Domenico Antonio Mele
Domenico Antonio Mele was an Italian physician, poet and librettist.
Biography
He was an Apulian medical officer, intellectual, apparatore and director of many festive sets held by the aristocracy in the courts of Apulia of the late seventeenth century. He was a member of Accademia dei Ravvivati of Acquaviva delle Fonti, of Accademia dei Pigri of Bari and of Accademia degli Spensierati of Rossano. He experimented many genres such as drama, musical theatre, sacred and profane theatre, the lyric with encomiastic and religious themes and literature of magical and scientific topic.Musical theatre at the Princes De Mari
In 1682 he was commissioned to compose the anti-prologue Acquaviva Laureata with music by Giovanni Cesare Netti, supernumerary organist of the Royal Palace of Naples, then staged at the theatre of Palazzo De Mari for the wedding of Giovan Battista De Mari and Laura Doria.The narrative development is almost nonexistent, the same net prevail, as in every other Mele's prologue or interlude, of arias than recitatives, minimized, marks the absolute priority of the musical dimension to the text.Works at the De Mari
Drammi per musica
Acquaviva laureataLa perdita di Nereo e DoriLe nozze di Alfeo con AretusaLe metamorfosi delle stagioniLi svantaggi di Ippomene ed Atalanta- ''Le nozze di Iocasta''
Intermezzos
Le gare degli elementiLa SfingeRaspa raspa, Bu bu, Cu cuIl ballo della figlia di Erodiade- ''L'ubriachezza di Loth''
Holy drama
Magical poetry
- ''Il Proteo''