Life
His entire career, from training to his premature passing, took place entirely within the first and most innovative phase of the Baroque, particularly in the field of Roman musical theater.
Ottaviano Castelli was born in Spoleto around 1602 and moved to Rome, where he became a physician and professor. He frequented the vibrant cultural environment linked to Pope Urban VIII and the Barberinis, distinguishing himself as an author of librettos and theatrical texts.
His first cantata, I pregi di primavera, was set to music by Stefano Landi and performed in Castelgandolfo in 1635. This was followed by the drama La primavera urbana col trionfo d’Amor pudico, with music by Angelo Cecchini. Among his most well-known works are La sincerità trionfante o vero L’erculeo ardire (1638), set to music by Filiberto Laurenzi and dedicated to Cardinal Richelieu, and Il favorito del principe (1640), a boscareccio heroic-comic drama performed at the French embassy in Rome.
He was also the author of theoretical essays, including the Dialogo sopra la poesia drammatica (1640), in which he defended his vision of musical theater, and translations from Greek, including Aristotle's Poetics. He died in Rome in 1642.
Aneddoto
A European Playwright
Some of Castelli's works were performed in French diplomatic venues in Rome, earning him a pension from the French crown.Works
Among his theatrical texts we recall: La primavera urbana col trionfo d’Amor pudico (1635), Il trionfo dell’autunno (ca. 1636), L’intemperie d’Apollo (1638), La sincerità trionfante o vero L’erculeo ardire (1638), Il favorito del principe (1640), La muta (1640), and Mi feci quel che non ero, per esser quel che sono (1642). He also composed poetic texts and music, including arias and laments published in Venice.
Briciole di storia
Pubblico dominio (Commons)
