Italian opera in Central Europe

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When opera emerged around 1600 in Italy, it quickly spread to Central Europe, particularly in the Holy Roman Empire, Poland, and surrounding areas, becoming integral to musical life and culture. This evolution began with the first performance of Italian opera north of the Alps in 1614 and continued until its decline around 1780. The volume explores this transition through historical case studies focused on various cities and regions, including Ljubljana, Hamburg, Amsterdam, and Warsaw. It examines the establishment, organization, and eventual decline of Italian opera, highlighting its role as a reflection of social and cultural practices. The concept of ceremonies is central to this analysis, illustrating how opera served as a mirror of ordered society. The facets explored include the etiquette and rituals of performances, literary traditions, and the selection and portrayal of operatic subjects as expressions of social order. This work is the first of three volumes in the research project "Italian Opera in Central Europe, 1614-c.1780," part of the European Science Foundation's Musical Life in Europe program, which ran from 1998 to 2002.