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William Davenant

(b Oxford, bap. 3 March 1606; d London, 7 April 1668). English dramatist, theatre manager and poet. He wrote the libretto of the first all-sung English opera with a unified heroic subject, The Siege of Rhodes (1656; music lost), and influenced the subsequent development of English opera through his use of incidental music in plays produced at the Duke's Theatre, London, particularly through his adaptations of Shakespeare's Macbeth (1663) and Tempest (with Dryden, 1667), using spectacular musical scenes.



 
 
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Sir William Davenant

(born 1606, Oxford, Eng. — died April 7, 1668, London) British poet, playwright, and theatre manager. Early works include the comedy The Witts (licensed 1634) and a volume of poems, Madagascar (1638). He was made poet laureate in 1638. Involved in intrigues during the English Civil Wars, he was imprisoned at the Tower of London, where he worked on his verse epic Gondibert (1651). Later he made the first attempt to revive English drama (banned under Oliver Cromwell) and brought the first opera, painted stage sets, and female actress-singer to the English public stage. After the Restoration he continued playwriting and founded a playhouse.

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"Calamity is the perfect glass wherein we truly see and know ourselves."

 
 

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Music Encyclopedia. The Concise Grove Dictionary of Music. Copyright © 1994 by Oxford University Press, Inc.. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Quotes By. Copyright © 2008 QuotationsBook.com. All rights reserved.  Read more

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