George Frideric Handel, Ariodante

Derek Alsop (University of Chester)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.05: English Writing and Culture from the Glorious Revolution to the French Revolution, 1689-1789.
Vol. editors: Paul Baines (University of Liverpool), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Pat Rogers (University of South Florida), Nicholas Seager (University of Keele)

Dates

First circulation or publication Jan 1735

Places

England (Publication/ performance)

Genres and Modes

Music (any)
- Classical Music
  - Opera

Resources

The first production of Ariodante in 1735 opened a new phase of Handel’s opera-writing career. The sensational success of John Gay’s parody of Italian opera, The Beggar’s Opera of 1728, had been allowed, by some, to have had a greater impact on the musical life of London than it deserved. Alexander Pope, in a footnote to his 1729 Variorum edition of the Dunciad, celebrated the success of his friend’s play, claiming: “it drove out of England the Italian Opera, which had carry’d all before it for ten years” (Pope, 190). By 1735 Pope had had to change his annotation to read: “it drove out of England for that season the Italian Opera” (Pope, 190). The myth that Handel rather turned …

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1619 words

Citation: Alsop, Derek . "Ariodante". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 29 June 2012 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=34240, accessed 19 April 2024.]

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