Le muse in gara, a serenata composed by Pietro Domenico Paradies on a libretto by D. Giacomo De Belli, was a highlight of the Venetian musical and cultural milieu at its premiere in the Ospedale di Mendicanti on 4 April 1740. The performance, given by the Ospedale’s all-female musical ensemble, enticed hundreds of esteemed nobles and foreigners, including a special guest, the future Prince-Elector of Saxony Frederick Christian. With so many prestigious audience members in attendance to hear the ...