Publication details
Serenata J. H. Schmelzera k zásnubám arcivévodkyně Marie Antonie Habsburské
| Title in English | J. H. Schmelzer's serenata for betrothal of Archduchess Maria Antonia Habsburg |
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| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2015 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Opus musicum |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Art, architecture, cultural heritage |
| Keywords | Johann Heinrich Schmelzer; festive serenatas; Imperial court; Archduchess Maria Antonia; Emperor Leopold I |
| Description | Schmelzer’s secular dramatic music constitutes a marginal part of the composer’s work. However, his serenata Hercules und Onfale, composed for a celebration of the engagement of Spanish king Carlos II and Archduchess Maria Antonia, represents a very important work for the Czech music history. This work was performed on the 28th October 1676 at Viennese Hofburg. According to the compositional style, as well as the characters of the main parts, we can presume that king and archduchess performed the main roles. Schmelzer himself sent the copies of vocal and instrumental parts to the bishop Karl Liechtenstein–Castelcorno, who at that time, resided in Kroměříž. The parts represent the oldest operatic composition preserved in Bohemian lands. Despite this important fact, there is still insufficient refl ection about Hercules und Onfale in the musicological literature. Therefore, the main goal of the text was to summarize available information about this composition, as well as to point out its significance for both the Czech and the former Habsburg monarchy’s musical history. |
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