Aristotle’s Presence in Opera Between Theory and Practice. A Case Study: Girolamo Frigimelica Roberti’s Ercole in cielo

Abstract

Since the origins of the opera genre, reflection on Greek tragedy and music as they were described in ancient treatises, and above all in those of Aristotle, has been crucial. Reflecting on Poetics, in particular, led to several essential considerations for creating the genre in the sixteenth century and influenced the poetics of seventeenth-century dramma per musica. This new theatrical genre, with its specific characteristics, was consolidated during the seventeenth century, nonetheless, towards the end of the century, in the context of the so-called opera reform, some neo-classical librettists stood out, of whom Count Girolamo Frigimelica Roberti was considered the most radical. Frigimelica Roberti, whose ideas were considered 'distorted' by his contemporaries, distinguished himself as a staunch supporter of Aristotelian demands and accompanied his reflections on Poetics with an attempt to apply its principles. In my contribution, I intend to focus on the libretto Ercole in cielo (1696), highlighting how the librettist’s attempt to adhere to a strenuous observance of Aristotelian principles nevertheless went hand in hand with the need for different choices on a practical level.

KEYWORDS: Aristotle’s Poetics; Girolamo Frigimelica Roberti; opera; opera reform; seventeenth-century librettos; Hercules; classical reception