Libretto research in literary studies having paid little attention to the operatic texts set by Haydn, considerations on the composer’s librettos and their authors have until now remained scattered among musicological works; the following account pieces together the various areas of knowledge. In detail, they are mainly about Haydn’s literary background (the composer’s library, his special collection of librettos; a selection from the operas performed in Eszterhàza), biographical information about the librettists, the quality of Haydn’s music, the musical dramaturgy and the generic nature of the set texts. Among the most urgent requirements are textual and dramaturgic analyses of the libretti – until now only studied in comparison with models or parallel versions –, analyses of the German Singspiel-versions – and possibly modern adaptations – of Haydn’s operas.
