Giacinto Andrea Cicognini

Giacinto Andrea Cicognini (Florence, 1606 – Venice, 1650) was an Italian playwright and librettist, and was the son of poet and playwright Jacopo Cicognini.

In 1627, Cicognini graduated from the University of Pisa, and he lived in Florence from 1640 to 1645 where he have legal advice to the poet and playwright Giambattista Ricciardi. In 1646 he wrote his first libretto, "Il Celio", which was set to music by Sapiti and Baglioni. Later that year he went to Venice, where he began work as the secretary of Francesco Boldieri, a nobleman who handled the property of the Knights Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem. His fame began to grow, as both playwright and librettist, and his output of plays, tragedies, comedies, and librettos was almost all for theatres and opera houses in Venice. His works were set to music by some of the most famous composers of the day, including Francesco Cavalli, Antonio Cesti, and Francesco Lucio.

Cicognini was one of the most important figures in seventeenth-century opera, where he brought together elements of tragedy and comedy, and often shows signs of Spanish influence. His most famous works are "Giasone" and "Orontea" (set to music, respectively, by Cavalli and Lucio), which were to become the two most popular operas in seventeenth-century Europe.