Dafne

Dafne (Italian pronunciation: [ˈdaf.ne], Italian for "Daphne") is the earliest known work that, by modern standards, could be considered an opera. The libretto by Ottavio Rinuccini, based on an earlier intermedio created in 1589, "Combattimento di Apollo col serpente Pitone" ("the battle between Apollo and Python"), and set to music by Luca Marenzio, survives complete. The opera is considered to be the first "modern music drama." The mostly lost music was completed by Jacopo Peri, but at least two of the six surviving fragments are by Jacopo Corsi. Dafne was first performed during Carnival of 1598 (1597 old style) at the Palazzo Corsi.