Between 1718 and 1720, Vivaldi worked as the maestro di cappella da camera of the governor of Mantua, Philipp Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt. Vivaldi's opera Tito Manlio was intended to be part of the wedding celebrations of the governor to Princess Eleanora of Guastalla. Although the wedding never took place, the premiere of the opera did, at the Teatro arciducale 'detto il comico, in 1719.

The production was extremely lavish, as befits the wedding celebrations of a prince. No expense was spared in the costumes, scenery, or spectacle, and the musical resources at Vivaldi's disposal were elaborate as well. He had a particularly fine orchestra in Mantua, which included strings, oboes, horns, trumpets, soprano and contralto flutes, bassoon, timpani, continuo, and viola d'amore. Vivaldi was especially fond of elaborate instrumental obbligato writing, and pairing a single instrumental timbre with the solo voice. He also liked changing the textures of his orchestration as mood shifts in arias or scenes occurred. Although he had a full orchestra at his disposal, he could write for as few or as many instruments, and any combination of instruments, as he wished. At various points in the opera, one can find soloistic writing for violin, viola, oboe, trumpet, bassoon, and viola d'amore. Especially effective is the second-act aria "Non ti lusinghi la crudeltade" which combines oboe with the solo voice in a haunting, ethereal manner. Another instance of imaginative instrumental writing is the sinfonia to the third act. It is one of Vivaldi's finest, and was written to provide atmosphere as Prince Manlio is led to his execution. The strings, oboes, and trumpets are all are muted while bassoons and timpani play a slow march with repeated eighth notes and falling ninths. The libretto to the opera was written by Matteo Noris, and the themes are heroic and serious. However there are comic characters and scenes, and in these Vivaldi also shines. The character of Lindo was given several arias and written as a classic buffo bass, as one finds in the intermezzi of the era and the later comic opera.

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