A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Ifigenia

IFIGENIA. The story of Iphigeneia, the daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra—in the two episodes of her deliverance from sacrifice at Aulis, and her rescue of her brother Orestes from the same fate at Tauris, which formed the subject of Euripides' two tragedies—has been a favourite subject with the composers of operas. Not to speak of the two masterpieces of Gluck, which are noticed under the head of Iphigenia, we may say here that the opera of 'Ifigenia in Aulide' by Apostolo Zeno has been, according to the Catalogue in the Theatre Lyrique of F. Clement, set to music by no fewer than 20 composers between 1713 and 1811—D. Scarlatti, Caldara, Porpora, Abos, Traetta, Majo, Guglielmi, Jommelli, Salari, Sarti, Martin y Solar, Prati, Giordani, Zingarelli, Bertoni, Mosca, L. Rossi, Trento, Mayer, Federici. The opera of 'Ifigenia in Tauride' (author unknown, but possibly Vinci) has been composed by 9 separate composers—D. Scarlatti, Orlandini, Vinci, Jommelli, Mazzoni, Agricola, Monzi, Tarchi, and Carafa.

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