Roles
The work is written for a large cast—thirty roles including small choruses of heavenly beings, sirens and Phaecians—but these parts can be organised among fourteen singers (three sopranos, two mezzo-sopranos, one alto, six tenors and two basses) by appropriate doubling of roles. This approximates to the normal forces employed in Venetian opera. In the score, the role of Eumete changes midway through Act II from tenor to soprano castrato, suggesting that the surviving manuscript may have been created from more than one source. In modern performances the latter part of Eumete's role is usually transposed to a lower range, to accommodate the tenor voice throughout.
| Role | Voice type | Appearances | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| L'umana Fragilità (Human frailty) | mezzo-soprano | Prologue | |
| Tempo (Time) god | bass | Prologue | |
| Fortuna (Fortune) goddess | soprano | Prologue | |
| Amore (Cupid) god | soprano | Prologue | The role may initially have been played by a boy soprano, possibly Costantino Manelli |
| Penelope Wife to Ulisse | mezzo-soprano | Act 1: I, X Act 2: V, VII, XI, XII Act 3: III, IV, V, IX, X |
The role was initially sung, in Venice and Bologna, by Giulia Paolelli |
| Ericlea Penelope's nurse | mezzo-soprano | Act 1: I Act 3: VIII, X |
|
| Melanto attendant to Penelope | soprano | Act 1: II, X Act 2: IV Act 3: III |
|
| Eurimaco a servant to Penelope's suitors | tenor | Act 1: II Act 2: IV, VIII |
|
| Nettuno (Neptune) sea-god | bass | Act 1: V, VI Act 3: VII |
The role was probably sung, in Venice and Bologna, by the impresario Francesco Manelli |
| Giove (Jupiter) supreme god | tenor | Act 1: V Act 3: VII |
A renowned Venetian tenor, Giovan Battista Marinoni, may have appeared in the initial Venice run as Giove. |
| Coro Faeci (Chorus of Phaeacians) | alto, tenor, bass | Act 1: VI | |
| Ulisse (Ulysses or Odysseus) King of Ithaca |
tenor | Act 1: VII, VIII, IX, XIII Act 2: II, III, IX, X, XII Act 3: X |
|
| Minerva goddess | soprano | Act 1: VIII, IX Act 2: I, IX, XII Act 3: VI, VII |
The role was initially sung, in Venice and Bologna, by Maddalena Manelli, wife of Francesco. |
| Eumete a shepherd | tenor | Act 1: XI, XII, XIII Act 2: II, VII, X, XII Act 3: IV, V, IX |
|
| Iro a parasite | tenor | Act 1: XII Act 2: XII Act 3: I |
|
| Telemaco (Telemachus) son of Ulisse | tenor | Act 2: I, II, III, XI Act 3: V, IX, X |
|
| Antinoo (Antinous) suitor to Penelope | bass | Act 2: V, VIII, XII | |
| Pisandro (Peisandros) suitor to Penelope | tenor | Act 2: V, VIII, XII | |
| Anfimono (Amphinomus) suitor to Penelope | alto or counter-tenor | Act 2: V, VIII, XII | |
| Coro in Cielo (Heavenly chorus) | soprano, alto, tenor | Act 3: VII | |
| Coro marittimo (Chorus of sirens) | soprano, tenor, bass | Act 3: VII |
Read more about this topic: Il Ritorno D'Ulisse In Patria
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