''Demofoonte'' is an

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

in three acts by the Czech composer

Josef Mysliveček Josef Mysliveček (9 March 1737 – 4 February 1781) was a Czech composer who contributed to the formation of late eighteenth-century classicism in music. Mysliveček provided his younger friend Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with significant com ...

. It was the composer's first setting of this popular libretto by

Metastasio Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi (3 January 1698 – 12 April 1782), better known by his pseudonym of Pietro Metastasio (), was an Italian poet and librettist, considered the most important writer of ''opera seria'' libretti. Early life Met ...

first produced in 1733 (it was common in the second half of the eighteenth century for composers to set Metastasian texts two or more times over). This setting stays remarkably close to the original drama for its day (it was customary to alter Metastasian texts considerably so long after their original performances), but the role of Timante was augmented in order to highlight the talents of its interpreter, the distinguished male soprano

Gaetano Guadagni Gaetano Guadagni (16 February 1728 – 11 November 1792) was an Italian mezzo-soprano castrato singer, most famous for singing the role of Orpheus at the premiere of Gluck's opera '' Orfeo ed Euridice'' in 1762. Career Born at Lodi, Guadagni ...

. All of Mysliveček's operas are of the serious type in Italian referred to as

opera seria ''Opera seria'' (; plural: ''opere serie''; usually called ''dramma per musica'' or ''melodramma serio'') is an Italian musical term which refers to the noble and "serious" style of Italian opera that predominated in Europe from the 1710s to abou ...

Performance history

The opera was first performed at the

Teatro San Benedetto The Teatro San Benedetto was a theatre in Venice, particularly prominent in the operatic life of the city in the 18th and early 19th centuries. It saw the premieres of over 140 operas, including Rossini's ''L'italiana in Algeri'', and was the th ...

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

on 17 January 1769. It was very successful when it appeared. Indeed, the composer's first biographer, František Martin Pelcl, claimed that Venetian nobles stood in line outside of the theater to applaud his talents. The role of Timante in this production was sung by the great

castrato A castrato (Italian; : castrati) is a male singer who underwent castration before puberty in order to retain a singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto. The voice can also occur in one who, due to an endocrino ...

during the last portion of his long career. Mysliveček's second version of ''Demofoonte'' premiered at the

Teatro San Carlo The Real Teatro di San Carlo ("Royal Theatre of Saint Charles"), as originally named by the Bourbon monarchy but today known simply as the Teatro (di) San Carlo, is a historic opera house in Naples, Italy, connected to the Royal Palace and a ...

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

in 1775.

Connection with Mozart

The overture composed for the opera is the most interesting aspect of the production, since it was extravagantly admired by the young

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

. In a short note written to his sister from Milan on 22 December 1770, he urgently requested her to find out whether a copy of it was available in Salzburg.This letter is discussed in Freeman, pp. 54-55. If not, he vowed to bring a copy back home with him. Mozart used the overture as a source of musical motives in his own compositions for years. There is no other attributable music not by Mozart to be found in the entire Mozart correspondence except for the notes of the beginning of the first violin part from this overture that were copied down by Mozart to help his sister identify it.

Roles

Synopsis

The

Thracian The Thracians (; ; ) were an Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Southeast Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied the area that today is shared between north-eastern Greece, ...

king Demofoonte asks the oracle of Apollo how long the practice of the annual sacrifice of a virgin will continue. The answer is puzzling: "as long as the innocent usurper sits on the throne". The nobleman Matusio tries to protect his daughter Dircea from being sacrificed. He and Demofoonte are unaware that Dircea is secretly married to Timante, the son of Demofoonte and the heir to the throne. Demofonte wants Timante to marry Creusa, a princess of

Phrygia In classical antiquity, Phrygia ( ; , ''Phrygía'') was a kingdom in the west-central part of Anatolia, in what is now Asian Turkey, centered on the Sangarios River. Stories of the heroic age of Greek mythology tell of several legendary Ph ...

. Timante's younger brother Cherinto is accompanying her to the kingdom of Thrace, however he falls in love with her. Meeting Creusa, Timante admits that he cannot marry her, but does not explain why. Dircea has been caught while trying to flee the country and imprisoned, and Demofoonte orders the immediate sacrifice of Dircea. Timante tries to release her but with no success. He is also imprisoned. Creusa asks Demofoonte for mercy. The king releases Timante and Dircea, and Timante decides to give up the throne in favour of Cherinto. Suddenly they find a letter revealing that Dircea is the daughter of Demofoonte, which makes Timante and Dircea brother and sister. Timante is in despair, and tries to avoid Dircea. However another letter reveals that Timante is the son of Matusio. Everybody is happy. The marriage of Timante and Dircea becomes legal, and Cherinto is the real crown prince and can marry Creusa. No more virgins are sacrificed, since Timante is no longer the "innocent usurper of the throne".

Vocal set pieces

Act I, scene 1 - Aria of Matusio, "O più non tremar non voglio"
Act I, scene 2 - Aria of Dircea, "In te spero o sposo amato"
Act I, scene 3 - Aria of Demofoonte, "Per lei fra l'armi"
Act I, scene 4 - Aria of Timante, "Sperai vicino al lido"
Act I, scene 7 - Aria of Creusa, "Non curo l'affetto"
Act I, scene 8 - Aria of Cherinto, "Balena in quel sembiante" non-Metastasian text
Act I, scene 12 - Aria of Dircea, "Padre, perdona, o pene"
Act I, scene 14 - Accompanied recitative for Timante, "Infelice Dircea"
Act I, scene 14 - Cavatina of Timante, "Ah no, bell'idol mio"
Act I, scene 14 - Aria of Timante, "Che fiero tormento" non-Metastasian text Act II, scene 1 - Aria of Creusa, "Tu sai chi son tu sai"
Act II, scene 2 - Aria of Timante, "Prudente mi chiedi?"
Act II, scene 4 - Aria of Matusio, "Vado, ma d'una figlia" non-Metastasian text
Act II, scene 6 - Aria of Dircea, "Se tutti i mali miei"
Act II, scene 7 - Aria of Cherinto, "No, non chiedo amate stelle"
Act II, scene 10 - Aria of Demofoonte, "Perfidi, già che in vita" Act III, scene 1 - Aria of Adrasto, "Non odi consiglio?"
Act III, scene 4 - Accompanied recitative for Timante, "Misero me"
Act III, scene 5 - Duet for Dircea and Timante, "La destra ti chiedo" non-Metastasian text
Act III, scene 5 - Aria of Timante, "Misero pargoletto"
Act III, scene 7 - Aria of Dircea, "Che mai risponderti"
Act III, scene 11 - Chorus, "Par maggiore ogni diletto"

Recording

* The overture to Mysliveček's ''Demofoonte'' of 1769 is included in a collection of symphonies and overtures by the composer recorded by the L'Orfeo Barockorchester, Michi Gaigg, conductor, CPO 777-050 (2004).

References

;Notes ;Sources * Freeman, Daniel E. ''Josef Mysliveček, "Il Boemo"''. Sterling Heights, Mich.: Harmonie Park Press, 2009.

External links

Score of Act I in manuscript available for viewing and downloading at http://www.internetculturale.it (Subcategory: Digital Contents) {{DEFAULTSORT:Demofoonte Myslivecek 1769 Operas Italian-language operas Opera seria Operas by Josef Mysliveček 1769 operas