Cook, o sia Gl’Inglesi in Othaiti: a Masonic Pasticcio with Music by Giuseppe Sarti assembled in Naples under Maria Carolina

The re-evaluation of the anonymous libretto of Cook, o sia Gl’Inglesi in Othaiti, which has been repeatedly attributed to Ranieri de’ Calzabigi, has revealed the presence of multiple levels of interpretation and of formal and symbolic structures that point to a masonic inclination. This fact makes it all the more plausible to attribute this complex and controversial work to the equally complex and controversial figure of the librettist from Livorno, who was in close contact with the masonry circles of the principal European capitals, although not openly affiliated to the Fraternity as were many of his contemporaries