Contrasts serious and comic arias: they differ in musical and textual struc-
tures. The comic has sectional contrast “based on text form”; the serious has
continuity “based on text affect.”- Jeffrey, Peter. “The Autograph Manuscripts of Francesco Cavalli.” Ph.D. diss.,
Princeton U., 1980. 504p.
Friedrich Cerha (1926–)
- McShane, Catherine Albertson. “The Music of Friedrich Cerha and an Analy-
sis of His Opera Der Rattenfaenger.” Ph.D. diss., U. of Texas, 1995. 426p.
Antonio (Pietro) Cesti (1623–1669)
Il pomo d’orois in RMBE,v.42.
- Schmidt, Carl B. “The Operas of Antonio Cesti.” Ph.D. diss., Harvard U.,
- 2v.
With this massive work—1,721p.—Schmidt provided a documented biogra-
phy and “a bibliographical scrutiny of all Cesti’s operas.” Sources, location,
stylistic analysis, worklist, bibliography. No index. Schmidt’s later articles
offer condensed presentations of his research. - Schmidt, Carl B. “Antonio Cesti’s Il pomo d’oro: A Re-examination of a
Famous Hapsburg Court Spectacle.” JAMS29 (1976): 381–412.
The date of the premiere was July 1668 rather than 1667 as given in standard
sources. New material, presumed lost, is discussed. - Wellesz, Egon. “A Festival Opera of the 17th Century.” In his Essays on
Opera, trans. Patricia Keen, 54–81 (London: Dobson, 1950; ML1700.1
.W45).
Program notes and some technical comments on Il pomo d’oro. - Schmidt, Carl B. “Antonio Cesti’s La Dori: A Study of Sources, Performance
Traditions, and Musical Styles.” RIM10 (1975): 455–498. - Pirrotta, Nino. “Le prime opere di Antonio Cesti.” In L’orchestra,153–181
(Florence: G. Barbera, 1954; ML455 .O64).
Establishes the sequence of Cesti’s operas, demonstrating that the first was
Orontea(Venice, 1649). Discusses the libretti of the early works and compares
them to Cavalli’s; concludes that Cesti favored music over plot and preferred
comic roles. - Holmes, William Carl. “Orontea: A Study of Change and Development in the
Libretto and Music of Mid-Seventeenth Century Italian Opera.” Ph.D. diss.,
Columbia U., 1968. iv, 282p. - Holmes, William Carl. “Giacinto Andrea Cicognini’s and Antonio Cesti’s
Orontea,1649.” In New Looks(#2429), 172–219.
Lists and comments on the known libretti of the work, which was Cesti’s first
opera and “one of the most widely performed in the 17th century.” Discussion
142 Opera