Jacopo Peri (jan 1, 1561 – jan 1, 1633)
Description:
known under the pseudonym Il Zazzerino, was an Italian composer and singer of the transitional period between the Renaissance and Baroque styles, and is often called the inventor of opera. He wrote the first work to be called an opera today, Dafne (around 1597), and also the first opera to have survived to the present day, Euridice (1600). Unfortunatley, Dafne does not survive today.In Peri’s Euridice, long passages of stile rappresentativo provide intense drama to the
performance.
1. The bass line does not move frequently, which frees the singer to express the text as
appropriate.
2. The music is unpredictable, which means the drama is not interrupted.
3. The most intense scene in Euridice occurs when Orpheus learns of Eurydice’s death.
Added to timeline:
Date:
jan 1, 1561
jan 1, 1633
~ 72 years