Apollo in Early Opera: Adapting His Multiple Ancient Cultic Functions to a Secular Renaissance Pantheon

Abstract Apollo’s ancient origins resulted in a variety of cultic functions and mythological associations. As the Greco-Roman god of music, it was as if Apollo played a symbolic role in overseeing the development of late-Renaissance/early Baroque musical theater. His multiple cultic functions and associated mythological narratives enabled librettists to portray him on stage as not just the god of music and father of Orpheus, but also as the lover of Daphne, the slayer of the Python, the god of prophecy, the sun god, or a symbol of Neoplatonic Virtue or Christ. Not restricted to ancient narratives, librettists also made Apollo the parent or ancestor of newly invented characters, and, in addition to including him in Olympian ensembles, placed him even in underworld scenes. But the importance and frequency of his roles diminished by the final third of the seventeenth century, and he has made only rare appearances since.