On 23 March 1699, after a journey of more than six months from Poland, Maria Kazimiera Sobieska, queen-in-law, arrived in Rome. Invited by the Pope, who was still honouring the memory of her spouse, the liberator of the whole of Christian Europe - John III, she could count on being treated respectfully, calmly and with the dignity of a person of her rank. She was welcomed with the honours due to a sovereign.

The Queen quickly adapted to the local Roman environment. The strength of her husband's name and her royal past opened the doors of the palaces of the most important personalities in the city to her. She therefore frequented the residences of Roman and foreign aristocrats, diplomats, the all-powerful cardinals and noble ladies of the Eternal City. She also held her own meetings in the residence which, at the beginning of her stay, was lent to her by Duke Livio Odescalchi in the Piazza dei SS. Apostoli. With an almost Counter-Reformation zeal, she indulged in devotions in Rome's numerous temples, but she also took much pleasure in secular entertainments. Understanding the power of art working at the service of politics, she took great care in preparing theatrical shows and performances of occasional pieces in her now own Palazzo Zuccari, a permanent residence since 1702. The content of these compositions focused mainly on recalling and glorifying the figure of her husband and the Sobieski family. And although Maria Kazimiera's power in the male-dominated world of both Roman and European politics was already small by this period, the Queen made her presence clearly felt in Rome thanks to her consistency and her need to participate in public life, her love of glitz and glamour, and her need to be admired.

And focusing the attention of the Romans on herself, it is worth remembering, was not an easy task. Maria Kazimiera had serious rivals in the area of musical and theatrical patronage. The most important of these, however, always offering her advice and even lending her his artists, was Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni. Another, no less important rival to fame turned out to be Duke Francesco Maria Ruspoli, one of the richest Romans of the period and the main protector of Georg Friedrich Handel and Antonio Caldara. Alongside them, smaller and larger courts of ambassadors from various countries competed artistically, as well as the only public opera theatre operating during the Polish queen's stay in Rome, the Teatro Capranica. No less important than the aforementioned aristocrats, although now deceased, was Sobieska's predecessor in the Eternal City, Krystyna Szwedzka, with whom Marysieńka was compared both during her stay in Rome and in the later literature on the subject.

The Queen offered operas, described at the time as 'drammi per musica', oratorios, cantatas and instrumental music to visitors at the Palazzo Zuccari. She organised performances of religious music in the church of the order she founded, as well as in the Polish church of St Stanislaus. In addition, occasional serenades could be heard under the windows of her palace. Of the large, not to say impressive (in the light of Roman achievements in this respect at the time) group of compositions written to the queen's commission, the libretti of eight drammi per musica have survived to the present day. These are (the dates of the premiere performances are given in brackets):
1. "Il figlio delle selve" (17.01.1709)
2. "La Silvia" (26.01.1710)
3. "Tolomeo et Alessandro ovvero la corona disprezzata" (19.01.1711)
4. "L'Orlando overo La Gelosa Pazzia" (?. 1711)
5. "Tetide in Sciro" (10.01.1712)
6. "Iphigenia in Aulide" (11.01.1713)
7. "Iphigenia in Tauri" (15.02.1713)
8. "Amor d'un Ombra, e Gelosia d'un Aura" (20.01.1714).

Unfortunately, complete scores have survived for only 2 librettos ("Tolomeo et Alessandro", "Tetide in Sciro"), also 1 score which is a rifacimento of the last opera presented at the Queen ("Amor d'un'Ombra e Gelosia d'un'Aura") has survived to our times, as well as single opera arias (both "Iphigenie"). Of occasional works, librettos of 6 serenatas have survived, for which there is a fragmentary surviving score of 1 serenata ('Clori, e Fileno'). We also know the libretto of 1 oratorio ('La Conversione di Clodoveo, Re di Francia').

The poetic texts of most of the aforementioned works were written at the Queen's request by her librettist and secretary Carlo Sigismondo Capece, a literary figure highly regarded in the circle of Roman aristocrats, as well as by Giacomo Buonaccorsi and Giovanni Domenico Pioli. The music was composed by the then young Domenico Scarlatti, maestro di cappella at the Queen's court from 1709. It is worth remembering, however, that the first opera staged at the court of Marysieńka was probably written by his father, Alessandro Scarlatti, who was highly regarded in Italy, especially in Rome. Other well-known composers active at Maria Kazimiera's court were the lutenist Silvius Leopold Weiss, Quirino Colombani, Anastasio Lingua, Pietro Franchi and artists known only by their first names who came with Sobieska still from Poland. Based on the very solemn ceremony held in the church of S. Luigi dei Francesi on the occasion of Louis XIV's awarding of the Order of the Holy Spirit to the young Sobieskis - Alexander and Constantine - we know that the music for the occasion was composed by Arcangelo Corelli - called the Orpheus of his time - and Paolo Lorenzani. Sobieska certainly had many opportunities to listen to their music in Rome, and it is also possible to speculate that she herself commissioned musical compositions from them, although the surviving sources are silent on the subject.

The setting of the drammi per musica staged in the Queen's palace was overseen by Filippo Juvarra, a prominent architect specialising in opera scenery at the time. Most probably as early as 1710. Maria Kazimiera concluded a contract with the artist for the scenography of the operas planned for the 1711 Carnival. ('Tolomeo et Alessandro', 'L'Orlando'). It won widespread acclaim, prompting the Queen and her son Alexander to extend the contract with the set designer ('Tetide in Sciro' and both 'Iphigenie'). It can be assumed that elements of Juvarra's earlier stage designs were still used by the Sobieski family in 1714 for the production of 'Amor d'un'Ombra e Gelosia d'un'Aura', when the artist had already left for Turin.

The success of operas depended, then as now, to a large extent on the singers performing in them. We know that the Queen went to great lengths to recruit the best singers. Of the several names known today, the most famous and respected were Anna Maria Giusti, detta La Romanina known, among other things, for her roles in early Venetian operas by Vivaldi, Maria Domenica Pini, detta Tilla - a virtuoso of the Florentine court, also well known to Venetian audiences, Caterina Lelli, detta Nina. The Queen was also very fond of the voice of Giovanna Albertini, detta la Reggiana, one of the most outstanding singers of the period. Marysieńka was very keen to see this singer on the stage of her theatre. It seems, however, that the fee she demanded of the virtuoso proved too high for her treasury. Maria Kazimiera also employed singer-castrati. Among them, Giuseppe Luparini-Beccari, or Giuseppe della Regina for short, and Pippo della Grance were the most active in Roman musical life.

Such a distinguished ensemble made the Queen's theatre an interesting point on the artistic map of Rome. It also became a challenge to the private stages of other Roman patrons. From the surviving notes, we learn that the carnival operas presented by Sobieski were most popular with the public. In this way, the Queen achieved her goal - she was on the lips of all Romans, praised as an active and talented patroness.

The text comes from PASAŻ WIEDZY , where you can find more reliable texts about Old Polish history and culture

Courtesy of the Museum of the Palace of King John III in Wilanów