Cristoforo Ivanovich
Cristoforo Ivanovich (Kristofor Ivanović; 1628–6 January 1689) was the first historian of Venetian opera, who also wrote several librettos of his own.
Also recorded as Krsto Ivanović
Cristoforo Ivanovich

Didier Descouens · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Name
- Cristoforo Ivanovich
- Born
- 1620
- Birthplace
- Budua, Venetian Albania
- Died
- 6 January 1689
- Place of death
- Venice, Most Serene Republic of Venice
- Occupation
- Historian, opera composer
- Nationality
- Republic of Venice
- Movements
- Baroque
- Languages
- Italian · Serbian
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Cristoforo Ivanovich (Kristofor Ivanović; 1628–6 January 1689) was the first historian of Venetian opera, who also wrote several librettos of his own.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Note VALÉORINE
Cristoforo Ivanovich was a historian, librettist and poet, among other activities and a national of the Republic of Venice. Born in Budva, the historian died in Venice. Cristoforo Ivanovich was associated with Baroque. Languages used include Italian and Serbian.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
VALÉORINE
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Cristoforo Ivanovich. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q3246893 · wikipedia · Cristoforo Ivanovich
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Cristoforo Ivanovich • Born — 1620 • Birthplace — Budua, Venetian Albania • Died — 6 January 1689 • Place of death — Venice, Most Serene Republic of Venice • Occupation — Historian, opera composer
Biography
Biography
Ivanovich was born in Budua (Budva), at the time part of Venetian Albania (now southeastern Montenegro). According to his testimony, he descended from an old patrician family who settled in Budva after leaving Cetinje. In 1655, he moved to Verona, where he was a member of the Accademia Filarmonica and of the Accademia dei Temperati. In 1657, he moved to Venice, the city where he remained throughout his life. There he became secretary of Leonardo Pesaro, Procurator of San Marco, and later, in 1676, was appointed canon of St Mark's Basilica. From 1663, he wrote several librettos for operas which were performed in the theatres of Venice, Vienna and Piacenza. He catalogued all opera performances held in Venice from 1637 until 1681 in his treatise Memorie teatrali di Venzia (Theatrical Memories of Venice), published in 1680 as part of the collection Minerva al tavolino. He wrote all his works in Italian and nearly all of his librettos are drammi per musica. • Illustration — Funerary monument of Cristoforo Ivanovich by Marco Beltrame
Notable works
Notable works
• L'amor guerriero (music by Pietro Andrea Ziani, 1663) • La Circe (music by Pietro Andrea Ziani, 1665), music by Domenico Freschi, 1679) • Coriolano (music by Francesco Cavalli, 1669) • La costanza trionfrante (music by Gian Domenico Partenio, 1673, music by Bernardo Pasquini as Dov'è amore è pietà, 1679) • Lisimaco (music by Giovanni Maria Pagliardi, 1673) • L'africano trionfo di Pompeo (1678) • La felicità regnante (serenata, 1681) • – Letters, essays, poetry, incl. Memorie teatrali di Venzia (pp. 361 ff)
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1628
Cristoforo Ivanovich born at Budva.
1688
Cristoforo Ivanovich died on 1 January 1688.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Cristoforo Ivanovich was born in Budva.
Birthplace
Cristoforo Ivanovich died in Venice.
Deathplace
Budva.
Birth place
Venice.
Death place
Holdings and surviving copies
Where the work is held
Holdings and surviving copies
Where material relating to Cristoforo Ivanovich is held. Recorded with the occupation writer. Recorded as poet, historian, librettist and writer.
Documents and archives
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q3246893: Cristoforo Ivanovich
General reference · Wikidata
reference work
- “Cristoforo Ivanovich”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 6
- Ivano Cavallini: "Questioni di poetica del melodramma del Seicento nelle lettere di Cristoforo Ivanovich", in Giovanni Legrenzi e la Cappella ducale di San Marco, pp. 185–99 (Venice, 1990)
- Norbert Dubowy: Introduction to C. Ivanovich: Memorie teatrali di Venezia (Lucca, 1993)
- Miloš Milošević: "Il contributo di Cristoforo Ivanovich nell'evoluzione del melodramma seicentesco", in Il libro nel bacino adriatico (secc. XVI–XVIII)], pp. 111–24 (Venice, 1989)
- Miloš Velimirović. Cristoforo Ivanovich from Budva: the First Historian of the Venetian Opera (1967)
- Thomas Walker. "Gli errori di Minerva al tavolino: osservazioni sulla cronologia delle prime opere veneziane", in Venezia e il melodramma nel Seicento, pp. 7–20 (Venice, 1972)
- Anna Laura Bellina. Brevità, frequenza e varietà: Cristoforo Ivanovich librettista e storico dell'opera veneziana. Musica e storia. VIII. 367-390. 2000.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority record
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
39,200 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Cristóbal de ViruésAuthor
- Cristóbal Mosquera de FigueroaAuthor
- Cristóbal Suárez de FigueroaAuthor
- Cristoforo BuondelmontiAuthor
- Cristoforo LandinoAuthor
- Cristóvão FalcãoAuthor
- Cristóvão FerreiraAuthor
- CritiasAuthor
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Cristoforo Ivanovich?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.