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Didon (1815) - Niccolò Piccinni
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Background
With Didon, Piccinni demonstrated his ability to combine both Italian and French styles to create a compelling tragédie lyrique. The opera includes lyrical Italian melodies and a second-act finale, as well as French choruses and numbers that transition continuously without pauses.
Didon was premiered at Fountainebleau on 16 October 1783, and it remained one of Piccinni’s most popular French operas, with performances through the first part of the nineteenth century. The story of Dido had been realized on the operatic stage before Piccinni’s setting, including Cavalli’s Didone (1641), Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas (c. 1689), and Vinci’s Didone abbandonata (1726) with a libretto by Metastasio.
Plot
In Act One, King Iarbe (Iarbas), ruler of a neighboring land, has warned Dido, the Queen of Carthage, that she must marry him instead of her love, Trojan prince Enée (Aeneas). The king appears in disguise to reiterate his admonition, this time insisting that Aeneas cannot become King of Carthage, but Dido will not agree to marry Iarbas. When she has departed, Iarbas reveals himself to Aeneas, and he expresses his anger at the situation.
At the beginning of the second act, Aeneas confesses to Dido’s sister Elise that he is planning to travel to Italy and build an empire there, and he leaves Elise to relay the news to Dido. However, Elise hopes that Aeneas will still help fight off Iarbas. Dido encounters Aeneas and plans to make an announcement about their engagement, but Aeneas departs. When Iarbas accuses Aeneas of betrayal, Dido refuses to believe him; then Aeneas reveals his plan to her.
Aeneas and Iarbas fight in Act Three, while Dido worries about her beloved’s fate. Although Aeneas defeats Iarbas, he still insists that he must move to Italy. Dido finally convinces him otherwise, but then the ghost of Aeneas’s father Anchises tells him that he is required to follow through on this commitment, which was decreed by the gods. When Aeneas leaves, Dido, in an emotional rage, plans to burn his belongings. Grief-stricken, she immolates herself instead.
Bibliography
Title from title page: DIDON / TRAGÉDIE LYRIQUE / EN TROIS ACTES
Genre: Tragédie lyrique
Composer: Niccolò Piccinni, 1728-1800
Librettist: Jean François Marmontel, 1723-1799
Libretto based on: Virgil’s Aeneid
Premiere: Fontainebleau, 16 October 1783
First published: Paris: “chez le Suisse de l’Hôtel de Noailles,” n.d.
Volume in the UNT Collection: Paris: Chez Boieldieu, n.d.
For further reading on Didon, see:
Hunter, Mary. “Didon.” Grove Music Online, ed. Laura Macy. [Accessed 17 December 2003]. <http://www.grovemusic.com>
Liggett, M. A Biography of Piccinni and a Critical Study of His La Didone and Didon. Ph.D. diss.: Washington University, 1977.
Rushton, Julian. Music and Drama at the Académie Royale de Musique, Paris, 1774-1789. Ph.D. diss.: University of Oxford, 1970.
Rushton, Julian. “The Theory and Practice of Piccinnisme.” Proceedings of the Royal Music Association 98 (1971-72): 31-46.
Physical
Dimensions: 33 x 25 cm.
Conservation: Foxing; holes and frass; worn cover with frayed edges.
Binding: Blue paper on board with spine that reads "Didon - Piccinni."
Comments: North Texas property plate; plate with paper description on inside front cover.