The biography of the Italian composer Francesco Vannarelli (c.1616–1679) is limited to a series of places and dates listed in scattered documents throughout the peninsula. Generally known only by the motets included in contemporary anthologies, Vannarelli worked nearly exclusively for the church. This thesis briefly chronicles Vannarelli's life and adds previously undocumented music to the list of his known works. Fedra ed Hippolito, Vannarelli's only known complete opera, follows the tragicommedia tradition of Rome in the 17th century and represents the first setting of the Phaedra myth in opera. This thesis makes Fedra ed Hippolito available for the first time in modern edition.