Nicolò Minato
Encyclopedia
Count Nicolò Minato was an Italian
poet
, librettist and impresario
. His career can be divided into two parts: the years he spent at Venice
, from 1650 to 1669, and the years at Vienna
, from 1669 until his death.
Minato is best remembered for his vast output as a librettist for opera
. In total, he wrote over 200 librettos. His career began with Orimonte
, written in 1650 for Francesco Cavalli
. At this time he worked primarily as a lawyer, and it was only over a decade later that he abandoned this, his first profession, and turned fully to the composition of librettos and theatre management (as did his contemporary, Giovanni Faustini
. Minato was also a member of several literary academies, including, along with Busenello
, the Accademia degli Imperfetti, a group that devoted itself to studying the classics and contemporary jurisprudence. He wrote 11 librettos for Venice, most of them for Cavalli, though a few were first set by Antonio Sartorio
. In 1665 he became a prominent figure in the running of the Teatro San Salvador, but in 1669 left Venice to take up a post in Vienna as court poet to the Emperor Leopold I.
At Vienna he wrote over 170 librettos, averaging around 5 a year, in genres as diverse as opera seria
and festa teatrale
. In addition to his duties as a writer of secular works, Minato was also a prolific producer of sacred texts, often described as oratorio
s. He largely provided these texts for performances given to mark special occasions - birthdays in the royal family, for example, or possibly Lenten celebrations or court weddings. Minato was a popular librettist and after his death his works were frequently revived by composers such as Johann Adolf Hasse, Handel
, Giovanni Bononcini, and Telemann.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, librettist and impresario
Impresario
An impresario is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays or operas; analogous to a film producer in filmmaking, television production and an angel investor in business...
. His career can be divided into two parts: the years he spent at Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, from 1650 to 1669, and the years at Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, from 1669 until his death.
Minato is best remembered for his vast output as a librettist for 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 total, he wrote over 200 librettos. His career began with Orimonte
Orimonte
Orimonte is an opera in three acts and a prologue by the Italian composer Francesco Cavalli with a libretto by Niccolò Minato. It was first performed at the Teatro San Cassiano, Venice on February 23, 1650.-References:Source...
, written in 1650 for Francesco Cavalli
Francesco Cavalli
Francesco Cavalli was an Italian composer of the early Baroque period. His real name was Pietro Francesco Caletti-Bruni, but he is better known by that of Cavalli, the name of his patron Federico Cavalli, a Venetian nobleman.-Life:Cavalli was born at Crema, Lombardy...
. At this time he worked primarily as a lawyer, and it was only over a decade later that he abandoned this, his first profession, and turned fully to the composition of librettos and theatre management (as did his contemporary, Giovanni Faustini
Giovanni Faustini
Giovanni Faustini was an Italian librettist and opera impresario of the 17th century. He is best remembered for his collaborations with the composer Francesco Cavalli.Faustini was born in Venice...
. Minato was also a member of several literary academies, including, along with Busenello
Giovanni Francesco Busenello
Giovanni Francesco Busenello was an Italian lawyer, librettist and poet of the 17th century.Born to a high-class family of Venice, it is thought that he studied at the University of Padua, where according to himself he was taught by Paolo Sarpi and Cesare Cremonino...
, the Accademia degli Imperfetti, a group that devoted itself to studying the classics and contemporary jurisprudence. He wrote 11 librettos for Venice, most of them for Cavalli, though a few were first set by Antonio Sartorio
Antonio Sartorio
Antonio Sartorio was an Italian composer active mainly in Italy and in Hamburg, Germany. He was a leading composer of operas in his native Venice in the 1660s and 1670s and was also known for composing in other genres of vocal music...
. In 1665 he became a prominent figure in the running of the Teatro San Salvador, but in 1669 left Venice to take up a post in Vienna as court poet to the Emperor Leopold I.
At Vienna he wrote over 170 librettos, averaging around 5 a year, in genres as diverse as opera seria
Opera seria
Opera seria is an Italian musical term which refers to the noble and "serious" style of Italian opera that predominated in Europe from the 1710s to c. 1770...
and festa teatrale
Festa teatrale
The term festa teatrale refers to a genre of drama, and of opera in particular. The genre cannot be rigidly defined, and in any case feste teatrali tend to be split into two different sets: feste teatrali divided by acts are operas, while works in this genre performed without division, or merely...
. In addition to his duties as a writer of secular works, Minato was also a prolific producer of sacred texts, often described as oratorio
Oratorio
An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
s. He largely provided these texts for performances given to mark special occasions - birthdays in the royal family, for example, or possibly Lenten celebrations or court weddings. Minato was a popular librettist and after his death his works were frequently revived by composers such as Johann Adolf Hasse, Handel
HANDEL
HANDEL was the code-name for the UK's National Attack Warning System in the Cold War. It consisted of a small console consisting of two microphones, lights and gauges. The reason behind this was to provide a back-up if anything failed....
, Giovanni Bononcini, and Telemann.