Born at Lucca in 1858 from a family of
musicians who for generations where dedicated to teaching and sacred
music. His first experiences with musical education came under the composer
C.Angeleri, then at the Istituto Pacini of Lucca and finally, with the
aid of Regina Margherita and an uncle, he was admitted to the Conservatorio
of Milan in the class of Bazzini and Ponchielli, where he finished his
studies with success.
Born for the theatre, to which he dedicated his works, his first opera
arrived with Le Ville (1884), followed by L’Edgar which had a rather
cold reception, then after a few years a great success with Manon Lescaut.
Shortly after he created: Bohéme, very popular opera that fascinated
the hearts of many; Tosca, narrated with drammatical strength; Madama Butterfly,
the great poem of love and pain; La Fanciulla del West and La Rondine;
then a triptych (Tabarro, a passionate opera; Suor Angelica, mistic-lirical;
Gianni Schicchi, comedy). His last work, Turandot, initiated in 1921, remained
unfinished midway through the third act due to the departure of the composer
for Bruxelles, where he hoped to find a cure for the terrible disease that
afflicted his throat. Due to his death in 1924 at Bruxelles Turandot was
completed by Franco Alfano following the outline left by the composer,
and performed at the Scala in 1926 before an audience unable to hide their
intense emotion.
Two years after his death, his corpse was brought to Torre del Lago and
buried in the villa where he passed his better years. |
