The Authors

Leone Allacci (1586-1669), a Greek scholar and theologian based in Rome, played a central role in seventeenth-century European culture (Musti 1960). A key figure in the intellectual and epistolary networks of the time, he maintained close relationships with prominent figures both in Italy and abroad, such as Antonio Magliabechi, Angelico Aprosio, Gabriel Naudé, François Combefis, Giulio Mazzarino, and Jean-Baptiste Colbert. Allacci's influence was extensive, with his works published in major cultural centers such as Rome, Paris, Lyon, and Cologne; they amounting to 60 printed volumes and more than two hundred unifnished projects which remained in manuscript form. His prolific output spanned a wide range of topics, including theology, Byzantine studies, religious architecture, classical antiquity, and Italian literature.

Apostolo Zeno (1668-1750), a writer and renowned librettist from Venetian nobility, has been called "an eminent reformer of melodrama prior to Metastasio" (Bizzarrini 2020). After abandoning his early attempts at writing poetry, he turned to opera, making his debut with the pastoral Gli inganni felici (music by Carlo Francesco Pollarolo, Venice, 1695). By 1744, he had written forty-six musical dramas, including oratorios, which were collected and published by Gasparo Gozzi (Venice, Pasquali). Zeno also made significant contributions as a scholar and book collector. His personal collection of around eight hundred librettos provided important material for his revision 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.

Pensa, Maria Grazia (1983). "La felicità delle Lettere, ossia l'edizione veneziana della «Drammaturgia» di Leone Allacci". Informazioni e studi vivaldiani IV, pp. 21-39

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.