The Authors

Leone Allacci (1586-1669), a Greek scholar and theologian who lived and worked in Rome, occupies a central role in seventeenth-century European culture (Musti 1960). A key figure in scholarly and epistolary exchanges of the seventeenth century, he enjoyed privileged relationships with significant personalities both in Italy and abroad, such as Antonio Magliabechi, Angelico Aprosio, Gabriel Naudé, François Combefis, Giulio Mazzarino, and Jean-Baptiste Colbert. Allacci's influence is far-reaching, with his works being published in various prominent publishing hubs (Rome, Paris, Lyon, Cologne) and totaling 60 printed works, while over two hundred projects remained in manuscript form. His extensive production covers a wide array of topics, ranging from theology to Byzantine studies, from sacred architecture to classical antiquity, and extending to Italian literature.

Apostolo Zeno (1668-1750), a writer and celebrated librettist hailing from the Venetian nobility, has been described as "an eminent reformer of melodrama prior to Metastasio" (Bizzarrini 2020). After abandoning his youthful attempts to write poetry, he turned to opera, with his debut marked by the pastoral Gli inganni felici (music by Carlo Francesco Pollarolo, Venice, 1965). By 1744, he had written forty-six musical plays, including oratorios, which were collected and published by Gasparo Gozzi (Venice, Pasquali). Zeno's contribution to theatre history was also as a scholar and a book collector. He owned personally about eight hundred librettos, and such collection provided valuable material for his reworking of the Drammaturgia, published in 1755.

Bibliography

Bizzarrini, Marco (2020). "Apostolo Zeno". Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (Google translation). Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana.

Musti, Domenico (1960). "Leone Allacci". Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (Google translation). Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana.

Zanandrea, Steno (1991). "La «Drammaturgia» di Leone Allacci dall’edizione romana (1666) alla veneziana (1755). Gli interventi di Apostolo Zeno, Carlo Lodoli e Giovanni Cendoni". Quaderni Veneti XIII, pp. 145-164.