Orpheus
16 important questions on Orpheus
What was Orpheus' background?
What is the Derveni papyrus?
What are the two versions of Orpheus' descent into the underworld?
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Which two versions are there for Orpheus' death?
2. Orpheus used to be a follower of Dionysus, but defected to Apollo (two kinds of art), and gets torn apart by the angry Bacchantes.
What is the tale of the head and the lyre?
What are the possible allegorical readings of Orpheus?
- Him looking back at Eurydice could refer to being too attached to earthly things, and being punished for that.
Both explanations were favoured in the Middle Ages and Renaissance for being Christian!
What is the role of song in Poliziano's play?
- Orpheus sings because he is the singer and his song is what persuades Proserpina and Pluto.
- The Bacchantes sing when they kill Orfeo.
How was opera first created?
Why was the opera Euridice, performed in 1600, so important?
Who was Claudio Monteverdi?
What is the big difference between Monteverdi's Orfeo and the Euridice?
What are the two used endings of Monteverdi's Orfeo?
2. As published two years later, Apollo takes Orpheus to the stars to be reunited with Euridice in a happy ending. This is also the catasterismos of Orpheus turning into the constellation Lyre.
Who as Christoph Willibald von Gluck?
What was Gluck's version of Orfeo ed Euridice about?
Although Orfeo, Euridce and Amore are the only real characters, there are many background dancers such as satyrs and nymphs.
Why was Gluck's version of Orfeo ed Euridice very popular in the 19th century?
What is the main point of Offenbach's Orphée aux Enfers?
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