jan 1, 1689 - Opera: Dido and Aeneas

Description:

Background Information:
Genre: English Opera
Composer: Henry Purcell
First performance: 1689
Librettist: Nahum Tate
Source of plot: Virgil's epic poem "Aeneid"

Characters:
Dido: soprano (queen of Carthage)
Aeneas: castrato (Trojan prince, founder of Rome)
Belindo: soprano (Dido's lady)
Sorceress: mezzo-soprano

Plot Summary:
After the fall of Troy, Prince Aeneas and his men set sail across the Mediterranean Sea, under command of the gods to establish a new Trojan capital in Italy. Their ship crashes on the shores of Carthage, a city-state ruled by Queen Dido. Dido and Aeneas fall in love, resulting in the delay of the mission. A sorceress conspires against the couple, tricking Aeneas into believing the gods are unhappy with the delay. Aeneas departs Carthage immediately, abandoning the heartbroken Dido. In her grief, she builds a pyre on a hilltop overlooking the city, with the flames lighting up the night sky to guide Aeneas' ships safely out of the harbour. The Queen brings then mounts the pyre and ends her life after watching her beloved leave the city.

Act 3, Final Scene: "Dido's Lament"
"Thy Hand, Belinda" (Recitative)
- C minor
- 4/4 meter
- Recitative secco, accompanied by only continuo
- Dido prepares herself for death
- Word painting with chromatic lines suggest grief

"When I Am Laid in Earth" (Aria)
- G minor
- 3/2 meter
- Descending chromatic ground bass (Short-long 5 measure pattern, repeated 11 times)
- Solo line moves independently
- AB form
- Dido says her last words

"With Drooping Wings" (Chorus)
- G minor
- Common time signature
- 4 voices (SATB)
- A chorus of cupids gather to mourn the tragic fate of Dido]
- Imitative texture

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