Levkofeya (poem)

Levkofeya is a 1756 dramatic poem by the Irish playwright Isaac Bikerstaffe . This was his first published work. The plot was based on the story of the Greek goddess Levkofeya .

Levkofeya was originally conceived as a pastoral opera , but Bikerstaffe could not find a composer who would put it to music. In May 1756, it was published by Robert Dodsley and sold at the price of 1 shilling and six pence ^[1] .

In a modern review in the Monthly Review, critic Ralph Griffiths praised the work for the most part, although he criticized the tragic ending , as “the laws of the Opera require a happy ending” ^[2] . Despite a positive assessment by some critics, the work was largely ignored by both critics and the public. This failure forced Bikerstaff to rejoin the armed forces. In the period 1760-1772. he achieved tremendous success, mainly in collaboration with composer Thomas Arn .