![Tomiris](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Tomiris.jpg)
''Thomyris, Queen of Scythia'' was a
pasticcio
In music, a ''pasticcio'' or ''pastiche'' is an opera or other musical work composed of works by different composers who may or may not have been working together, or an adaptation or localization of an existing work that is loose, unauthorized, o ...
opera based on a libretto by
Peter Anthony Motteux
Peter Anthony Motteux (born Pierre Antoine Motteux ; 25 February 1663 – 18 February 1718) was a French-born English author, playwright, and translator. Motteux was a significant figure in the evolution of English journalism in his era, as the ...
. It was produced by
John James Heidegger
John James (Johann Jacob) Heidegger (19 June 1666 – 5 September 1749) was a Swiss count and leading impresario of masquerades in the early part of the 18th century.
The son of Zürich clergyman Johann Heinrich Heidegger, Johann Jacob Heidegger ...
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 ...
in April 1707.
Motteux’s prologue directly referenced
Anne, Queen of Great Britain
Anne (6 February 1665 – 1 August 1714) was Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland from 8 March 1702 until 1 May 1707. On 1 May 1707, under the Acts of Union, the kingdoms of England and Scotland united as a single sovereign state known as ...
, under whose reign female stage protagonists were very popular.
Action
The opera is named after the historical queen
Tomyris
Tomyris (; grc, Τόμυρις, Tómuris; Latin: ) also called Thomyris, Tomris, or Tomiride, reigned over the Massagetae, an Iranian Saka people of Central Asia. Tomyris led her armies to defend against an attack by Cyrus the Great of ...
, mentioned by
Herodotus
Herodotus ( ; grc, , }; BC) was an ancient Greek historian and geographer
A geographer is a physical scientist, social scientist or humanist whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society ...
as the killer of
Cyrus the Great. However the action of the opera is based on a love triangle between entirely fictional characters; Thomyris’ son prince Orontes and the Armenian king Tigranes, who are rivals for the affections of the Persian princess Cleora. Cleora, held captive by Orontes, falls in love with him although she is betrothed to Tigranes.
[
The original 1707 version of the opera concludes when Thomyris intervenes to prevent the Scythians from sacrificing Cleora; she has received false news of Orontes’s death, while Tigranes is wounded in battle. In the 1709 version, Orontes reveals to the wounded Tigranes that Cleora, captured as a baby and brought up by Cyrus as his own daughter, is in fact Thomyris’ daughter and thus his own sister. Cleora and Tigranes can then marry, securing peace between Scythia and Persia.][
]
Music
The 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 repeat ...
s for the opera were composed by Johann Christoph Pepusch
Johann Christoph Pepusch (1667 – 1752), also known as John Christopher Pepusch and Dr Pepusch, was a German-born composer who spent most of his working life in England. He was born in Berlin, son of a vicar, and was married to Margherita de ...
, who also adapted the 56 arias in the work from music by Francesco Gasparini
Francesco Gasparini (19 March 1661 – 22 March 1727) was an Italian Baroque composer and teacher whose works were performed throughout Italy, and also on occasion in Germany and England.
Biography
Born in Camaiore, near Lucca, he studied in ...
, Giovanni Bononcini
Giovanni Bononcini (or Buononcini) (18 July 1670 – 9 July 1747) (sometimes cited also as Giovanni Battista Bononcini) was an Italian Baroque composer, cellist, singer and teacher, one of a family of string players and composers.
Biography
E ...
, Alessandro Scarlatti and Agostino Steffani. The overture and closing chaconne
A chaconne (; ; es, chacona, links=no; it, ciaccona, links=no, ; earlier English: ''chacony'') is a type of musical composition often used as a vehicle for variation on a repeated short harmonic progression, often involving a fairly short rep ...
were by Charles Dieupart.
Changing languages
The original cast were Pepusch’s future wife Margherita de L'Epine
Margherita is an Italian feminine given name. It also is a surname. As a word, in Italian it means " daisy".
Given name
As a name, it may refer to:
*Margherita Aldobrandini (1588–1646), Duchess consort of Parma
*Margherita de' Medici (1612 ...
, soprano (Thomyris), Francis Hughs, countertenor (Orontes), (later replaced by Valentino Urbani
Valentino Urbani (born in Udine; ''fl.'' 1690–1722) was an Italian mezzo-soprano or alto castrato who sang for the composer George Frideric Handel in the 18th century. He was known by the stage name Valentini. He sang the role of Eustazio at t ...
) Catherine Tofts
Catherine Tofts or Katherine Tofts (died 1756) was the first English singer who sang Italian opera in England.
Life
About 1704, the competition between Tofts and Margherita de l'Épine was in earnest. Perhaps to illustrate the famed rivalry, M ...
(Cleora), Mr Lawrence, tenor (Tigranes), Richard Leveridge
Richard Leveridge (or Leueridge) (19 July 1670 – 22 March 1758) was an English bass singer of the London stage and a composer of baroque music, including many popular songs.
Life
Richard Leveridge was born in the parish of St Martin-in-the-Field ...
, bass, (Baldo) and Mary Lindsey, soprano (Media).
With its original cast, the opera was first performed in English. Before long however Francis Hughs was replaced by the famous castrato Valentino Urbani. Urbani had premiered in London in ''Camilla'' in 1706, and he took over the role of Orontes in ''Thomyris''. The subscribers wished to hear him singing in Italian, so he did, with the other parts in the opera still performed in English. By the time of its 1709 revival two more Italian singers had been added to the cast, and they too had their arias translated from English into Italian.
The libretto for ''Thomyris'' was published in both English and Italian so that the audience could follow the action. However the English and Italian pages were not aligned, making it difficult to read across line by line.[ The songs from the opera were published by John Walsh and were very popular. Walsh was obliged to reduce the price of his edition in 1707 when John Cullen published a rival one, and he discounted it again in 1709 in the face of rival editions.
]
Revivals
The opera was revised by Nicola Francesco Haym
Nicola Francesco Haym (6 July 1678 – 31 July 1729) was an Italian opera librettist, composer, theatre manager and performer, literary editor and numismatist. He is best remembered for adapting texts into libretti for the London operas of Georg ...
and staged again on 10 April 1708. Margherita de L'Epine was moved to the male role of Tigranes, while the title role of Thomyris was undertaken by Haym’s wife, Joanna Maria Linchenham. There were cuts to the original work to shorten the opera and speed up the action. Thus for example in Act three the number of arias was reduced from twenty to twelve. Overall much of Pepusch’s work was cut.
For the 1709/10 season ''Thomyris'' was revived once again. This time the main attraction was the famous and very expensive castrato Nicolini Nicolini may refer to:
* 15386 Nicolini, main-belt asteroid named after the astronomer Martino Nicolini
People
* Stage name of Nicolo Grimaldi (1673–1732), Italian mezzo-soprano castrato
* Angelo Nicolini (1505–1567), Italian cardinal
* B ...
appearing as Tigranes, on 17, 21 and 24 November, 6 and 20 December 1709, and 3 January and 23 February 1710.
''Thomyris'' was so popular that it was revived several times between 1716 and 1728. Pepusch was involved in revising the work again, with these versions being sung entirely in English. For the 1718 revival he composed seven new arias.[ In total it had 43 performances between 1707 and 1728. However public taste was changing, eventually favouring opera sung entirely in Italian.]
External links
digital copy of songs from ''Thomyris''
References
{{reflist
Opera in England
English-language operas
Italian-language operas
1707 operas
Operas
Operas by multiple composers
Operas by Francesco Gasparini
Operas by Giovanni Bononcini
Operas by Alessandro Scarlatti
Operas by Agostino Steffani