Giovanni Bononcinis Oper Muzio Scevola (1710) und Johann Joseph Fux' Festa teatrale Costanza e Fortezza (1723) : vom musikalischen Drama zur Allegorie

Abstract

There are two operatic works with the same plot, the ancient story about the blocade of Rome by the Etruscan King Porsenna in the years 510–508 BC, compared in the article. Bononcini's opera Muzio Scevola (1710) was performed in Vienna at the occasion of the nameday of the Empress Amalia Wilhelmine. The true love and constancy of the women figures from Rome (Valeria and Elisa) are emphasised in this work. In the second work, however, the festa teatrale Costanza e Fortezza, which was performed in Prague in 1723 before the czech coronation of the imperial couple Charles VI. and Elisabeth Christine, is the same story presented as an allegory. The Romans defend their freedom with the help of their constancy and force against two enemies, who want to marry noble Roman girls Valeria and Clelia. By these means were shown the dynastic political intentions of Charles VI. and the momentousness of the pragmatic sanction.

Keywords

• Costanza e Fortezza
• Prague
• 1723
• Charles VI. (1685–1740)
• Elisabeth Christine von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel
• Johann Joseph Fux