Nowhere in Europe the Italian opera libretto has had such a direct and decisive influence on original national drama production as it did in Dubrovnik during the 17th and 18th century. In the 'Golden Age of Croatian Literature', a hybrid drama genre was created.
For more than a century, authors of this genre looked attentively at the most important trends of Italian opera production and followed them faithfully. In Croatian literature of that period, a specific model of libretti without music was created, one that appropriated the Italian libretto. These plays were not performed along with functional music, although sometimes authors and actors would provide instrumental accompaniment to the texts.
Nothing more needs to be said about the dissemination and specific reception of Italian opera libretti in Dubrovnik during the 17th and 18th century to be understood as occupying a noteworthy place in the cultural life of Europe.

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Viktoria Frani Tomi, Slobodan Prosperov NovakTHE PECULIARITY OF THE CROATIAN RECEPTION OF DRAMATIC MUSIC IN THE 17th AND 18th CENTURY1. The Croatian Contribution to the Late RenaissanceTheory of Dramatic Music from Franjo Petri(Francesco Patrizi) to Pasko Primovi and Ivan Gunduli2. Croatian Baroque Libretto-Based Drama: the Junije Palmoti Era3. The dramatists Vice Puci, iko Gunduli,Ivan Gueti Jr., Jaketa Palmoti and the historianof the Venetian libretto Kristoforo Ivanovi4. Vuistrah by Petar Kanaveli, the centrallibretto-inspired drama of the second half of the 17th century5. Antun Gleevi and Ivan iko Gunduli, followersof reform in the libretto from the time of Apostolo Zeno6. Pietro Metastasio and the last phaseof libretto-inspired drama in DubrovnikEnnio StipeviOPERA LIBRETTO WITHOUT MUSIC1. The Renaissance heritage in Baroque theatre and music2. The earliest Mantuan and Florentine libretti in Croatian translations3. Venetian libretto writing and stage illusionism4. Operatic reform in Croatian tragicomedy and music5. Libretti without music6. EpilogueBibliographyIndex