PERSEO and Venetian Opera. Il Tenore Vivaldiano. Sonatori della Gioiosa Marca -- And Manelli 1637

Speranza

When "I Sonatori della Gioiosa Marca" pay a tribute to "l'aria di Perseo" from Vivaldi's "Andromeda liberata" (Venezia, 1726), they know what they are doing. For "Andromeda" certainly started opera (as we know it) back in Venice, but in 1637, when Manelli presented HIS thing. As R. H. notes, the Perseo part was then played by a tenor. Things had changed by 1726!

Francesco Manelli (also spelt "Mannelli") was born on 13 September 1594 (he died in July 1667). He was a Roman Baroque composer, particularly of opera; and theorbo player.

Manelli is best known for his collaboration with fellow Roman composer Benedetto Ferrari in bringing commercial opera to Venice.

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" (Tenor role: Perseo).

and

"La Maga Fulminata".

Francesco Manelli was for many years confused with the Franciscan 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".

Operas:

L'Andromeda (libretto: Benedetto Ferrari) (Venezia, San Cassiano, 1637)

La maga fulminata (Ferrari) (Venezia, San Cassiano, 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) (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
Recorded on Il Fasolo, dir. Dumestre Alpha 2004
Recorded on Provenzale et.al. Dialoghe. Cappella della Pietà de' Turchini dir. Florio. Symphonia 1995
Piero Mioli A voce sola: studi sulla cantata italiana del XVII secolo, Volume 1 p.332 1988
See also Grove Music Online Article, Manelli (Mannelli), Francesco
The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, Manelli (Mannelli), Francesco (? ‘Il Fasolo’)