Francesco Ballerini’s opera licence for Vienna

Abstract Around 1710, an imperial singer and favourite, the soprano castrato Francesco Ballerini, petitioned Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I for an exclusive licence to establish a public Italian opera house in Vienna that could also double as a court stage. Ballerini’s petition was successful, but his own financial resources were not sufficient to bring the project to completion. In April 1711, the death of Joseph I complicated matters even further. However, Ballerini did not give up on his ambitious undertaking, and in 1726 he invoked his privilege to announce a business plan involving the construction of a new Italian opera and comedy theatre. This announcement was made in a printed pamphlet, hitherto unknown to music historians, which offers new information about how the Italian model of theatre management being was adapted north of the Alps in the early 18th century. This article presents the newly discovered source along with a reconstruction of Ballerini’s efforts to establish Italian opera in Vienna.