torquato tasso, author of la gerusalemme liberata. tortured life subject of opera – donizetti s torquato tasso
torquato tasso s 1581 epic poem la gerusalemme liberata , voltaire s 1732 play, zaïre sources majority of operas in list , described in more detail below. other literary works have served basis operas on crusades include: niccolò forteguerri s 1735 mock epic poem, il ricciardetto; dormont de belloy s 1777 play, gabrielle de vergy; jean-antoine-marie monperlier s 1813 play les chevaliers de malte (the knights of malta); august von kotzebue s 1820 play die kreuzfahrer (the crusaders); sir walter scott s 1825 novel, talisman; , tommaso grossi s 1826 epic poem lombardi alla prima crociata (the lombards in first crusade).
tasso s la gerusalemme liberata
at least 1 hundred operas have been inspired tasso s la gerusalemme liberata (jerusalem delivered). began writing while still schoolboy , finished in 1575 when thirty. first complete editions published in parma , ferrara in 1581. main characters mixture of historical figures , ones invented tasso. of poem s main characters below, invented rinaldo , armida, frequent operatic characters. love story, recounted in canto xvi, 1 of famous episodes in la gerusalemme liberata , has alone served theme on fifty operas many paintings. apart tancredi, historically based characters tend have relatively minor roles in operas based on poem.
goffredo godfrey of bouillon, 1 of military leaders of first crusade , later ruler of jerusalem. (the original title of la gerusalemme liberata il goffredo.)
pietro l eremita peter hermit, spiritual leader of people s crusade.
tancredi tancred, prince of galilee, norman knight became ruler of galilee , antioch. , gaston iv of béarn claimed first crusaders enter jerusalem when city fell on 15 july 1099. in poem, tancredi falls in love clorinda , in turn loved both clorinda , erminia.
rinaldo falls under armida s spell in painting giovanni battista tiepolo, 1 of many works inspired story.
rinaldo (fictional) valiant christian knight. in story, ancestor of house of este, compliment paid tasso s patron alfonso ii d este duke of ferrara. rinaldo shares name (but not identity) of earlier christian knight, rinaldo di montalbano character in ariosto s orlando furioso. after escaping armida s enchantment, seeks penance on mount of olives having abandoned christian duty love , participates in final assault on jerusalem.
armida (fictional) beautiful highborn woman damascus , sorceress. grandfather (idraote), ruler of city sorcerer. uses beauty , magic enchant christian knights , sow discord amongst them. after spiriting rinaldo away magic isle, fall in love. when rinaldo comes senses , leaves return battle, becomes suicidal. character has elements of both homer s circe , ariosto s alcina.
erminia (fictional) daughter of muslim king of antioch (cassano) killed crusaders when conquered city. tancredi nevertheless treats honour , protects her, causing erminia fall in love him. when tancredi wounded in battle , on verge of death, abandons people , comes on christian side, curing him special herbs.
clorinda (fictional) warrior-princess, fighting on side of muslims. unbeknownst her, daughter of christian king of ethiopia. born white, extraordinary fact attributed having been conceived beneath painting of saint george. fearing dark-skinned king not believe explanation, clorinda s mother had child taken egypt servant (arsete), raised muslim. clorinda , tancredi fall in love, meet in battle during final assault on jerusalem, although don t recognize each other beneath armour. clorinda killed tancredi, , dying in arms asks him baptize her.
sofronia , olindo (fictional) young christian lovers living in jerusalem before fall crusaders. when muslim ruler of city, aladino, orders persecution christians, sent execution. clorinda takes pity on them , rescues them burnt @ stake.
argante (fictional) hot-headed saracen warrior , emissary of king of egypt , king aladino. slain tancredi.
ismene (fictional) powerful sorcerer in service of king aladino. @ 1 point ismene convinces aladino steal icon of virgin mary , hang in mosque, can cast spell on it.
voltaire s zaïre
voltaire, author of zaïre. in addition many other plays have inspired opera librettists, voltaire wrote several libretti himself, notably rameau s le temple de la gloire
voltaire s zaïre (the tragedy of zara) given first public performance on 13 august 1732 comédie française @ théâtre de la rue des fossés saint-germain. great success paris audiences , marked turning away tragedies caused fatal flaw in protagonist s character ones based on pathos. tragic fate of heroine caused not through fault of own, jealousy of lover , intolerance of fellow christians. voltaire ostensibly set play in epoch of saint louis . however, plot , characters largely fiction. historical characters alluded to, members of lusignan , châtillon families, related events of crusades not alive @ time of louis ix. characters names in original french are:
orosmane, (osman) sultan of jerusalem
zaïre, (zara) christian slave kidnapped baby when cesarea sacked muslim armies , lover of orosamane
nérestan, french knight, , unbeknownst zaïre, brother
lusignan, descendant of christian princes of jerusalem, prisoner of sultan and, unbeknownst zaïre, father
fatime, (fatima) slave girl , zaïre s friend
châtillon, french knight , comrade of nérestan
corasmin , mélédor, officers of sultan
un esclave, unnamed slave
the play s melodramatic plot , setting appealed orientalism in vogue in late-18th- , early-19th-century europe made popular opera composers. zaïre has been inspiration @ least thirteen operas. 1 of earliest operatic adaptations peter winter s zaire premiered in 1805 @ king s theatre in london famous italian contralto, giuseppina grassini, in title role. bellini s 1829 zaira, based on play, expressly written inauguration of teatro regio di parma failure on opening night , has been performed since then. johann andreas schachtner s libretto mozart s unfinished opera zaïde, based largely on 1778 singspiel, seraglio, or unexpected reunion of father, daughter , son in slavery. however, both appear have been influenced plot , themes of zaïre had been performed in salzburg late 1777.
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