''Partenope'' is an

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 libr ...

in three acts by

Manuel de Zumaya Manuel de Zumaya or Manuel de Sumaya (c. 1678 - 21 December 1755) was perhaps the most famous Mexican composer of the colonial period of New Spain. His music was the culmination of the Baroque style in the New World. He was the first person in t ...

. Zumaya adapted the libretto himself from a Spanish translation of

Silvio Stampiglia Silvio Stampiglia (14 March 1664 – 27 January 1725) was an Italian poet, librettist, and founder member of the Accademia dell'Arcadia under the pen name of Palemone Licurio. Numerous Italian composer set his libretti to music, particularly Carlo ...

's Italian libretto which was first set for performance in Naples during 1699 with music by Luigi Mancia. All told, Stampiglia's libretto was used by a variety of composers for more than a dozen operas that were produced all over Italy, including versions by

Leonardo Vinci Leonardo Vinci (1690 – 27 May 1730) was an Italian composer known chiefly for his 40 or so operas; comparatively little of his work in other genres survives. A central proponent of the Neapolitan School of opera, his influence on subsequ ...

and George Frideric Handel. Zumaya's version was commissioned by Viceroy Fernando de Alencastre Noroña y Silva and produced at the viceroyal palace in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...

on 1 May 1711. The production is the earliest known full opera produced in North America and the first opera written by an American-born composer. However, ''Parténope'' is not the earliest opera to be performed in the

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. ...

, as some sources have reported. That distinction belongs to

Tomás de Torrejón y Velasco Tomás de Torrejón y Velasco Sánchez (23 December 1644 – 23 April 1728) was a Spanish composer, musician and organist based in Peru, associated with the American Baroque. Life Torrejón y Velasco was born in Villarrobledo and spent his c ...

's '' La púrpura de la rosa'', which premiered ten years earlier in

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

. ''Partenope'' may not have been the first stage work by Zumaya that contained music. He had previously written the play ''Rodirigo'' for the birth of Crown Prince Luis in 1708. It is possible that he may have also composed music for this play. Unfortunately, both the score of Zumaya's opera and any music he may have written for the play has now been lost.

Composition history

Stampiglia wrote his libretto just before the beginning of the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

, which largely started due to the collapse of complicated negotiations over lands in all parts of Europe, especially in Italy. The story of this libretto reflects the kinds of political intrigues occurring in Italy, Spain, and many other European nations prior to the onset of the War. The story resonated well with audiences of the day because they recognized the political confusion as reflective of their times. This is one reason why Zumaya and so many other composers chose to use Stampiglia's libretto during the early eighteenth century.

Roles

In Stampiglia's original libretto, the characters are as follows: * Rosmira, Princess of Cyprus * Partenope, Queen of Partenope (later Naples) * Arsace, Prince of Corinth * Armindo, Prince of Rhodes * Emilio, Prince of Cuma * Ormonte, Captain of Partenope's Guard Zumaya adds the characters Anfrisa and Beltran

Synopsis

Partenope (or Parthenope) appears in

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities ...

and classical literature and art as one of the

siren Siren or sirens may refer to: Common meanings * Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies * Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology Places * Siren (town), Wisconsin * Siren, Wisc ...

s who taunted Odysseus. One version of the tale depicts her throwing herself into the sea because her love for Odysseus was not returned. She drowns and her body washes up on the shore of Naples, which was called Partenope after her name. From this, Silvio Stampiglia created a fictional account where Partenope appears as the Queen of Naples. Handel's opera ''Partenope'' which also uses a version of Stampiglia's libretto, has the following outline. Prince Arsace and Prince Armindo are seeking Queen Partenope, the founder of the city of

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

, in marriage. Meanwhile, Prince Emilio is at war with Naples and with Partenope. Partenope is primarily attracted to Arsace. However, she does not know that Arsace has previously abandoned Rosmira, who is disguised as a man, named Eurimene, and is trying to win him back. Rosmira, as Eurimene, confronts him and harasses him for his faithlessness, and demands that he keep her true identity secret. Ultimately, Rosmira/Eurimene challenges her lover to a duel in a court of honour, but her identity is revealed when he demands the condition that they fight stripped to the waist.Dean, Winton, "Music in London: Handel Operas" (January 1984). ''The Musical Times'', 125 (1691): pp. 36-37.

References

Notes Sources *Gasta, Chad M. (2003), “Public Reception, Politics and Propaganda in Torrejón’s La púrpura de la rosa, the First New World Opera.” Latin American Theatre Review 37.1 (2003): 43-60. *Lindgren, Lowell, "Silvio Stampiglia", ''Grove Music Online'' ed. L. Macy (Accessed September 18, 2008)
(subscription access)
*Russell, Craig H. Russell, "Manuel de Zumaya", ''Grove Music Online'' ed. L. Macy (Accessed September 18, 2008)
(subscription access)
*Stein, Louise K (1992), "Púrpura de la rosa, La" in ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'', ed. Stanley Sadie (London) {{ISBN, 0-333-73432-7 * Zumaya, Manuel (1714).
La Partenope fiesta, : que se hizo en el Real Palacio de Mexico el dia de San Phelipe, por los años del Rey nuestro señor don Phelipe V. (que Dios guarde)
'. 1711 operas Spanish-language operas Operas by Manuel de Zumaya Operas

Composition history

Roles

Synopsis

See also

References