19 Facts About Domenico Lalli

Sebastiano Biancardi, known by the pseudonym Domenico Lalli, was an Italian poet and librettist.

D'Astorga left for Barcelona when he was offered a post at the court of Charles III, and Domenico Lalli returned to Venice.

Zeno recognized the poems which had been published several years earlier in Naples and said that while the poetry had merit, Domenico Lalli was either a plagiarist or was actually Sebastiano Biancardi.

At this point, Domenico Lalli revealed his true identity to Zeno and confessed to the reason he had left Naples.

Zeno took him under his wing and introduced him to the Grimani family who hired Domenico Lalli to assist in the management of their theatres and to re-work older libretti for new productions.

The Venetian version carried a dedication written by Domenico Lalli to Count Harrach, the Austrian viceroy of Naples.

Domenico Lalli became very well connected to figures in the intellectual and theatrical life of Venice and to the aristocrats who patronized its theatres.

Domenico Lalli was a member of an actual academy, the Accademia degli Arcadi.

In 1723, in addition to his work for the Venetian theatres, Domenico Lalli became the court poet for Maximilian Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria and later his son Carl Albert.

Domenico Lalli wrote numerous poems and several libretti for royal celebrations in Bavaria, including I veri amici with music by Albinoni for the wedding celebrations of Carl Albert to Maria Amalia of Austria in 1722.

Domenico Lalli worked with Antonio Caldara, who was the maestro di cappella of the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg, writing the libretti for two of Caldara's operas presented at the court theatre there.

Apart from his libretti, Domenico Lalli published poetry and prose works in Venice under his real name.

Domenico Lalli brought out a collection of twenty sonnets in praise of Francesco del Giudice in 1715 and two volumes of his collected poetry, Rime di Bastian Biancardi and Rime berniesche di Bastian Biancardi in 1732.

Domenico Lalli eked out a living writing dedications to illustrious theatre patrons on re-worked libretti, brought out collections of Biblical proverbs and parables translated into verse, and with the help of his close friend and fellow Neapolitan exile Pietro Giannone wrote a collection of biographies of the kings of Naples which he published in 1737.

Goldoni's contemporary, Gasparo Gozzi, lamented that Domenico Lalli's financial predicament was commonplace for those working in the arts in 18th-century Venice and described him as a man "who was born rich and died a poet".

Domenico Lalli himself alluded to these problems in several poems in his 1732 Rime berniesche.

Domenico Lalli repeatedly petitioned the king for a royal pardon allowing him to return to Naples but without success.

Domenico Lalli died in poverty in Venice at the age of 62 and was buried in the Church of Santa Maria Formosa.

Domenico Lalli wrote texts and libretti for several musical works in other genres: cantatas, serenatas, and azioni sacri.