Giovanni Battista Maccioni

[3] It was she who encouraged him to write and compose a work to celebrate the visit of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor to Munich in August 1653.

The result was L'arpa festante, often referred to as the first opera to be wholly written and produced in Germany, although it was closer in its form and length to a dramatic cantata.

Princess Henriette Adelaide herself portrayed the role of Feminine Beauty in the prologue of L'arpa festante and is said to have collaborated with Maccioni on several of his other libretti.

He then left for Rome, where for the next 12 years he continued to serve Ferdinand Maria and Henriette Adelaide as their agent, engaging Italian musicians for the court theatre in Munich.

[1] Maccioni's music for L'arpa festante was performed by the Neue Hofkapelle München orchestra conducted by Christopher Hammer in October 2003 to mark the 350th anniversary of opera in Germany.