Opera in the XVIIIth century Amazon

Abstract

Opera was a common entertainment activity in many Brazilian cities since the first years of the second half of the nineteenth century. Belém had many evidences about musical life in this period, including opera. A drama entitled Drama Recitado… by Aragão e Lima was published in 1794, one year after its performance in “Para Theatre”. In the first pages of that publication, the author mentions that opera performances of Ezio em Roma e Zenobia were brought about during 1793 in Belém. Ezio em Roma was performed in many cities some years before. For instance, in Cuiabá (Mato Grosso), one can find a local review, by a spectator, who reports a complete performance of the work. This paper deals with the possibilities of operatic performances in Belém at this time. It includes a hypothesis of authorship of these titles and its respective analysis, involving the social, aesthetic and cultural issues.