*English pronunciation: am-FIH-tree-on
- Amphitryon is a comedic play written by John Dryden, which is based on plays of the same name by Plautus (c. 254-184 B.C.) and Molière (1622-1673).
- For the 1690 premiere in London, Purcell composed the incidental music, which has since been arranged into a concert suite.1
- The story of Amphitryon comes from Greek mythology:
Amphitryon (in the literal sense “harrassing both sides”) was the son of Alcaeus, King of Tiryns. Having accidentally killed his uncle Electryon, he was banished by another uncle, Sthenelus, and had to settle in Thebes. The most famous segment of his complex mythological life, and the theme often adapted by numerous authors in antiquity, involves the wife of Amphitryon, Alcmene. During Amphitryon’s absence, she became pregnant by Zeus, who disguised himself as her husband. Upon the return of her real husband, she again became pregnant and, eventually, twin boys were born of these unions: Iphicles was the son of Amphitryon, and Heracles the son of Zeus.
Source
Sources
- “Amphitryon, Z.572 (Purcell, Henry),” IMSLP, accessed December 19, 2024, https://imslp.org/wiki/Amphitryon%2C_Z.572_(Purcell%2C_Henry).
Cut IDs
42009 49597 24929