ABSTRACT
For nearly a quarter of a century – from 1766, the date of Haydn’s succession to the title Kapellmeister, until 1790, when Miklós I died – the focus of Haydn’s musical activities was opera. 1 Not only did he compose no fewer than seventeen operas during this period, he also had responsibility for all musical decisions in the running of the princely opera house. His duties included selecting operas by other composers suitable for staging at Eszterháza, reworking them, hiring and rehearsing the singers, and directing the performances. During the 1780s alone, Haydn produced no fewer than 96 operas. In this decade over a hundred operatic performances were given each season. 2 In 1786, the busiest year, seventeen new operas were produced. Many of these operas were very recent, suggesting that Haydn considered it his duty to keep abreast of the latest developments. The Prince’s personal investment in opera is indicated by the fact that after the original opera house at Eszterháza burnt to the ground late in 1779, the replacement building, ready in October 1780, did not meet his approval. The new façade had to be pulled down and rebuilt, delaying the production of the opera Haydn had composed especially for the occasion, La fedeltà premiata.
