Francisco António d´Almeida and the Serenata Genre in Early and Mid Eigtheenth-Century Portugal.

Abstract

The manuscript Lisbon, Biblioteca Nacional CIC 12 contains thirteen hitherto unknown arias by Francisco António d´Almeida (1702-1755?), one of the chief Poruguese composers of the first half of the eighteenth century. Three of them have been identified as being part of the serenata Gl´Incanti d´Alcina (1730) and the other eight are from the serenata Il vaticinio di Pallade e di Mercurio (1731). A study of both the libretti, which were the sources for the identification of these arias, and the music present in manuscript CIC 12 is of fundamental importance to understand the serenata genre during the reign of King João V of Portugal, since it was the principal musical genre then performed on courtly occasions. This paper aims therefore to expand our knowledge of the formal and the stylistic traits of F. A. d´Almeida ´s serenatas and also give an overview of the performing processes and the courtly and aristocratic impact associated with this genre. Its study will provide us with a richer view of the Portuguese musical scene in the first half of the eighteenth century, helping us simultaneously to undestand the differences between the serenata and major dramatic genres such as opera and the cantata.