Useful Liaisons: Luka Sorkočević – Ruđer Bošković – Pietro Metastasio

Abstract

This article highlights the letter that Pietro Metastasio, poet laureate to the imperial court of Vienna and librettist, wrote to the Ragusan scientist Ruđer Bošković, in which the name of the composer Luka Sorkočević is mentioned. In fact, it is the earliest traceable data on Sorkočević’s arrival in Vienna, dispatched by the government of the Dubrovnik Republic upon a diplomatic mission to the court of Joseph II, shortly after the death of Empress Maria Theresa. The letter provides details on Luka’s accommodation, but also on his manners and qualities. It affords new insights into his sojourn in Vienna, notably in the light of the hitherto known entries of his Vienna diary.