Pietro Pariati Explained

Pietro Pariati (Reggio Emilia, 27 March 1665- Vienna, 14 October 1733) was an Italian poet and librettist. He was initially secretary to Rinaldo d'Este (1655–1737), Duke of Modena.^[1] Then from 1699 to 1714, he made his living as a poet in Venice, initially writing librettos with Apostolo Zeno, then independently. Then finally from 1714-1729 he was Metastasio's predecessor at the Vienna court of Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor.

Librettos

Apart from many oratorio librettos, his most popular opera librettos included:

• Flavio Anicio Olibrio (with Zeno, 1708), set by Gasparini, Porpora and Jommelli
• Astarto (with Zeno, 1708), set by Albinoni and Caldara
• Sesostri re di Egitto (1710), set by Gasparini and Galuppi
• Il Giustino (after Beregan, 1711), set by Albinoni, Vivaldi and Händel
• Costantino (1711), set by Gasparini and Lotti/Caldara
• Teseo in Creta (1715), set by Porpora, Händel and Galuppi
• Orfeo ed Euridice (1715), set by Johann Joseph Fux
• Don Chisciotte in Sierra Morena (with Zeno, 1719), set by Conti and Holzbauer

References

• A. Zeno, Poesie drammatiche (Venezia, 1744)
• N. Campanini, Un precursore del Metastasio (Reggio Emilia, 1889)
• O. Wessely, Pietro Pariatis Libretto zu Johann Joseph Fuxens ‘Costanza e fortezza’ (Graz, 1969)
• G. Gronda, ‘Per una ricognizione dei libretti di Pietro Pariati’, Civiltà teatrale e Settecento emiliano: Reggio nell’Emilia, pp. 115–36 (1985)
• E. Kanduth, Das Libretto im Zeichen der Arcadia, Paradigmatisches in den Musikdramen Zenos (Pariatis) und Metastasios, Opern als Text: Romanistische Beiträge zur Libretto-Forschung, pp. 33–53 (Heidelberg, 1986)
• G. Gronda, La carriera di un librettista: Pietro Pariati da Reggio di Lombardia (Bologna, 1990)
• R. Bossard, Von San Luca nach Covent Garden: die Wege des Giustino zu Händel, Göttinger Händel-Beiträge, vol. IV, pp. 146–73 (1991)
• G. Gronda, La Betulia liberata e la tradizione viennese dei componimenti sacri, Mozart, Padova e la ‘Betulia liberata’, pp. 27–42 (Padova, 1989)
• L. Bianconi, G. La Face Bianconi, I libretti italiani di Georg Friedrich Händel e le loro fonti (Florence, 1992)
• B. Brumana, Figure di Don Chisciotte nell’opera italiana tra Seicento e Settecento, Europäische Mythen der Neuzeit: Faust und Don Juan, pp. 699–712 (Salzburg, 1992)
• A. Sommer-Mathis, Von Barcelona nach Wien: die Einrichtung des musik- und Theaterbetriebes am Wiener Hof durch Kaiser Karl VI, Musica Conservata: Günther Brosche zum 60. Beburtstag, pp. 355–80 (Tutzing, 1999)

Notes and References

1. Xavier de Courville -Un artisan de la rénovation théàtral avant Goldoni Page 113 1967 "Pietro Pariati, né à Reggio d'Emilia en 1665, avait accompagné Taddeo Rangoni à la cour d'Espagne en 1696. Il fut disgracié par le duc de Modène en 1700, malgré l'intervention de l'ambassadeur. Après avoir été enfermé dans la forteresse.."