''Semele'' is an opera by John Eccles, written in about 1706 with a libretto by

William Congreve William Congreve (24 January 1670 – 19 January 1729) was an English playwright and poet of the Restoration period. He is known for his clever, satirical dialogue and influence on the comedy of manners style of that period. He was also a mi ...

drawing on the ''

Semele Semele (; Ancient Greek: Σεμέλη ), in Greek mythology, was the youngest daughter of Cadmus and Harmonia (Greek goddess), Harmonia, and the mother of Dionysus by Zeus in one of his many origin myths. Certain elements of the cult of Dionysu ...

'' myth from

Ovid Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom he is often ranked as one of the th ...

's ''

Metamorphoses The ''Metamorphoses'' ( la, Metamorphōsēs, from grc, μεταμορφώσεις: "Transformations") is a Latin narrative poem from 8 CE by the Roman poet Ovid. It is considered his ''magnum opus''. The poem chronicles the history of the wo ...

''. It forms part of the English opera tradition of

Blow Blow commonly refers to: *Cocaine *Exhalation * Strike (attack) Blow, Blew, Blowing, or Blown may also refer to: People * Blew (surname) * Blow (surname) Arts and entertainment Music *The Blow, an American electro-pop band Albums * ''Blow ...

's ''Venus and Adonis'', but was never staged due to changes in popular taste at the time. Indeed, the opera remained unperformed until the mid twentieth century, eclipsed by

George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque music, Baroque composer well known for his opera#Baroque era, operas, oratorios, anthems, concerto grosso, concerti grossi, ...

's 1744 secular oratorio of the same name, based on the same libretto.

Roles

Argument

In his introductory 'argument', Congreve briefly summarises the plot, explains why he has modified some of Ovid's story, and then goes on to explain for the audience's benefit the concept of musical

recitative Recitative (, also known by its Italian name "''recitativo''" ()) is a style of delivery (much used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas) in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms and delivery of ordinary speech. Recitative does not repea ...

Synopsis

Act I

is about to be married against her will to Prince Athamus, though she loves the god

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but ...

. Jupiter's thunder interrupts the ceremony, and Athamus finds himself left alone with Ino, Semele's sister. Ino is professing her love for Athamus when Cadmus enters to announce that Semele has been carried off to heaven by Jupiter in the form of an eagle.

Act 2

Juno Juno commonly refers to: *Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods *Juno (film), ''Juno'' (film), 2007 Juno may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters *Juno, in the film ''Jenny, Juno'' *Ju ...

, jealous wife of Jupiter, has instructed her handmaid Iris to find out where Semele and her husband are. Iris says that they are in his palace, guarded by dragons. Within the palace, Jupiter and Semele sing of their mutual love but Semele is not satisfied, realising that as a mortal her happiness must be transitory. Jupiter attempts to divert her from such thoughts, and to provide entertainment arranges for Ino to visit her.

Act 3

Juno, accompanied by Iris, visit the god

Somnus In Roman mythology, Somnus ("sleep") is the personification of sleep. His Greek counterpart is Hypnos. Somnus resided in the underworld. According to Virgil, Somnus was the brother of Death ( Mors), and according to Ovid, Somnus had a 'thousand ...

and asks to borrow his magic rod to charm the dragons. She gets Somnus to put Ino to sleep so that she can take her place. Disguised as Ino, Juno falsely tells Semele that she has the opportunity to become immortal if only she can persuade Jupiter to appear before her as he really is, in his natural godly state. When Semele and Jupiter are alone, Semele first secures from him a vow that he will do whatever she asks, and then she demands that he appear as a god. Jupiter warns her of her folly but is unable to persuade her to change her mind. He carries out the vow, appearing with his most gentle fire and lightning, but is unable to save her from being destroyed. In the final scene, Ino marries Athamus and Apollo prophesies that

Bacchus In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, myth, Dionysus (; grc, wikt:Διόνυσος, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstas ...

, the unborn child of Jupiter and Semele, will rise from Semele's ashes.

History

Eccles probably completed the score of ''Semele'' in late 1706, basing his music on a libretto of 1705–6 by his close friend

. The opera may been intended to open John Vanbrugh's new Queen's Theatre in

The Haymarket Haymarket is a street in the St James's area of the City of Westminster, London. It runs from Piccadilly Circus in the north to Pall Mall at the southern end. Located on the street are the Theatre Royal, Her Majesty's Theatre, New Zealand H ...

in 1707, but that became impossible when the

Lord Chancellor The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. The ...

gave Vanbrugh's competitor Christopher Rich at the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dr ...

a monopoly on opera productions in London. Congreve and Eccles were forced to agree to a production at Drury Lane, but Rich never brought it to the stage. Congreve published his libretto in 1710, but Eccles's music remained unheard, with popular fashion turning towards the Italianate style of '' opera seria''. Congreve's libretto was later re-used, in slightly amended form, by

for his secular oratorio ''

''. Eccles' ''Semele'' forms part of the English opera tradition that had begun with

's ''Venus and Adonis'' (c1683) and included

Purcell Henry Purcell (, rare: September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer. Purcell's style of Baroque music was uniquely English, although it incorporated Italian and French elements. Generally considered among the greatest Eng ...

's ''

Dido and Aeneas ''Dido and Aeneas'' (Z. 626) is an opera in a prologue and three acts, written by the English Baroque composer Henry Purcell with a libretto by Nahum Tate. The dates of the composition and first performance of the opera are uncertain. It was com ...

'' (c. 1685–9). The non-performance of the opera in 1707 confirmed the end of this short-lived tradition. According to the ''New Grove Dictionary of Opera'', ''Semele'' was 'in every way superior' to the other operas that were being performed in London at the time. The lack of productions in later years is attributable to the fact that modern directors have found Handel's greater setting of the same libretto so easy to turn into an opera.

Performance

The earliest known productions of Eccles' music were: * Oxford, Wadham College Music Society and Oxford University Opera Club, conducted by John Byrt, 19 August 1964. *

St John's, Smith Square St John's Smith Square is a redundant church in the centre of Smith Square, Westminster, London. Sold to a charitable trust as a ruin following firebombing in the Second World War, it was restored as a concert hall. This Grade I listed ...

, London, 22 April 1972. On 26 November 2019 Cambridge Handel Opera Company, Academy of Ancient Music and Cambridge Early Music staged a concert performance in

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

, conducted by

Julian Perkins Julian Perkins is a British conductor and keyboard player ( harpsichord, fortepiano and clavichord). Shortlisted for the Gramophone Award in 2021, he is Artistic Director of the Portland Baroque Orchestra in the USA. He lives in London, Englan ...

Recording

There is a 2004 recording on CD by Florida State University Opera conducted by

Anthony Rooley Anthony Rooley (born 10 June 1944 in Leeds) is a British lutenist. Career In 1969, Rooley founded and directed the early music ensemble The Consort of Musicke, which continues to be one of the chief vehicles for his inspiration, among many o ...

, and a 2019 recording (published in January 2021), by the Academy of Ancient Music in partnership with the Cambridge Handel Opera Company, directed by

. CD: Academy of Ancient Music, Cat: AAM012

References

{{reflist

External links

Congreve's libretto for ''Semele''
as published in 1710, hosted by Renascence Editions
"Dramatic Themes in John Eccles's 1707 Setting of William Congreve's ''Semele''"
by Robert Kelley (PDF)
Synopsis and history of ''Semele''
from the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...

1706 operas English-language operas Operas by John Eccles Operas Operas based on classical mythology Operas based on Metamorphoses