The Italian seicento has been considered a dead century by many literary scholars. As this study demonstrates, such a conclusion ignores important literary developments in the field of librettology. Indeed, the seventeenth-century operatic libretto stands as a monument to literary invention. Critical to the development of this new literary genre was the prologue, which provided writers with a context in which to experiment and achieve literary transcendence. This study identifies approximately 260 dramatic works written in Venice between the years 1637 and 1682, drawn together for the first time from three sources: librettos in the Drammaturgia di Leone Allacci accresciuta e continuata fino all'anno MCDDLV; the musical manuscripts listed in the Codici Musicali Contariniani; and a chronological list of seventeenth-century Venetian operas found in Cristoforo Ivanovich's Minerva al Tavolino. Of the 260 Venetian works identified, over 98 begin with self-contained prologues. This discovery alone warrants a reconsideration of the seventeenth-century Italian libretto and the emergence of the dramatic prologue as a new and important literary genre.

Classical music has a troubled history regarding the transformation into new forms of media, and the Internet is no exception. The aim of the present research project is to explore the possibilities of building a virtual, interactive opera house on the Internet, seeking answers to the following research questions:– Is the Internet an ideal platform for a composer of scenic music who, like myself, strives to control all artistic parameters? Or can it turn out the be just the opposite: a creative forum where boundaries between author and audience/users tend to dissolve?– In what way should my music develop to fit into this new arena? And conversely, how will it be possible to develop the Internet to suit my musical and artistic intentions?– Is it possible, in this new public environment, to come through with art and music intended to be an alternative to cultural commercialism and economic speculation and a voice against alienation and intolerance?– How can the increasingly neglected genre of art music find a new audience on the Internet?– How can economic needs be met without losing artistic values?In order to find answers to these questions, iOPERA AB was formed and the production of The Woman of Cain, the first opera exclusively designed for the Internet, began. The idea of a crossover platform for interactive, virtual opera on the Internet started to take shape. Some of my research questions are yet to be answered, but it has become clear that the adaption of the art of music drama to the Internet is possible. The idea of letting opera develop and adjust to the Internet is attractive, and I have not found that the genre would thereby be artistically compromised, especially since most art forms have successfully made the leap into new media and new distribution methods. In the near future, all kinds of creators will be able to develop skills and craftsmanship in various artistic fields, as software and interfaces become more accessible. The idea of a virtual opera house on the internet appears to be within reach and a logical step to take.The text of the thesis is accompanied by a DVD containing material from the opera production, including full score, libretto and media files.

The Sanctities of Light is a space opera novel (the first in a series) narrated by Ilona Celesta, a young woman who inherits the title of Enlightened One, the head of her people’s ruling body, after the death of her predecessor. The first in her family to rule since Meira, who is remembered as a hero for banishing an unspeakable evil, Ilona finds herself on the frontlines of a war that has been brewing for generations. She is determined to prove herself worthy of carrying on her family’s legacy. But after she is captured in combat, she learns that her enemies’ leader has overwhelming evidence that she may be fighting on the wrong side of history. The reach of the evil her ancestor battled has traveled farther than she realized, and the lies that built the Celesta name are just the beginning.

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