Ruggero Leoncavallo
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Ruggero Leoncavallo, an Italian composer
He studied music at the Naples Conservatory but had to support himself for a long period of time by playing the piano in cafes and by giving singing lessons.
His earlier operas -- such as Chatterton, I Medici, and La Boheme -- mostly attracted only passing success. Zaza (1901) was more successful, but Der Roland (1904) was a failure.
His most famous work was the opera I Pagliacci (The Players) (1892). Its plot was based on an actual murder.
His operas were part of the realistic school of opera called verismo (that is, operas with quasi-historical plots based on sensational stories from everyday life) which arose in reaction against Richard Wagner and against Romantic Italian opera.
Leoncavallo wrote not only the music but also the librettos for his operas. He showed great dramatic flair and skill in using theatrical effects in his operas.
Apart from his operas, he also composed operettas, songs, piano pieces, choral works, and a ballet.
I Pagliacci (by Ruggero Leoncavallo)
Singer: Luciano Pavarotti
Opera
"This new art made a deep impression on me, and I began to study it ardently."
-- Ruggero Leoncavallo
Leoncavallo CDs
Leoncallo on Old Postcard (1)
I Do Not Alter a Jot
"When I need the idea, I can find it immediately. I have a horror of rewriting or deleting; the parts of my composition are carried in my head 'till I can write them down, even to the last note. Then I do not alter a jot."
-- Ruggero Leoncavallo
Leoncavallo: Life and Works
Leoncavallo: Life and Works
Amazon Price: $86.97 (as of 06/02/2012)
This is the first fully documented biography of the Italian composer Ruggiero Leoncavallo (1857-1919), the beloved and popular composer of the opera Pagliacci.
"...the first substantial study of the composer in English...[the author] can be congratulated in assembling so much new information." -- BBC Music Magazine
"This is ideal for anyone looking for in-depth research material on this little-known composer. Highly recommended." -- Choice, October 2007
"Mattinata" by Ruggero Leoncavallo
Singer: Luciano Pavarotti
Internet Resources on Leoncavallo
- Life of Leoncavallo (1)
- "Ruggiero Leoncavallo was born at Naples in March 1858, so that he was thirty-four when "Pagliacci" was produced in 1892..."
- Life of Leoncavallo (2)
- "Leoncavallo, born March 8, 1858, at Naples, is a dramatic composer, a pianist, and a man of letters..."
- I Pagliacci - Synopsis (1)
- The opera, "I Pagliacci" (The Actors), begins with a Prologue sung by Tonio in front of the curtain...
- I Pagliacci - Synopsis (2)
- "Pagliacci" opens with a prologue. There is an instrumental introduction. Then Tonio pokes his head through the curtains, -- "Si puo? Signore e Signori" (By your leave, Ladies and Gentlemen), -- comes out, and sings...
- The Music of I Pagliacci
- An analysis of the opera beginning with the Prologue...
Leoncavallo on Old Postcard (2)
Latest News on Leoncavallo
Words and Notes
"I find it quite impossible to set to music somebody else's words. I do not understand how any really artistic work can be created in that way. With me words and notes are simultaneous; at least, while I am writing the text, the scaffolding, the framework of the music is going up. The phrasing, the elaboration come afterward."
-- Ruggero Leoncavallo
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