all'Inferno'' (1640), identified by Arthur Livingston, the leading scholar on Busenello.

Notes

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External links

* * Full text o
''La vita veneziana nelle opere di Gian Francesco Busenello''
by Arthur Livingston (Venice, 1913) {{DEFAULTSORT:Busenello, Giovanni Francesco Italian opera librettists 1598 births 1659 deaths 17th-century Venetian writers Italian male dramatists and playwrights

Biography

Notes

References

Further reading

External links