Domenico Antonio Mele (

Acquaviva delle Fonti Acquaviva delle Fonti ( ; known as just Acquaviva until 1863) is a town and comune of 20,446 inhabitants, in the Metropolitan City of Bari, in Apulia, Italy. Acquaviva is famous for its characteristic red onions, which have been awarded the DOP ...

, born 16 July 1647) was an Italian

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

and

librettist A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major ...

Biography

He was an Apulian medical officer, intellectual, apparatore and director of many festive sets held by the aristocracy in the courts of Apulia of the late seventeenth century. He was a member of ''Accademia dei Ravvivati'' of

, of ''Accademia dei Pigri'' of

Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...

and of ''Accademia degli Spensierati'' of

Rossano Rossano is a town and ''frazione'' of Corigliano-Rossano in the province of Cosenza, Calabria, southern Italy. The city is situated on an eminence from the Gulf of Taranto. The town is known for its marble and alabaster quarry, quarries. The to ...

. He experimented many genres such as drama, musical theatre, sacred and profane theatre, the lyric with encomiastic and religious themes and literature of magical and ''scientific'' topic (''Il Proteo'' is an example).

Musical theatre at the Princes De Mari

In 1682 he was commissioned to compose the anti-prologue ''Acquaviva Laureata'' with music by Giovanni Cesare Netti, supernumerary organist of the

Royal Palace of Naples The Royal Palace of Naples () is a historic building located in Piazza del Plebiscito, in the historic center of Naples, Italy. Although the main entrance is located in this square, there are other accesses to the complex, which also includes th ...

, then staged at the theatre of Palazzo De Mari for the wedding of Giovan Battista De Mari (firstborn of Carlo and Geronima Doria, Princes of Acquaviva) and Laura Doria.The narrative development is almost nonexistent, the same net prevail, as in every other Mele's prologue or

interlude Interlude may refer to: *a short play or, in general, any representation between parts of a larger stage production *''Entr'acte'', a piece of music performed between acts of a theatrical production *a section in a movement of a musical piece, se ...

, of arias than recitatives, minimized, marks the absolute priority of the musical dimension to the text.

Works at the De Mari

Drammi per musica

* ''Acquaviva laureata'' * ''La perdita di Nereo e Dori'' * ''Le nozze di Alfeo con Aretusa'' * ''Le metamorfosi delle stagioni'' * ''Li svantaggi di Ippomene ed Atalanta'' * ''Le nozze di Iocasta''

Intermezzos

* ''Le gare degli elementi'' * ''La Sfinge'' * ''Raspa raspa'', ''Bu bu'', ''Cu cu'' * ''Il ballo della figlia di Erodiade'' * ''L'ubriachezza di Loth''

Holy drama

* ''Il più bel fregio del cielo, ovvero il sacro abitino del Carmine''

Magical poetry

* ''Il Proteo'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Mele, Domenico Antonio Italian opera librettists 1647 births