Mascagni, Pietro
1863 - Born on December 7th in Livorno, Kingdom of Italy. Italian operatic composer, one of the principal exponents of verismo, a style of opera writing marked by melodramatic, often violent plots with characters drawn from everyday life.
1889 - He won the first prize in a competition with his one-act opera Cavalleria rusticana, based on a Sicilian melodrama by Giovanni Verga.
1890 - Produced at the Teatro Costanzi, Rome, on May 17th, it was an instant success and subsequently maintained its popularity, usually being given with Ruggero Leoncavallo's one-act Pagliacci.
1901 - Le maschere, reviving the commedia dell'arte, is musically superior, though it had little success.
1929 - He succeeded Arturo Toscanini as musical director of La Scala, Milan.
1935 - Among Mascagni's other operas are L'amico Fritz, Iris, and Nerone, the last glorifying Benito Mussolini.
1945 - Died on August 2nd in Rome, Italy.
1889 - He won the first prize in a competition with his one-act opera Cavalleria rusticana, based on a Sicilian melodrama by Giovanni Verga.
1890 - Produced at the Teatro Costanzi, Rome, on May 17th, it was an instant success and subsequently maintained its popularity, usually being given with Ruggero Leoncavallo's one-act Pagliacci.
1901 - Le maschere, reviving the commedia dell'arte, is musically superior, though it had little success.
1929 - He succeeded Arturo Toscanini as musical director of La Scala, Milan.
1935 - Among Mascagni's other operas are L'amico Fritz, Iris, and Nerone, the last glorifying Benito Mussolini.
1945 - Died on August 2nd in Rome, Italy.
Page last updated: 12:41am, 26th Jun '07