Francesco Manelli (Mannelli) ( 1595 – 1667) was a Roman

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

, particularly of

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 ...

, and a

theorbo The theorbo is a plucked string instrument of the lute family, with an extended neck that houses the second pegbox. Like a lute, a theorbo has a curved-back sound box with a flat top, typically with one or three sound holes decorated with rose ...

player. He is most well known for his collaboration with fellow Roman composer Benedetto Ferrari in bringing commercial opera to

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 ...

. The first two works, in 1637 and 1638, to be put on commercially in the Teatro San Cassiano were both by Manelli – his ''L'Andromeda'' and ''La Maga Fulminata''. Francesco Manelli was for many years confused with the

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

friar Giovanni Battista Fasolo, because of the resemblances between Manelli's cantata ''Luciata'' (published in ''Musiche varie,'' op. 4 Venice, 1636), and Fasolo's dialogue ''Il carro di Madama Lucia'' (Rome, 1628), and the shared text of the first piece in both collections. In a comparison of the two cantatas Fasolo's version is "languid and melancholy", while Manelli's version is "spirited and biting". A mid-14th-century Florentine scholar of the same name, also called ''dei Pontigiano'', was a close friend of

Giovanni Boccaccio Giovanni Boccaccio ( , ; ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian people, Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanism, Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so ...

.Dizionario biografico universale
Volume 3, by Felice Scifoni, David Passigli, publisher, Florence (1844); page 890.

Works

Operas, music for all of which is lost. *''L'Andromeda'' (libretto: Benedetto Ferrari) (1637) *''La maga fulminata'' (Ferrari) (1638) *''Delia ossia La sera sposa del sole'' ( Giulio Strozzi) (1639) *''Il pastor regio'' (Ferrari) 1640 *''L'Adone'' ( Paolo Vendramin) (1640) *''L'Alcate'' ( Marc' Antonio Tirabosco) (1642) *''Ercole nell'Erimanto'' ( Bernardo Morando) (1651) *''Le vicende del tempo'' (Morando) (1652) *''Il ratto d'Europa'' ( Paolo Emilio Fantuzzi / Elvezio Sandri) (1653) *''La Filo, overo Giunone repacificata con Ercole'' (

Francesco Berni Francesco Berni Francesco Berni (1497/98 – 26 May 1535) was an Italian poet. He is credited for beginning what is now known as " Bernesque poetry", a serio-comedic type of poetry with elements of satire. Biography Life Berni was born 1497 o ...

) (1660) *''La Licasta'' (Ferrari) (1664) Cantatas *''Musiche varie'' Op. 4 (1636)

Recordings

*Duet - ''Ti lascio empia, inconstante''. ''Musiche varie,'' Op. 4, Suzie LeBlanc (Soprano), Derek Lee Ragin (Countertenor), Love and Death in Venice, Teatro Lirico, dir. Stephen Stubbs, Virgin Classics, 1996

References

1590s births 1667 deaths People from Tivoli, Lazio Italian male classical composers Italian Baroque composers 17th-century Italian composers 17th-century Italian male musicians Musicians from the Papal States {{Italy-composer-stub

Works

Recordings

See also

References