1606–51, Italian

Florentine librettist Giacinto Cicognini followed in a famous father’s footsteps. Jacopo Cicognini (1577–1633), had been among the pioneers who introduced Spanish theatre to Italian audiences. Jacopo was also a librettist; he wrote Andromeda (1618) for another Florentine, the composer Domenico Belli. Giacinto Cicognini initially intended to become a lawyer, but the stage proved much more seductive, and he renounced the courts for the theatre. Naturally enough, considering his father’s work and interest in Spain, Giacinto’s libretti show strong Spanish influences. This is especially evident in the elegance of Giacinto’s verse. His best-known libretto was written for Cavalli’s Giasone (1649) and, in the same year, he wrote Orontea for Cesti. Another libretto for Gli amore di Alessandro Magno e di Rossana (‘The Love of Alexander the Great and Roxane’) by Francesco Luzzo (1628–58) appeared in 1651, the year Giacinto died.

Introduction | Early & Middle Baroque | Opera
Personalities | Pierre Corneille | Early & Middle Baroque | Opera