Vincenzo Grimani

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Vincenzo Grimani (15 May 1652 or 26 May 1655 – 26 September 1710) was an Italian cardinal, diplomat, and opera librettist.

Grimani was born either in Venice or Mantua. He is best remembered for having supplied the libretto for George Frideric Handel's early operatic success Agrippina, though he also supplied libretti for Elmiro re di Corinto, by Carlo Pallavicino, and Orazio by G. F. Tosi. All the operas were produced at the Teatro S Giovanni Grisostomo, which he owned, while the remainder of his family owned several other Venetian opera houses.

Politically he was allied to the Habsburg cause, and this alliance and his importance diplomatically to the Habsburgs led to him being made a cardinal in 1697. In 1708, he further received the honour of viceroyalty at Naples, where he died.

His libretti are markedly different from the later moralizing tone of Metastasio and Apostolo Zeno, whose ideas came to dictate opera seria. His libretto for Agrippina is marked out by its amorality and the domination of aria over recitative. His portrayal of the Emperor Claudius has been perceived as an oblique attack on the character of Pope Clement XI. Grimani frequently clashed with Clement in the course of protecting the interests of the Habsburgs at the Vatican.

References

Harris S. Saunders: "Grimani, Vincenzo", Grove Music Online ed L. Macy (Accessed 5 December 2006), grovemusic.com, subscription access.

Authority control	WorldCat VIAF: 89065442 LCCN: n90670321 ISNI: 0000 0001 1683 3160 GND: 126443688 SUDOC: 075440636

Persondata
Name	Grimani, Vincenzo
Alternative names
Short description	Catholic cardinal
Date of birth	1653
Place of birth
Date of death	1710
Place of death

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