Abstract
Pavlos Carrer [Paolo Carrer] decided to compose "Despo" in summer 1875 after visiting the then newly-founded Athens Conservatoire. As part of his high mission to establish a national music school with opera as its crowning achievement, according to the model of European national music schools, the composer undertook to set to music a melodramatic work, entitled "Despo", written by a drama teacher at the Conservatoire, Antonios Manousos, in order for it to be used as a practice piece by the “students of vocal and instrumental music”. Apart from being a drama teacher, the Corfiot Antonios Manousos was also a prolific poet, author and translator, distinguished for his contribution to the collection and publication of folk songs. As a result, the one-act play he suggested to Carrer, The tragic death of Despo and her daughters-in-law at Dimoula’s tower, is imbued with his hands-on and in-depth contact with the Greek folk literary tradition, and theatre.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Greek Dances / Despo |
Place of Publication | Athens |
Publisher | Greek National Opera |
Pages | 114-121 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Publication status | Published - 2021 |
Keywords
- Music
- Musicology
- opera
- Opera studies
- Creative industries
- performing arts
- music theatre
- cultural heritage
- Modern Greece
- Modern Greek Culture
- Modern Greek Studies
- Ionian opera
- Ionian islands
- History
- Historical Musicology
- Nineteenth century literature and culture
- Nineteenth century music
- Nineteenth century studies