Serious Operas Vol. VIII
Libretto
1720 (printed), 27 April 1720 (performed)
1720 (printed), 27 April 1720 (performed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Libretto for George Frideric Handel's three-act opera Radamisto, printed in London by Thomas Wood, 1720. The text is marked in manuscript as a prompt book for its first performance on 27 April, 1720 at the King's Theatre.
Radamisto was Handel’s first opera for the newly formed Royal Academy of Music and the Academy’s second production. The libretto bears the composer’s own dedication to King George I.
The manuscript markings note the performers' moves and calls and cue sound effects. It is a parallel text with Italian on one side of the leaf facing the English translation on the opposite page. As the auditorium was lit by candles, which could not be dimmed during the action on stage, the audience would have been able to read the text during the performance.
Radamisto was Handel’s first opera for the newly formed Royal Academy of Music and the Academy’s second production. The libretto bears the composer’s own dedication to King George I.
The manuscript markings note the performers' moves and calls and cue sound effects. It is a parallel text with Italian on one side of the leaf facing the English translation on the opposite page. As the auditorium was lit by candles, which could not be dimmed during the action on stage, the audience would have been able to read the text during the performance.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Serious Operas Vol. VIII (series title) |
| Materials and techniques | Printed ink on paper, and handwritten ink, bound in gold embossed leather |
| Brief description | Libretto for George Frideric Handel's Radamisto |
| Physical description | Letterpress printed libretto for Handel's Radamisto, with manuscript notes, bound in leather and embossed with gold patterns and coat of arms on both back and front. Bound with five other opera librettos: Julius Caesar (1730), Farnace (1759), Scipione in Cartaigne (1742), Caduta de Giganti (1745) and Artamene (1746). |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | SERIOUS / OPERAS / VOL. VIII |
| Gallery label | Prompt book for Radamisto
1720
This is one of the earliest prompt scripts in existence. The printed text is marked with the performers’ moves, entrances and exits, as well as sound effects. On one of the pages is the note ‘stone ready’ – a cue for the sound to accompany a suicide attempted by jumping in the river.
Opera by George Frideric Handel, libretto by Nicola Francesco Haym, 1720
King’s Theatre, London
Letterpress with manuscript annotations
Printed by Thomas Wood, London
Museum no. S.501-1985 |
| Production | Radamisto first performed at the King's Theatre, libretto by Haym, music by Handel |
| Subject depicted | |
| Literary reference | <i>Radamisto</i> by Domenico Lalli |
| Summary | Libretto for George Frideric Handel's three-act opera Radamisto, printed in London by Thomas Wood, 1720. The text is marked in manuscript as a prompt book for its first performance on 27 April, 1720 at the King's Theatre. Radamisto was Handel’s first opera for the newly formed Royal Academy of Music and the Academy’s second production. The libretto bears the composer’s own dedication to King George I. The manuscript markings note the performers' moves and calls and cue sound effects. It is a parallel text with Italian on one side of the leaf facing the English translation on the opposite page. As the auditorium was lit by candles, which could not be dimmed during the action on stage, the audience would have been able to read the text during the performance. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.501-1985 |
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| Record created | July 1, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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