Honors 141: Cleopatra

Ashley Boozer
Honors 141
November 5, 2002

Cleopatra in Opera

I. Operas focused primarily on the subject of Cleopatra's love affairs with Antony and Caesar
A. Plutarch and Shakespeare primary sources
B. Cleopatra most often portrayed as a manipulative queen; powerful and seductive
C. Operas typically add characters at the expense of historical accuracy

II. Antony and Cleopatra
A. Samuel Barber

III. Cleopatra and Ceasar
A. Graun's Cleopatra and Cesare
B. Handel's Julius Ceasar

Selected Reference of Operas Including Cleopatra

I. List of Composers: Antony and Cleopatra

Capponi (1623)
Canazzi (1653)
Castrovillani (1662)
Anschutz (1686)
Graun (1742)
Monza (1775)
Anfossi (1779)
Cimarosa (1789)
Weigl (1807)
Paer (1809)
Combi (1847)
L. Rossi (1876)
Sacchi (1877) - Cleopatra
Pedrell (1885)
Morales (1891)
Massenet (1914)
Hazlehurst (1918)
Hadley (1920)
Barber (1966) - Antony and Cleopatra

Sources from the Oxford Dictionary of Opera

II. List of Composers: Julius Caesar/Caesar and Cleopatra
Cesti (1651) - Il Caesar amante
Sartorio (1676)
Predieri (1728)
Giacomelli (1735)
Handel (1724)
Colombo (1744)
Jommeli (1751)
Sarti (1763)
Piccinni (1770)

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