Roles
With 21 individual roles and assorted chorus groups, L'incoronazione requires a large cast. However, doubling up in the smaller roles and in the choruses allows a performance to be staged with no more than 15 singers: six sopranos, one mezzo-soprano, two contraltos, two or three tenors and two or three basses.
| Role | Voice type | Appearances | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fortuna, Goddess of Fortune | soprano | Prologue | |
| Virtù, Goddess of Virtue | soprano | Prologue | |
| Amore, God of Love | soprano | Prologue Act 2 XIII and XIV |
The part may be allocated to a treble voice. |
| Ottone (Otho), a noble Roman, enamoured of Poppea | mezzo-soprano | Act 1: I, II, XI, XII, XIII Act 2: VIII, IX, XI, XIV Act 3: IV |
Originally written as a castrato role. |
| Due soldati, Two soldiers, part of Nerone's bodyguard | tenor | Act 1: II | |
| Poppea (Poppaea Augusta Sabina), a Roman lady, mistress to Nerone | soprano | Act 1: III, IV, X, XI Act 2: XII, XIII, XIV Act 3: V, VIIIabcd |
|
| Nerone (Nero), Emperor of Rome | soprano | Act 1: III, IX, X Act 2: VI III, IV, V, VIIIabcd |
Originally written as a castrato role. |
| Arnalta, Poppea's nurse | contralto or tenor | Act 1: IV Act 2: XII, XIV Act 3: II, III, VII |
The role is frequently allocated to a male voice, for comedic effect. |
| Ottavia (Octavia), Empress, wife to Nerone | soprano | Act 1: V, VI Act 2: IX Act 3: VI |
|
| Nutrice, Ottavia's nurse | contralto | Act 1: V Act 2: X |
As with Arnalta, often played by a male. |
| Seneca, Nerone's former tutor | bass | Act 1: VI, VII, VIII, IX Act 2: I, II, III, IV |
|
| Valletto, a court page | soprano | Act 1: VI Act 2: V, X |
|
| Pallade (Pallas Athene), a goddess | soprano | Act 1: VIII | |
| Drusilla, A Roman lady | soprano | Act 1: XIII Act 2: X, XI Act 3: I, II, III, IV |
|
| Mercurio (Mercury), the messenger of the gods | tenor | Act 2: I | |
| Liberto, a freed slave, now captain of the Praetorian Guard | tenor | Act 2: II | |
| Tre famigliari, three members of Seneca's household | contralto, tenor, bass | Act 2: III | |
| Coro di Virtù, chorus of the Virtues | parts not set to music | Act 2: IV | This scene does not appear in either of the surviving music scores. |
| Damigella, lady-in-waiting to Ottavia | soprano | Act 2: V | |
| Lucano (Lucan), a Roman poet | tenor | Act 2: VI | |
| Petronio (Petronius) and Tigenello, members of Nerone's court | tenor and bass | Act 2: VI | Not in the scores; in Busenello's libretto some lines for Nerone and Lucano are reallocated to these two courtiers. |
| Littore, A lictor | bass | Act 3: II, III, IV | |
| Venere (Venus), goddess of Love, mother of Amore | soprano | Act 3: VIIIc | |
| Consoli e tribuni, Consuls and tribunes of the Roman empire | tenor and bass parts | Act 3: VIIIb | |
| Coro di Amori, chorus of Love-gods | contralto and soprano parts | Act 3: VIIIc |
Read more about this topic: L'incoronazione Di Poppea
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