706 THE SURVIVAL OF CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY
Camerata were inspired by a reaction against the prevailing polyphonic style of
music—intricate and multitextured in its counterpoint, with words sung by sev-
eral voices to create a tapestry of sound. Texts set to music in this way could
not be understood; Galilei suggested a return to the simplicity of ancient Greek
music and drama. Now Galilei and company knew very little about the actual
musical setting of a Greek play by Aeschylus, Sophocles, or Euripides (for that
matter, we do not know much more), but they believed that ancient drama was
sung in its entirety, not realizing fully the distinction between the episodes and
the choral interludes. We can agree, however, that Greek musical settings must
have been simple in terms of instrumentation and melodic harmony. Choral mu-
sic was generally accompanied by the aulos, or auloi (double-pipe)—often trans-
lated as "flute" but actually more akin to a modern oboe.
The Camerata argued that words should be clearly heard and understood
and the melodic line should reflect and underscore the meaning and emotion of
the text. Their new style was appropriately labeled monodic (as opposed to poly-
phonic); it represents in large part the declamatory element that survived in
opera as recitativo, or recitative—spoken dialogue lightly accompanied by mu-
sic (of various kinds depending on period and composer), to be distinguished
from set melodic pieces—arias, duets, trios, and so on.
In 1594 or 1597, members of the Camerata produced what may be called the
first opera; its title was Dafne and its theme reflected the spell cast by the an-
cient world. Ottavio Rinuccini wrote the text (which is still extant); Jacopo Peri
composed the music, with the help of Jacopo Corsi (some of whose music is all
that survives); and Giulio Caccini may have contributed as well. A second opera
followed, Euridice, which has survived and on occasion receives scholarly re-
vivals. Peri again wrote most of the score, but apparently Caccini added some
music and then composed another Euridice of his own.Monteverdi, Cavalli, Cesti, and Bach. The first genius in the history of this new
form was Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643); his first opera, Orfeo (1607), lifts the
musical and dramatic potential initiated by his predecessors to the level of great
art appreciated in performance to this day. The subjects of some of his subse-
quent works reveal the power and impetus provided by Greece and Rome:
Arianna (her "Lament," which is all that survives, is still popular today), Tirse e
Clori, II Matrimonio d'Alceste con Admeto, Adone, Le Nozze d'Enea con Lavinia, II
Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria, and finally L'Incoronazione di Poppea, which is based
upon Roman history.
Monteverdi's pupil, Pier Francesco Cavalli (1602-1676), wrote more than
forty operas. Among his best known are Giasone ( Jason) and Ercole Amante (Her-
cules in Love).
Cavalli's contemporary, Marc Antonio Cesti (1623-1669), is said to have com-
posed more than one hundred operas; of the eleven surviving, II Porno d'Oro (The
Golden Apple), which deals with the contest for the Apple of Discord, was the