The surviving London score of Handel's arrangement, now in the Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Hamburg collection, is clearly based on a London copy of Leo's opera, confirming that Handel used Leo's opera as a starting point. This London copy of Leo's
Catone in Utica, now in the possession of the Royal Academy of Music, was originally owned by
Sir John Buckworth. Sir John Buckworth was one of the directors of the
Royal Academy in 1726 and a member of the directorate of the
Opera of the Nobility in 1733, and would have known Handel. He also happens to be the dedicatee of Porpora's
Semiramide which, just like Leo's
Catone, was premiered at the Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo (Venice) during the 1728–29 season. Buckworth also owned a copy of Porpora's
Semiramide. He could have brought it back with him from Italy along with the copy of Leo's
Catone. Handel's artistic involvement in Catone is disputed. On the one hand, as several of the singers Handel worked with in London had previously sung Hasse's, Porpora's and Vinci's music, these swaps may have been
arie di baule or, at least, arias taken from the singers' repertoires, rather than creative choices made by Handel (who is thought by some to have solely reshaped the recitatives and transposed arias by other composers). For instance, Cesare's arias "Non paventa del mar le procelle", taken out of Porpora's 1730
Siface, and "È ver che all'amo intorno", taken out of Porpora's 1731
Poro, were both already sung by
Montagnana in Porpora's original productions. On the other hand, Handel's arrangement of
Catone might provide a prime example of how he addressed the characterisation of the roles, both musically and dramatically. The drastic reduction of the long recitatives might have been indispensable for the London audience. The technical possibilities, the voice range and the artistic and creative possibilities of the singers would have influenced the selection of arias. But, although he was opposed to them for the sake of drama, Handel also had to adhere to a number of conventions, such as the distinction between first, second and third roles and the position of each singer in the opera company (reflected in the amount of their respective fee), all of which would have influenced the musical structure, as well as the number, type and position of each singer's aria. The bass
Montagnana, for example, was an exceptional singer and Handel could not possibly expect him to accept a minor role. Therefore, the role of Cesar, that Leo had originally written for the soprano
Domenico Gizzi, was given to him and consequently showcase arias for bass had to be inserted. The role of Arbace, which Leo wrote for Farinelli, was reduced to the point of being unrecognizable,
Francesca Bertolli being unable to sing the original arias.
Celeste Gismondi seems to have only sung arias she had already proven herself with. Scholars have suggested that the sinfonia (overture) and at least two arias of Leo's original work may be spurious.
Arias == Reception ==