Il Ritorno D'Ulisse in Patria - Roles

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

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