Metastasio im Deutschland der Aufklärung: Bericht über das Symposion Potsdam 2002

The role of Pietro Metastasio (1698-1782) in the 18th century has hitherto been largely defined in terms of its significance for the history of music. As one of the foremost libretto-writers he centrally influenced the course taken by contemporary musical production, notably for the stage. Aside from the plentiful scholarly literature on his libretti, little research has been done on his importance in an area that, outwardly at least, appears to have little to do with the courtly dramma per musica: the bourgeois strongholds of Enlightenment thinking in Northern and Central Germany. This interdisciplinary volume is a first attempt at a detailed study of his significance in this respect, with implications for the history of reception and institutions, music and literature, and the aesthetic culture of the 18th century.