Zeno, Apostolo#
b. Venice (Italy), Dec. 11, 1668, d. Venice (Italy), Nov. 11, 1750, librettist, poet, court poet, historiographer in Vienna (1718-1729). Was the first to reform the art of libretto writing and thus prepared the ground for P. Metastasio's further perfection of the classical opera libretto (smoother plot, renunciation of comic characters, etc.). His large collection of coins was sold by auction in Vienna in 1955.
Literature#
R. Freeman, Opera without Drama, 1967; H. E. Smither, A History of the Oratorio, 3 vols., 1977-1987.