Il pastor fido is an opera

Opera

Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...

 in three acts by George Frideric Handel

George Frideric Handel

George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...

. It was set to a libretto

Libretto

A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...

 by Giacomo Rossi

Giacomo Rossi

Giacomo Rossi was an Italian 'poet', translator and librettist who settled in London early in the 18th century and wrote librettos for George Frideric Handel, between 1710 and 1729....

 based on the famed and widely familiar pastoral poem of the same name by Giovanni Battista Guarini

Giovanni Battista Guarini

Giovanni Battista Guarini was an Italian poet, dramatist, and diplomat.- Life :He was born in Ferrara, and spent his early life both in Padua and Ferrara, entering the service of Alfonso II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara, in 1567...

.

Performance history

It was composed in 1712 and first performed on 22 November of the same year under the composer. The opera opened to a largely hostile reception, probably due to disappointment after the success of Rinaldo

Rinaldo (opera)

Rinaldo is an opera by George Frideric Handel composed in 1711. It is the first Italian language opera written specifically for the London stage. The libretto was prepared by Giacomo Rossi from a scenario provided by Aaron Hill. The work was first performed at the Queen's Theatre in London's...

: one diarist noted critically that "the scene represented only the Country of Arcadia; the Habits [costumes] were old – the Opera short". The roles of Mirtillo and Silvio were originally sung by the castrato

Castrato

A castrato is a man with a singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto voice produced either by castration of the singer before puberty or one who, because of an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity.Castration before puberty prevents a boy's...

s Valeriano Pellegrini

Valeriano Pellegrini

Valeriano Pellegrini was an Italian soprano castrato singer of the 18th century. He is largely remembered today for his association with the composer George Frederic Handel, whom he sung for in Italy and then later followed to London...

 and Valentino Urbani

Valentino Urbani

Valentino Urbani was an Italian alto castrato who sang for the composer George Frideric Handel in the 18th century. He sang the role of Eustazio at the premiere of Handel's Rinaldo, the role of Silvio at the premiere of Il pastor fido, and the role of Egeo at the first performance of Teseo...

. The overture is in six movements and is long for its time: it is thought that it may have been originally composed as an unrelated orchestral suite.

The revival of the spring of 1734, in which Giovanni Carestini

Giovanni Carestini

Giovanni Carestini was an Italian castrato of the 18th century, who sang in the operas and oratorios of George Frideric Handel...

 took the role of Mirtillo, was far more successful, but Handel significantly altered the music: only seven of the original aria

Aria

An aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment...

s remained, and those cut were replaced by arias from Handel's cantatas or earlier operas. This production proved popular and enjoyed a run of 13 performances. In the winter of 1734 Il pastor fido was revived again: Carestini remained as Mirtillo and the English tenor

Tenor

The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...

 John Beard took the role of Silvio. A newly-composed prologue, Terpsicore, was added to the opera for this run of performances. The prologue consisted of solo arias, choral movements, and orchestral writing for dance: the danced role of Terpsichore was performed by Marie Sallé

Marie Sallé

Marie Sallé was a French dancer and choreographer known for her expressive, dramatic performances rather than a series of "leaps and frolics" typical of ballet of her time...

, whose dance company had been engaged by Covent Garden manager John Rich.

Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere Cast, 22 November 1712 (Conductor: - )
Amarilli	soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...	Elisabetta Pilotti-Schiavonetti Elisabetta Pilotti-Schiavonetti Elisabetta Pilotti-Schiavonetti was an Italian operatic soprano who was associated with the House of Hanover. She was one of the leading prima donnas at the Queen's Theatre in the Haymarket from 1710 to 1717...
Dorinda	contralto Contralto Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...	Jane Barbier Jane Barbier Jane Barbier was an English contralto of the 18th century, best known for her performances in the operas of George Frederic Handel. She created the roles of Dorinda and Arcano , and also sang in Rinaldo...
Eurilla	soprano	Francesca Margherita de L'Epine Francesca Margherita de l'Epine Francesca Margherita de l'Epine , was an Italian vocalist.Epine, a native of Tuscany, came to England with her German master, Greber, and was heard at York Buildings in 1692, becoming ‘so famous for her singing’ that she performed there and at Freeman's Yard during the remainder of that season...
Mirtillo	soprano castrato	Valeriano Pellegrini Valeriano Pellegrini Valeriano Pellegrini was an Italian soprano castrato singer of the 18th century. He is largely remembered today for his association with the composer George Frederic Handel, whom he sung for in Italy and then later followed to London...
Silvio	alto castrato	Valentino Urbani Valentino Urbani Valentino Urbani was an Italian alto castrato who sang for the composer George Frideric Handel in the 18th century. He sang the role of Eustazio at the premiere of Handel's Rinaldo, the role of Silvio at the premiere of Il pastor fido, and the role of Egeo at the first performance of Teseo...
Tirenio	bass	Richard Leveridge