Stefano Benedetto Pallavicino facts for kids
Stefano Benedetto Pallavicino (born March 21, 1672 – died April 16, 1742) was a talented Italian poet and a writer of opera stories, known as a librettist. He was the son of the famous composer Carlo Pallavicino. Sometimes, their family name is spelled Pallavicini.
Contents
About Stefano Benedetto Pallavicino
Early Life and Career
Stefano Benedetto Pallavicino was born in a city called Padua in Italy. He worked for important royal families in places like Dresden and Düsseldorf. His jobs included being a poet, a secretary, and an opera librettist. A librettist writes the words and story for an opera. During his long career, he created almost twenty opera librettos.
Famous Works and Collaborations
Many well-known composers used his librettos for their operas. These composers included Agostino Steffani, Antonio Lotti, Giovanni Alberto Ristori, and Johann Adolf Hasse. Hasse was a German composer famous for his Italian opera seria (a serious style of opera).
Pallavicino's very first libretto was for an opera called Antiope in 1689. He also wrote the story for a funny opera named Calandro. This opera was composed by Giovanni Alberto Ristori. Calandro was first shown in 1726 near Dresden. Later, in 1731, it became the first opera ever performed in Russia, in the city of Moscow. Stefano also wrote the libretto for a five-act serious opera called Alfonso in 1738. This opera was set to music by Johann Adolf Hasse.
Other Contributions
Besides writing for operas, Pallavicino was also known for translating ancient Roman works. He translated the Odes, Epistles, and Satires by the famous Roman poet Horace. Stefano Benedetto Pallavicino passed away in Dresden when he was 70 years old.
See also
- Russian opera
- Giovanni Alberto Ristori
- Calandro
- Bernardo Dovizi
