November 1698

Event Information
Theatre: Lincoln's Inn Fields
Theatrical Season: 1698-1699
Volume: 1
Comments: Betterton's Company. The date of the first production is not known, but the Songs were advertised in the Flying Post, 6-8 Dec. 1698, and the play in the London Gazette, 19-22 Dec. 1698; hence, the premiere was certainly not later than early December and was probably not later than November. In fact, on 5 Dec. 1698 Dr. William Aglionby wrote Matthew Prior, referring to Dennis, "a poor poet who has made us a fine entertainment of Rinaldo and Armida" (quoted in The Works of John Dennis, II, 489). In a dialogue written by John Oldmixon (Reflections on the Stage [London, 1699], p. 101) Savage, referring to Rinaldo and Armida, states: I have seen it 3 or 4 times already, but the Musick is so fine, and the Play pleases me so well, that I shall not think it a burthen [to see it again] (in The Works of John Dennis, I, 479). The Musical Entertainments in the Tragedy of Rinaldo and Armida (1699) is reprinted, with an introduction by Herbert Davis, in Theatre Miscellany (Luttrell Society Reprints, No 14, Oxford, 1953), pp. 103-15. One song, Ah queen, ah wretched queen, give o'er, sung by Gouge, is in Mercurius Musicus, 1699; and another, Jolly breeze that comes whistling, sung by Gouge, is in Twelve New Songs, 1699. A Comparison between the Two Stages (1702), p. 22: Critick: At last, (as you say) the old Stagers moulded a piece of Pastry work of their own, and made a kind of Lenten Feast with their Rinaldo and Armida; this surpriz'd not only Drury-lane, but indeed all the Town, no body ever dreaming of an Opera there; 'tis true they had heard of Homer's Illiads in a Nut-shel, and Jack in a Box, and what not?...Sullen: Well, with this Vagary they tug'd a while, and The Jolly-Jolly breeze-came whistling thro'-all the Town, and not a Fop but ran to see the Celebrated Virgin in a Machine; there she shin'd in a full Zodiack, the brightest Constellation there; 'twas a pleasant Reflection all this time to see her scituated among the Bulls, Capricorns, Sagittaries, and yet the Virgo still remain itacta....Critick: But this merry Time lasted not always; every thing has an end, and at length down goes Rinaldo's inchanted Mountain; it sunk as a Mole-hill seen on't: What a severity was this? that the Labour of such a gigantick Poet, nay Critick, shou'd give up the Ghost so soon: The renown'd Author thought himself immortal in that Work, and that the World was to last no longer than his Rinaldo; and tho' he stole every thing from the Italian, yet he said, what the Italian did was but Grub-street to his. See also 5 Jan. 1698@9 for a letter written by Mrs Barry, in part concerning Rinaldo and Armida

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  • Original Data

    Source: London Stage Information Bank

    *p;?lif Rinaldo and Armida. [Edition of 1699:% Prologue-; Rinaldo-Betterton; Ubaldo-Thurman; Carlo-Scudamore; Armida-Mrs Barry; Urania-Mrs Boman; Phenissa-Mrs Lee; Epilogue-; [The% Musical Entertainment [...All Compos'd by $Mr John Eccles=, and Writ by $Mr Dennis=%-. *c;?lif <i>Betterton's Company</i>. The date of the first production is not known, but the <i>Songs</i> were advertised in the <i>Flying Post</i>, 6-8 Dec. 1698, and the play in the <i>London Gazette</i>, 19-22 Dec. 1698; hence, the premiere was certainly not later than early December and was probably not later than November. In fact, on 5 Dec. 1698 $Dr. William Aglionby= wrote $Matthew Prior=, referring to $Dennis=, "a poor poet who has made us a fine entertainment of <i>Rinaldo and Armida</i>" (quoted in <i>The Works of John Dennis</i>, II, 489). In a dialogue written by $John Oldmixon= (<i>Reflections on the Stage</i> [<i>London</i>, 1699], p. 101) $Savage=, referring to <i>Rinaldo and Armida</i>, states: I have seen it 3 or 4 times already, but the Musick is so fine, and the Play pleases me so well, that I shall not think it a burthen [to see it again] (in <i>The Works of John Dennis</i>, I, 479). <i>The Musical Entertainments in the Tragedy of Rinaldo and Armida</i> (1699) is reprinted, with an introduction by $Herbert Davis=, in <i>Theatre Miscellany</i> (<i>Luttrell Society Reprints</i>, No 14, <i>Oxford</i>, 1953), pp. 103-15. One song, <i>Ah queen, ah wretched queen, give o'er</i>, sung by $Gouge=, is in <i>Mercurius Musicus</i>, 1699; and another, <i>Jolly breeze that comes whistling</i>, sung by Gouge, is in <i>Twelve New Songs</i>, 1699. <i>A Comparison between the Two Stages</i> (1702), p. 22: <i>Critick</i>: At last, (as you say) the old Stagers moulded a piece of Pastry work of their own, and made a kind of <i>Lenten Feast</i> with their <i>Rinaldo and Armida</i>; this surpriz'd not only <i>Drury-lane</i>, but indeed all the Town, no body ever dreaming of an Opera there; 'tis true they had heard of <i>Homer's Illiads</i> in a Nut-shel, and Jack in a Box, and what not?...<i>Sullen</i>: Well, with this Vagary they tug'd a while, and The Jolly-Jolly breeze-came whistling thro'-all the Town, and not a Fop but ran to see the Celebrated Virgin in a Machine; there she shin'd in a full Zodiack, the brightest Constellation there; 'twas a pleasant Reflection all this time to see her scituated among the Bulls, Capricorns, Sagittaries, and yet the Virgo still remain itacta....<i>Critick</i>: But this merry Time lasted not always; every thing has an end, and at length down goes Rinaldo's inchanted Mountain; it sunk as a Mole-hill seen on't: What a severity was this? that the Labour of such a gigantick Poet, nay Critick, shou'd give up the Ghost so soon: The renown'd Author thought himself immortal in that Work, and that the World was to last no longer than his <i>Rinaldo</i>; and tho' he stole every thing from the <i>Italian</i>, yet he said, what the Italian did was but <i>Grub-street</i> to his. See also 5 Jan. 1698@9 for a letter written by $Mrs Barry=, in part concerning <i>Rinaldo and Armida</i>.
  • Cleaned Data

    *p1698 11 00 lif Rinaldo and Armida. Edition of 1699: Prologue-; Rinaldo-Betterton; Ubaldo-Thurman; Carlo-Scudamore; Armida-Mrs Barry; Urania-Mrs Boman; Phenissa-Mrs Lee; Epilogue-; The Musical Entertainment ...All Compos'd by $Mr John Eccles=, and Writ by $Mr Dennis=-.*c1698 11 00 lif <i>Betterton's Company</i>. The date of the first production is not known, but the <i>Songs</i> were advertised in the <i>Flying Post</i>, 6-8 Dec. 1698, and the play in the <i>London Gazette</i>, 19-22 Dec. 1698; hence, the premiere was certainly not later than early December and was probably not later than November. In fact, on 5 Dec. 1698 $Dr. William Aglionby= wrote $Matthew Prior=, referring to $Dennis=, "a poor poet who has made us a fine entertainment of <i>Rinaldo and Armida</i>" (quoted in <i>The Works of John Dennis</i>, II, 489). In a dialogue written by $John Oldmixon= (<i>Reflections on the Stage</i> [<i>London</i>, 1699], p. 101) $Savage=, referring to <i>Rinaldo and Armida</i>, states: I have seen it 3 or 4 times already, but the Musick is so fine, and the Play pleases me so well, that I shall not think it a burthen [to see it again] (in <i>The Works of John Dennis</i>, I, 479). <i>The Musical Entertainments in the Tragedy of Rinaldo and Armida</i> (1699) is reprinted, with an introduction by $Herbert Davis=, in <i>Theatre Miscellany</i> (<i>Luttrell Society Reprints</i>, No 14, <i>Oxford</i>, 1953), pp. 103-15. One song, <i>Ah queen, ah wretched queen, give o'er</i>, sung by $Gouge=, is in <i>Mercurius Musicus</i>, 1699; and another, <i>Jolly breeze that comes whistling</i>, sung by Gouge, is in <i>Twelve New Songs</i>, 1699. <i>A Comparison between the Two Stages</i> (1702), p. 22: <i>Critick</i>: At last, (as you say) the old Stagers moulded a piece of Pastry work of their own, and made a kind of <i>Lenten Feast</i> with their <i>Rinaldo and Armida</i>; this surpriz'd not only <i>Drury-lane</i>, but indeed all the Town, no body ever dreaming of an Opera there; 'tis true they had heard of <i>Homer's Illiads</i> in a Nut-shel, and Jack in a Box, and what not?...<i>Sullen</i>: Well, with this Vagary they tug'd a while, and The Jolly-Jolly breeze-came whistling thro'-all the Town, and not a Fop but ran to see the Celebrated Virgin in a Machine; there she shin'd in a full Zodiack, the brightest Constellation there; 'twas a pleasant Reflection all this time to see her scituated among the Bulls, Capricorns, Sagittaries, and yet the Virgo still remain itacta....<i>Critick</i>: But this merry Time lasted not always; every thing has an end, and at length down goes Rinaldo's inchanted Mountain; it sunk as a Mole-hill seen on't: What a severity was this? that the Labour of such a gigantick Poet, nay Critick, shou'd give up the Ghost so soon: The renown'd Author thought himself immortal in that Work, and that the World was to last no longer than his <i>Rinaldo</i>; and tho' he stole every thing from the <i>Italian</i>, yet he said, what the Italian did was but <i>Grub-street</i> to his. See also 5 Jan. 1698@9 for a letter written by $Mrs Barry=, in part concerning <i>Rinaldo and Armida</i>.
  • Parsed Data

    Event: 2212 | 16981100 | lif | <i>Betterton's Company</i>. The date of the first production is not known, but the <i>Songs</i> were advertised in the <i>Flying Post</i>, 6-8 Dec. 1698, and the play in the <i>London Gazette</i>, 19-22 Dec. 1698; hence, the premiere was certainly not later than early December and was probably not later than November. In fact, on 5 Dec. 1698 $Dr. William Aglionby= wrote $Matthew Prior=, referring to $Dennis=, "a poor poet who has made us a fine entertainment of <i>Rinaldo and Armida</i>" (quoted in <i>The Works of John Dennis</i>, II, 489). In a dialogue written by $John Oldmixon= (<i>Reflections on the Stage</i> [<i>London</i>, 1699], p. 101) $Savage=, referring to <i>Rinaldo and Armida</i>, states: I have seen it 3 or 4 times already, but the Musick is so fine, and the Play pleases me so well, that I shall not think it a burthen [to see it again] (in <i>The Works of John Dennis</i>, I, 479). <i>The Musical Entertainments in the Tragedy of Rinaldo and Armida</i> (1699) is reprinted, with an introduction by $Herbert Davis=, in <i>Theatre Miscellany</i> (<i>Luttrell Society Reprints</i>, No 14, <i>Oxford</i>, 1953), pp. 103-15. One song, <i>Ah queen, ah wretched queen, give o'er</i>, sung by $Gouge=, is in <i>Mercurius Musicus</i>, 1699; and another, <i>Jolly breeze that comes whistling</i>, sung by Gouge, is in <i>Twelve New Songs</i>, 1699. <i>A Comparison between the Two Stages</i> (1702), p. 22: <i>Critick</i>: At last, (as you say) the old Stagers moulded a piece of Pastry work of their own, and made a kind of <i>Lenten Feast</i> with their <i>Rinaldo and Armida</i>; this surpriz'd not only <i>Drury-lane</i>, but indeed all the Town, no body ever dreaming of an Opera there; 'tis true they had heard of <i>Homer's Illiads</i> in a Nut-shel, and Jack in a Box, and what not?...<i>Sullen</i>: Well, with this Vagary they tug'd a while, and The Jolly-Jolly breeze-came whistling thro'-all the Town, and not a Fop but ran to see the Celebrated Virgin in a Machine; there she shin'd in a full Zodiack, the brightest Constellation there; 'twas a pleasant Reflection all this time to see her scituated among the Bulls, Capricorns, Sagittaries, and yet the Virgo still remain itacta....<i>Critick</i>: But this merry Time lasted not always; every thing has an end, and at length down goes Rinaldo's inchanted Mountain; it sunk as a Mole-hill seen on't: What a severity was this? that the Labour of such a gigantick Poet, nay Critick, shou'd give up the Ghost so soon: The renown'd Author thought himself immortal in that Work, and that the World was to last no longer than his <i>Rinaldo</i>; and tho' he stole every thing from the <i>Italian</i>, yet he said, what the Italian did was but <i>Grub-street</i> to his. See also 5 Jan. 1698@9 for a letter written by $Mrs Barry=, in part concerning <i>Rinaldo and Armida</i>
    Performance: 2228 | 2212 | p | Rinaldo And Armida | Edition of 1699: Prologue-; Rinaldo-Betterton; Ubaldo-Thurman; Carlo-Scudamore; Armida-Mrs Barry; Urania-Mrs Boman; Phenissa-Mrs Lee; Epilogue-; The Musical Entertainment ...All Compos'd by $Mr John Eccles=, and Writ by $Mr Dennis=-.
    Cast:
    4302 | 2228 | Prologue
    4303 | 2228 | Rinaldo | Betterton
    4304 | 2228 | Ubaldo | Thurman
    4305 | 2228 | Carlo | Scudamore
    4306 | 2228 | Armida | Mrs Barry
    4307 | 2228 | Urania | Mrs Boman
    4308 | 2228 | Phenissa | Mrs Lee
    4309 | 2228 | Epilogue
    4310 | 2228 | Mr Dennis= | .

Mainpiece

Comments:
Edition of 1699: Prologue-; Rinaldo-Betterton; Ubaldo-Thurman; Carlo-Scudamore; Armida-Mrs Barry; Urania-Mrs Boman; Phenissa-Mrs Lee; Epilogue-; The Musical Entertainment ...All Compos'd by Mr John Eccles, and Writ by Mr Dennis-.
Cast:

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