The first production of
Ariodantein 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 Operaof 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
Englandfor that season the
Italian Opera” (Pope, 190). The myth that Handel rather turned away from Italian opera after 1728 still has some currency. Yvonne Noble, for instance, argues…
1619 words
Citation: Alsop, Derek . "Ariodante". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 29 June 2012 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=34240, accessed 21 November 2024.]
