There is one dramatic legend that became especially popular among the Romans in light of the three wars with Carthage. This legend gives a fabulous explanation of the enmity between the two peoples: the Romans and the Phoenicians. This myth is reflected in Virgil's poem "Aeneid". Of course, the poet also described divine intervention in the course of events.
During sea wanderings, the ships of Aeneas *
landed on the shores near Carthage, where the hero met Queen Dido. Cupid, at the request of Venus, shot his arrow right into Dido's heart, and she fell in love with Aeneas. In the company of the queen, the Trojan hero indulged in entertainment and completely forgot about the needs of his people and that he should establish his own kingdom according to prophecy. So a year passed, but Jupiter did not want the Trojans he saved to merge with the Tyrians and strengthen Carthage alone. The supreme god sent Mercury to remind Aeneas of his duty to his people and of the great future destined for him. Aeneas, in love, suffers, because he can neither stay with his beloved, nor take her with him - according to the fate of Latium, he must marry Lavinia so that a new dynasty will lay the foundation for Rome in the future. To avoid the wrath and possible revenge of Dido, Aeneas sailed at night. The abandoned queen, seeing the sails on the horizon, in a rage orders to prepare a funeral pyre and put all things related to Aeneas into it, but then throws herself into the fire, cursing the Trojan leader and bequeathing to her people eternal enmity with the Trojans:
“But you, Tyrians, hate both the clan and its descendants
Forever they must: let it be my offering to the ashes
Hatred. Let neither union nor love bind the nations!
This myth became widespread during the Punic Wars and was used as a kind of propaganda for the complete and final destruction of Carthage.
The plot, by the way, was repeatedly used in fine arts. A couple of examples below.
Meeting of Dido and Aeneas. Nathaniel Danse Holland.
Death of Dido. Painting by G. B. Tiepolo.
*
The Romans were convinced that they were descended from the descendants of the Trojans who had escaped with Aeneas.
According to legend, the Trojan hero Aeneas was able to leave Troy before its capture and, after long sea wanderings, settled in Latium.
Plutarch tells us one of the not too popular myths of their time associated with the founding of Rome Trojans:
“... after the capture of Troy, the few fugitives who managed to board the ships were washed by the wind to the coast of Etruria and anchored near the mouth of the Tiber River. Women endured the voyage with great difficulty and suffered greatly, and now a certain Roma, apparently superior to the others both in noble family and intelligence, gave her friends the idea of burning the ships. And so they did; at first the husbands were angry, but then, willy-nilly, they humbled themselves and settled near Pallantium, and when everything soon turned out better than they expected - the soil turned out to be fertile, the neighbors received them friendly - they honored Roma with all kinds of signs of respect and, among other things, called her the name of the city built thanks to her. They say that since that time it has become a custom for women to kiss their relatives and husbands on the lips, because, setting the ships on fire, they kissed and caressed their husbands in this way, begging them to change their anger to mercy.
The most reliable was the legend that the son of Aeneas, Ascanius, founded the city of Alba Longa, and since then Alba was ruled by the descendants of Aeneas, from whom the twins Romulus and Remus descended. The Romans have always considered Alba Longa to be some kind of mythical ancestral home.
Dido and Aeneas is the first truly great opera. The author of the opera is the Englishman Henry Purcell. This is one of the largest English composers. After Purcell's death, his works were highly appreciated by his contemporaries. He wrote the work "Dido and Aeneas" in his youth in 1689, he embodied the glory English music. Initially, the work was intended for a boarding school, in which only girls studied. Libretto of Nahum Tate's opera based on the fourth book of Virgil's Aeneid, which describes the story of Aeneas. The opera "Dido and Aeneas" is considered the most bright work Purcell. This is his only composition based on music without spoken dialogue.
The opera consists of three acts. The first act begins with a classic tragic introduction. After that, Belinda calms her mistress Dido, who is the queen of Carthage. Dido's heart is full of love for Aeneas. Aeneas is Trojan heroes who sailed to the shores of Carthage after the fall of Troy. He arises with his subordinates. At the end of the scene, it becomes clear to all viewers that Dido and Aeneas experience a wonderful feeling for each other - love. Universal admiration is expressed in beautiful dances.
The second scene introduces us to the villains, among whom there is a sorceress, we lead a few. Being in their caves, the villains come up with a plan on how to raise a storm on the sea. They want to separate Dido and Aeneas. They want to force Dido to abandon Aeneas. There is a recitative and a chorus in the picture. The song of witches sounds triumphantly, anticipating the victory over love. The scene ends with an echoing chorus, mimicking the sound in a cave.
The plot of the second act tells of a hunt that Queen Dido planned for her noble guest. Villains - a sorceress and two witches - intend to destroy the union of Dido and Aeneas and destroy Carthage in a flame of fire. Chorus, Belinda, and the second lady describe the grove and Aeneas' boasting about the boar he had killed. When Dido and her companions leave to escape the storm, the mysterious inner voice stops him and does not let him follow Dido. The spirit in the person of Mercury was sent by the sorceress with an order from Jupiter. He informs Aeneas that he must leave Dido that same night. After all, his calling is to create the majestic city of Rome. Aeneas is confused by such news, but understands that he must do everything as the gods command. The action ends with the witches expressing their joy at the success of their plan.
The third act begins with a chorus of Trojan sailors preparing to sail from the coast of Carthage. Suddenly, a witch appears with a choir of witches. They cannot contain their joy, because now Aeneas will disappear, and their union with Dido will be terminated. Afterwards, a frustrated Dido appears with her subordinates. She has completely resigned herself to her fate. Aeneas offers to stay with Dido, to ignore Jupiter's order, but Dido does not agree. She insists that Aeneas set off. But the queen admits to Belinda that she will not bear parting with her lover. Dido holds the hand of her assistant Belinda and dies. The aria from the opera “I lie down in the ground” sounds tragic. This is the most effective aria among the whole work. This is where the opera ends.
During the life of the author, the opera "Dido and Aeneas" was staged only once, when graduates graduated from school. Despite all the fame and popularity, some are of the opinion that the author showed his abilities better in music for the theater, which was written for other reasons.
Really great, like this small work, the author was able to express mastery in depicting feelings, to depict a picture in which the inevitable magical threads of rock and the almost intentional indifference of those who do not participate in the fate of the main characters are excellently conveyed. The persistent succession of recitatives and all kinds of ariose forms, as it were, speeds up the action, perfectly emphasizing the characters and positions of the characters. The dialogues of the queen and Aeneas guide the harsh course of events: on the one hand, her sadness and protests, on the other, the gloomy answers of the hero who knows his confession. In a sad ending, which describes a gloomy death scene, the queen announces her voluntary death and wants to leave a bright memory of herself. The sound of basso ostinato and the repetition on the words "Remember my" became famous all over the world.
In Purcell's opera, ancient myth about the life of Aeneas. The poem was very popular among composers. But few of Purcell's works have remained relevant to this day. For two centuries the opera was not staged, only after the first show in London in 1895 did it become popular again. The aria "When I am laid in earth" from the opera "Dido and Aeneas" has become a world masterpiece. You can listen to this and other arias for free on the website of the Orpheus Club.
Aeneas and Dido
Venus advised her son to ask the queen for shelter. Aeneas and Ahat immediately hurried into the city and entered it unnoticed by anyone, since Venus enveloped them in fog. Their attention was attracted by the festive appearance of the inhabitants gathered in the square, as well as the beauty of the queen, who was talking with their comrades, who had miraculously escaped during the storm.
The sailors told Dido about their famous leader, rumors about which had already reached her ears, and she gladly promised to send people to find him and, if necessary, give him help.
And I'll send it all over the coast
Heralds and order to search to the extreme limits
Libya: maybe he wanders through the forests or villages.
Virgil
Hearing this, Aeneas stepped forward, the fog cleared, and he appeared before the queen in all his glory.
Dido invited the guests to the banquet hall, where they, eating food and wine, told about their adventures on land and at sea. During the feast, Cupid, at the request of Venus, took the form of Yul, the son of Aeneas, and, clinging to the chest of the queen, shot her an arrow right in the heart, and she fell in love with Aeneas.
Days passed in feasts and entertainment. Aeneas completely forgot that he was supposed to found a new kingdom. He did not want to leave Dido. So a year passed, and the gods finally decided to send Mercury to remind Aeneas of his duty.
In order not to see Dido's tears and not to hear her lamentations, Aeneas prepared to leave secretly and left her when she was sleeping. Waking up and looking out the window, she saw the last Trojan ship disappearing over the horizon.
Hiding her grief and feigning anger she didn't really feel, Dido had her servants prepare wood for the funeral pyre and threw in it all the things that Aeneas had used while living in her palace. Then she lit a fire, jumped into the fire and burned.
Even if I die unavenged, I will die the desired death.
From the sea, let the cruel Dardanian look at the fire,
Let my death be an ominous sign for him!
Virgil
Aeneas saw a column of smoke rising into the sky, and his heart sank - he understood where this smoke was coming from, and sincerely mourned the death of the beautiful queen of Libya.
The Trojans sailed until clouds gathering on the horizon forced them to take refuge in Sicania, where they held traditional games in memory of Anchises, who died here a year ago. While the men competed in rowing, running, wrestling, archery, fisticuffs and equestrian competitions, the women gathered together and, instigated by Juno, began to complain about their hard lot, which forced them to endanger their lives again and again, wandering around seas. Their dissatisfaction reached such a pitch that they set fire to the ships in unison. Aeneas, having learned about this, rushed to the shore, tore off his expensive festive clothes and began to pray to Jupiter for help.
O almighty father! If not all, as one, are hated
The Trojans have become you, if you have the same pity
To human troubles, oh Jupiter, do not let the fire destroy
All ships and save the miserable property of the Tevkrov.
Virgil
Jupiter heard his prayer and sent a heavy downpour to the earth, which extinguished the flames that devoured the ships. Soon after this, Anchises appeared before Aeneas and told him to leave the women, children and old people in Sicily and go to Cumae. Here he had to turn to the Sibyl for help, go down with her to afterworld and receive further instructions from the father.
But before
Descend into the realm of Dita, descend into the depths of Avernus,
My son, look for me there too.
Virgil
Aeneas obeyed the words of his father, but when Venus saw that her son again set off into the will of the waves, she rushed to Neptune and asked to take care of her unfortunate son. Neptune listened to her with sympathy and promised that he would take only one person from the team of Aeneas. It turned out to be the helmsman Palinur, who, having fallen asleep at the wheel, fell into the water and drowned.
Aeneas' fleet reached Qom safe and sound, and Aeneas hastened to the cave of the Sibyl. He told her that he wanted to go down to Hades and asked her to accompany him there. She agreed, but said that first he must get a golden branch of a tree that grew in a dense forest.
But no one will penetrate into the hidden bowels of the earth,
Before he plucks the cherished branch from the tree.
Virgil
Aeneas, in desperation, again turned to the gods for help - how can he find a small branch in the forest without their help? In response, Venus, who never forgot about her son, sent him two snow-white doves, which led him to the right tree and illuminated him. Thanks to this, Aeneas found what he was looking for.
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To a libretto (in English) by Nachem Tate, based on the fourth book of Virgil's Aeneid.
CHARACTERS:
Dido, Queen of Carthage (contralto)
Aeneas, leader of the Trojans (baritone)
BELINDA, Dido's confidante (soprano)
SECOND LADY, another confidante (mezzo-soprano)
SPIRIT, in the guise of Mercury (soprano)
THE WITCH (contralto)
Time of action: after the fall of Troy.
Location: Carthage.
First performance: Chelsea (London), 1689.
Dido and Aeneas is the first truly great opera composed by an Englishman; but there is gossips who claim that she is also the last. It was composed (in 1689) by the young Henry Purcell, who personified the glory of English music, and was intended - primarily - for a boarding school where only girls studied. This school was run by a certain Josias Priest, who apparently had influential friends. Not only did the leading English composer write the music for the school play, but the then recognized English poet, Neium Tate, was the author of the libretto. He may not have been a great poet, but he wrote a really good and acceptable libretto on the myth of passionate love and death. Acceptable - if you keep in mind that the opera was intended for staging by girls. The source for the libretto was the fourth book of Virgil's Aeneid. Perhaps at that time the girls studied this poem at school.
ACT I
Scene 1. After the classic tragic overture, Belinda comforts Dido, her mistress and queen of Carthage. But the queen is seized with excitement because of her love for Aeneas. Aeneas is, of course, a Trojan hero who landed on the shores of Carthage after the fall of Troy. He shows up with his entourage, and by the end of the scene, it's pretty obvious they're madly in love with each other. A madrigal choir (always present in the most intimate domestic conversations in classical operas) celebrates the union of lovers ("To the hills and the vales" - "Light choir of clouds"). The general delight is expressed in dances.
Scene 2. In the second scene, we meet the villains. Among them is a sorceress, two chief witches, a whole choir of accompanying witches. All of them are more like the witches from Shakespeare's Macbeth than what Virgil imagined. In their cave, they make plans to create a storm on the sea in order to separate Dido and Aeneas and force the hero to leave the queen. Recitative and choir alternate in the picture: the choral stanza invading the development (in the rhythm of a gigue) imitates diabolical laughter, giving the music a demonic shade. The duet of witches, anticipating the victory over love, sounds triumphant and menacing. The scene ends in a chorus with a spectacular echo indicating a "deep vaulted cavern".
ACT II
Highly short second the action is a hunt arranged by Queen Dido for the pleasure of her famous guest. A sorceress and two witches plot to thwart the alliance between Dido and Aeneas and destroy Carthage in a conflagration. The chorus, Belinda, and then the second lady describe the grove and Aeneas' boasting about the boar he killed. When Dido and her companions leave to escape the storm that has broken out, a mysterious spirit keeps Aeneas from following them. This character in the guise of Mercury was sent by a sorceress with an order supposedly from Jupiter. He tells Aeneas that he must leave Dido that very night, since his calling is to found the great city of Rome. Aeneas laments the need to leave his beloved queen, but understands that he must obey this order of the gods. The action ends with the witches expressing their joy that their plan worked out for the best.
ACT III
The last act begins with a chorus of Trojan sailors, happily preparing to sail from the shores of hospitable Carthage ("Come away, fellow sailors" - "Hey sailor! Let's raise the anchors"). Then the sorceress appears with her choir of witches, who rejoice more than ever at this departure. My favorite verse in this hilarious episode:
Our plot has taken
The Queen's forsook.
(Our plan succeeded,
Leave the queen.)
This is, of course, the English syntax of the 17th century.
Then the tragic Dido enters with her retinue. She has completely resigned herself to her fate, and even when Aeneas offers to disobey Jupiter's orders and stay with her, she adamantly insists that her lover go on his way. The music becomes extraordinarily tragic when she sings her big aria "When I am laid in earth" ("I lie in the ground"). In the entire operatic repertoire, I am sure there are not many pages equal to these. The opera ends with a short, fanned feeling of light sadness in chorus (“With drooping wings ye cupids come” - “Grieving, two wings drooped”).
Henry W. Simon (translated by A. Maykapar)
The opera was staged only once during the life of the author, on the occasion of the graduation of students from the women's boarding school. In the 17th century, it was used as a "mask" in the appendix to Shakespeare's comedy "Measure for Measure". Between 1887 and 1889 it was published by William G. Cummings, which made it known to our age; then it was published by the Purcell Society Press (1961). Despite the fame of the opera and interest in it as the largest example of musical drama (the first in England), some believe that Purcell showed his abilities better in music for the theater, written for other occasions, for "semi-operas" or masks, in which the composer could include more extensive, fantasy-rich episodes, including pictorial. This was the case with Diocletian (1690) and King Arthur (1691), The Faerie Queene (1692) and Oedipus (1692), The Tempest (1695) and Bonduka (1695). However, despite its small size, the laconicism and concentration of the narrative strikes the dramatic unity achieved in Dido and Aeneas, especially in the finale, being, in particular, the result of the use of English language, although stage constructions are still closely related to the shape of the mask.
It is truly wonderful that in such a small, truly chamber work, the young composer was able to show such skill in depicting feelings, to paint a picture in which the fatal magical threads of rock and the almost deliberate general indifference of those who do not take part in the fate of the main characters are perfectly conveyed. The emotional vocal formulas of the Italian Baroque school, especially Cavalli and Carissimi, the skilful and daring harmonies pioneered by Purcell, the French influence (Lully) and the melodic-rhythmic elements drawn from the typical choral and polyphonic English tradition(not to mention Venus and Adonis, John Blow's mask).
The persistent change (in the opinion of some, truly painful) of recitatives and various ariose forms, as it were, drives the action, well delineating the characters and position of the characters. In particular, the dialogues of the queen and Aeneas ruthlessly rule the inexorable course of events: on the one hand, her tears and protests, on the other, the dry answers of the hero, who knows his destiny and is driven by his own egoism. In a sad finale - a powerful and gloomy death scene - the queen proclaims her voluntary death and wishes to leave good memory about herself, although she is seized by an impulse of painful self-condemnation. The intense sound of basso ostinato and the sequences on the words "Remember my" ("Remember me") became legendary. This scene, after an extended touching lamento, ends with the epitaph of the choir: cupids dance around Dido's deathbed, enlightening the atmosphere. This is an image sent into the future, an amazing anticipation of the future and appears before the viewer, like a cinematic influx.
G. Marchesi (translated by E. Greceanii)
Purcell's opera reflects the ancient myth about the life of Aeneas, which formed the basis of Virgil's poem "Aeneid". The poem was popular among composers. But to this day, not many works have retained their relevance, including Purcell's opera. Restrained grief, depth distinguish the melody of this composition, saturated with chromaticisms. For two centuries the opera was not performed on stage, only after the London premiere in 1895 did it find its "second life". Dido's aria "When I am laid in earth" (3 days) belongs to world masterpieces. Note the production of 1951 in London directed by Britten, a performance at the Glyndebourne Festival (1966, the part of Dido was performed by Baker).
Discography: CD-EMI. Dir. Jones, Dido (Flagstad), Aeneas (Hamsley), Belinda (Schwarzkopf), Witch (Mandikian) - EMI. Dir. Barbirolli, Dido (Los Angeles), Aeneas (Glossop), Belinda (Harper), Witch (Johnson).
Dido (Dido), Elissa, in Roman mythology, queen, founder of Carthage, daughter of the king of Tyre, widow of the priest Hercules Akerbas or Syche, who was killed by Dido's brother Pygmalion to seize his wealth. Having fled after the death of her husband with many companions and treasures to Africa, Dido bought land from the Berber king Yarba. According to the condition, she could take as much land as an ox-skin would cover; cutting the skin into thin belts, Dido surrounded a large area with them and founded the citadel of Carthage Birsu (Greek “skin”) on this land. When laying it, the heads of a bull and a horse were found, which foreshadowed Carthage's wealth and military power, inferior, however, to the Roman one (during the laying of the temple on the Capitol in Rome, human head- a sign of the dominance of Rome over the world). According to the version of Justin (XVIII 4-7), which goes back to earlier Greek or Phoenician sources, Dido, pursued by Yarb's matchmaking, went up to the fire, faithful to the memory of her husband. Roman tradition linked Dido to Aeneas. Perhaps for the first time this connection was reflected in the poem of Nevius (3rd-2nd centuries BC) about the Punic War. Virgil processed her in the fourth book of the Aeneid: when the ships of Aeneas arrived in Carthage on the way from Troy, she became the mistress of Aeneas by the will of Venus. However, Jupiter sent Mercury to Aeneas with orders to sail to Italy, where he was destined to become the ancestor of the founders of Rome. Unable to bear the separation from Aeneas, Dido committed suicide by climbing the fire and predicting the enmity of Carthage with Rome. The image of Dido, perhaps, goes back to the Phoenician deity; The Carthaginians revered her as a goddess.
In the beginning. In the 16th century, almost simultaneously with the first translations of Virgil's Aeneid, tragedies were created: Dido by G. Giraldi Cinthio; "Dido" by L. Dolce; "Dido sacrificing herself" by E. Jodel and others; among poetry: "History of Queen Dido" by G. Sax and others. Among dramatic works 17-18 centuries: “D., sacrificing herself” by A. Ardi; "Dido" by J. de Scuderi; "Abandoned Dido" P. Metastasio; "D." I. E. Schlegel; "Dido" by Ya. B. Knyazhnin and "Dido" by M. N. Muravyov.
The myth of Dido was especially popular in European musical and dramatic art from ser. 17th century (among the first operas: "Dido" by F. Cavalli; "Mad Dido" by C. Pallavicino; "Dido and Aeneas" by G. Purcell; "Mad Dido" by A. Scarlatti and others). The composers A. Scarlatti (the second opera based on this plot), N. Porpora, G. F. Handel, N. Jommelli, T. Traetta, L. Cherubini, G. Paisiello, V. Fioravanti turned to the libretto of P. Metastasio.
Few works have come down to us. ancient art associated with the myth (a fresco in Pompeii, a mosaic from Halicarnassus, a series of figurines of Dido committing suicide, etc.). European art refers to the myth at first in illustrations to Virgil's poem, starting from the 15th century - in painting. The most common was the plot “suicide of Dido” (paintings by A. Mantegna, Annibale Carracci, Gvercino, J. B. Tiepolo, P. P. Rubens, S. Bourdon, C. Lebrun, A. Coypel, J. Reynolds, etc.) , the scenes of the feast of Aeneas and Dido and their hunting were also embodied (frescoes by J. Amigoni and J. B. Tiepolo, paintings by G. Reni, I. G. Tischbein, etc.), the plot “Dido founds Carthage” (J. B. Pittoni and etc) 
