Z.626 Dido and Aeneas

E881117

Z.626 Dido and Aeneas is Henry Purcell’s renowned Baroque opera, celebrated for its expressive arias and tragic love story based on Virgil’s Aeneid.

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Dido and Aeneas 1

Statements (44)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Baroque opera
opera
approximateCompositionDate late 1680s
basedOn Aeneid NERFINISHED
basedOnAuthor Virgil NERFINISHED
catalogNumber Z.626
character Belinda NERFINISHED
Sailor
Sorceress
Witches NERFINISHED
composer Henry Purcell NERFINISHED
countryOfOrigin England
era Baroque
genre Baroque music
opera
tragédie lyrique (influenced style)
hasCatalogue Zimmerman catalogue of Purcell’s works NERFINISHED
historicalSignificance considered Purcell’s only true opera
one of the earliest known English operas
influenced later English opera tradition
language English
librettist Nahum Tate NERFINISHED
mainCharacter Aeneas NERFINISHED
Dido NERFINISHED
notableAria Ah! Belinda, I am press’d with torment
When I am laid in earth
notableChorus Great minds against themselves conspire
To the hills and the vales
notableFeature continuous music with recitatives, arias, and choruses
ground-bass lament in Dido’s final aria
short overall duration compared to later operas
notableRecording 1951 Decca recording conducted by Geraint Jones
orchestration string orchestra and continuo
originalLanguage English
partOfRepertoire standard Baroque opera repertoire
premiereDate 1689
premierePlace Josias Priest’s girls’ school, Chelsea, London NERFINISHED
settingLocation Carthage NERFINISHED
structure prologue and three acts (in common modern division)
theme duty versus passion
fate and destiny
tragic love
timePeriodOfSetting mythological ancient world
vocalForces solo voices and chorus

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Henry Purcell hasPartInDiscography Z.626 Dido and Aeneas
Henry Purcell notableWork Z.626 Dido and Aeneas
this entity surface form: Dido and Aeneas