bernard le bovier de fontenelle wrote the libretto for dido and aeneas.
who wrote the libretto for dido and aeneas?
bernard le bovier de fontenelle
in 1679, blow, who had been appointed organist of westminster abbey 10 years before, resigned his office in favour of purcell. purcell now devoted himself almost entirely to the composition of sacred music, and for six years severed his connection with the theatre. however, during the early part of the year, probably before taking up his new office, he had produced two important works for the stage, the music for nathaniel lee's "theodosius", and thomas d'urfey's "virtuous wife". between 1680 and 1688 purcell wrote music for seven plays. the composition of his chamber opera "dido and aeneas", which forms a very important landmark in the history of english dramatic music, has been attributed to this period, and its earliest production may well have predated the documented one of 1689. it was written to a libretto furnished by nahum tate, and performed in 1689 in cooperation with josias priest, a dancing master and the choreographer for the dorset garden theatre. priest's wife kept a boarding school for young gentlewomen, first in leicester fields and afterwards at chelsea, where the opera was performed. it is occasionally considered the first genuine english opera, though that title is usually given to blow's "venus and adonis": as in blow's work, the action does not progress in spoken dialogue but in italian-style recitative. each work runs to less than one hour. at the time, "dido and aeneas" never found its way to the theatre, though it appears to have been very popular in private circles. it is believed to have been extensively copied, but only one song was printed by purcell's widow in "orpheus britannicus", and the complete work remained in manuscript until 1840, when it was printed by the musical antiquarian society under the editorship of sir george macfarren. the composition of "dido and aeneas" gave purcell his first chance to write a sustained musical setting of a dramatic text. it was his only opportunity to compose a work in which the music carried the entire drama. the story of "dido and aeneas" derives from the original source in virgil's epic the "aeneid".
henry purcell
the ballad begins by briefly describing the fall of troy. asserting that "corn now grows where troy-town stood" (line 6), the ballad then moves immediately into aeneas's arrival at carthage following his flight from troy. welcomed by dido, carthage's queen, with a feast, aeneas tells the tale of troy's fall "with words so sweet and sighs so deep, / that oft he made them all to weep" (lines 23-24). following aeneas's grand tale, all leave the feast and go to sleep, save for dido who finds herself unable to sleep, kept awake by her desire for aeneas. as dawn arrives, dido is then distraught to learn that aeneas and the trojans have left carthage. dido's desire thus turns into despair; sobbing, she cries out for death to end the pain in her heart, and stabs herself in the chest. following dido's funeral, her sister anna writes to aeneas to tell him of his part in dido's suicide. upon reading the letter, dido's ghost appears to aeneas and she demands that he join her as a spirit; while aeneas pleads with dido that she not take him, his pleas are in vain. the ballad ends as a group of "ugly fiends" (line 134) come to take aeneas's body away.
the wandering prince of troy