Pietro Mascagni

Pietro Mascagni in 1903.

Pietro Mascagni (December 7, 1863 – August 2, 1945) was an Italian composer, most noted for his operas. His 1890 masterpiece, Cavalleria rusticana, caused one of the greatest sensations in opera history and singlehandedly ushered in the Verismo movement in Italian dramatic music. However, though it has been stated that Mascagni, like Leoncavallo, was a "one-opera man" who could never repeat his first success, this is inaccurate. L'amico Fritz and Iris have been popular in Europe since their respective premieres; in fact, Mascagni himself claimed that at one point Iris was performed in Italy more often than Cavalleria (cf. Stivender). It is certainly a better vehicle for a popular lyric soprano.

Mascagni wrote a total of fifteen operas, plus an operetta, several orchestral and vocal works, as well as songs and piano music. He enjoyed immense success during his lifetime, both as a composer and conductor of his own and other people's music. If he never repeated the international success of Cavalleria, it was probably because Mascagni refused to copy himself. The variety of styles in his operas—the Sicilian passion and warmth of Cavalleria, the exotic flavor of Iris, the idyllic breeze that ventilates the charming L'amico Fritz and Lodoletta, the Gallic chiaroscuro of Isabeau, the steely, Veristic power of Il piccolo Marat, the overripe postromanticism of the lush Parisina—demonstrate a versatility that none of the other Veristi could boast, Puccini included.

Biography

Early life

Pietro Antonio Stefano Mascagni was born in Livorno, Tuscany. He was the second son of Domenico and Emilia Mascagni. The father was the owner of a bakery. Mascagni's lifelong friend and collaborator, Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti ("Nanni") was born the same year in Livorno.

In 1876, he began musical studies with Alfredo Soffredini (1854-1923), who founded the Istituto Musicale di Livorno (later called Istituto Cherubini) after having just completed his musical studies in Milan. Also from Livorno, Soffredini was a composer, teacher and musical critic.

In 1879, he composed several works: Sinfonia in do minore, Elegia, Kyrie, Gloria and Ave Maria.

1880-1889

The premiere of Mascagni's first cantata, In Filanda, took place at the Istituto Cherubini on 9 February, 1881. The cantata was presented at a musical contest in Milan and won the first prize. In the same year Mascagni met Arrigo Boito and Amilcare Ponchielli in Milan.

1882: Cantata Alla Gioia, from a text by Schiller. La stella di Garibaldi, for voice and piano. La tua stella. May 6 - Mascagni left Livorno for Milan. October 12 - Mascagni passed the admission examination of the Conservatorio di Milano. In Milan, Mascagni met the engineer Vittorio Gianfranceschi ("Vichi"), born in Vienna in 1861, and Giacomo Puccini, born in Lucca in 1858.

1883: January 9 - Death of Mascagni's sister, Maria. The cantata In Filanda became Pinotta, and was proposed for the musical contest of the Conservatorio, but the registration, being late, was not accepted.

1884: Ballata for tenor and piano, M'ama non m'ama, scherzo for soprano and piano, Messagio d'amore, Alla luna.

1885: Mascagni conducted Il Re a Napoli in Cremona, romance for tenor and orchestra, on a text by Andrea Maffei. Mascagni left Milan without completing his studies. He toured as conductor in the operetta companies of Vittorio Forlì, Alfonso and Ciro Scognamiglio and, in Genova, the company of Luigi Arnaldo Vassallo.

1886: Mascagni met the impresario Luigi Maresca. December - Mascagni arrived in Cerignola with Maresca's company. He was accompanied by Argenide Marcellina Carbognani (Lina), his future wife.

1886: Helped by the mayor Giuseppe Cannone, Mascagni left the company of Maresca, not without problems, and became master of music and singing of the new philharmony of Cerignola, where he earned a lot of esteem. He also gave lessons of piano.

1888: February - Work on the Messa di Gloria started. July - Casa Sonzogno announced in the Teatro Illustrato its second competition for a one-act opera.

1889: February 3 - Pietro and Lina got married. February 4 - Birth of Domenico Mascagni ("Mimì"). May 27 - The composition of Cavalleria rusticana was completed and the manuscript sent to Milan.

1890-1899

1890: February 21 - Mascagni was summoned to Rome to present his opera. May 17 - Première of Cavalleria rusticana, winner of the Sonzogno contest, at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome. The success was tremendous, and very soon the opera was performed in Florence, Torino, Bologna, Palermo, Milan, Genova, Napoli, Venezia and Trieste. In December, Gustav Mahler conducted the opera in Budapest. Soon thereafter, the cities of Monaco, Hamburg, Petersburg, Dresden and Buenos Aires welcomed the opera. In March 1891, it was played in Vienna. At age 26, Mascagni had become famous overnight.

1891: January 3 - Birth of Dino Mascagni. October 31 - Première of L'amico Fritz at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome.

1892: August 21 - Birth of Emi Mascagni. November 10 - Première of I Rantzau at the Teatro La Pergola, in Florence, under the direction of Mascagni himself.

1894: Composition of Silvano.

1895: February 16 - Première of Guglielmo Ratcliff at the Teatro alla Scala of Milan. March 15 - Première of Silvano at the Teatro alla Scala of Milan. Mascagni accepted the direction of the Liceo Rossini of Pesaro.

1896: March 2 - Mascagni conducted the première of Zanetto at the Liceo.

1898: June 29 - Mascagni conducted the première of A Giacomo Leopardi, a symphonic poem, in Recanati. November 22 - Première of Iris, Mascagni's first collaboration with Luigi Illica, at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome.

1899: May - Death of Mascagni's father.

1900-1909

1900: Mascagni toured in Russia (Moscow and Petersburg).

1901: January 17 - Première in six Italian theaters of Le maschere. January 27 - Death of Giuseppe Verdi. February - Mascagni commemorated Verdi's passing. The same year, he conducted Verdi's Requiem in Vienna.

1902: August - Mascagni composed the music for Hall Caine's play, The Eternal City. October 2 - The première of the play with Mascagni's music took place in London.

1902-1903: Tour in the United States (in particular New York, Philadelphia, Boston and San Francisco), where Mascagni conducted many of his and other composers' works. The tour was mostly a fiasco, except for the visit to San Francisco.

1903: Mascagni left Pesaro after problems with the authorities. He became director of the Scuola Musicale Romana, in Rome.

1904: Contract with the french editor Choudens.

1905: March 16 - Première of Amica, libretto by Choudens, in Monte-Carlo. Disputes with Leoncavallo and Puccini.

1908: Livornese première of Le maschere.

1909: August - Mascagni was director of the Costanzi for the following season.

1910-1919

1910: April 4 - Beginning of the relationship with Anna Lolli. October - Reconciliation with Puccini.

1911: Mascagni ceased his activity of director of the Scuola Musicale Romana. May - He left for Buenos Aires, beginning a 7 months tour in South America. June 2 - The première of Isabeau took place in Buenos Aires. Death of Mahler.

1912: The Italian première of Isabeau took place simultaneously at la Scala in Milan (conductor Tullio Serafin) and at la Fenice in Venice (conductor Mascagni). March 28 - Work on Parisina began. Composition of Parisina in Bellevue, near Paris, sometimes with his daughter Emi, his mistress Anna Lolli, and the librettist Gabrielle d'Annunzio.

1913: October - Emi Mascagni married the musician Guido Farinelli in Rapallo. December 15 - Première of Parisina in Milan. Almost all the important Italian composers of the time were present, among them Puccini, Giordano and Zandonai.

1914: Premières of Parisina in Livorno and Rome. July 28 - Beginning of World War I. Puccini and Mascagni were against the involvement of Italy in this war, where Mascagni's son Dino was later made a prisonner. Luigi Illica was a volunteer for the front.

1915: Music for Nino Oxilia's movie Rapsodia Satanica. Quarrel regarding the rights of Louise de la Ramée's Two Little Wooden Shoes (I due Zoccoletti), that inspired both Puccini and Mascagni. The subject was retained by Mascagni for Lodoletta.

1917: April 30 - Première of Lodoletta in Rome. July 28 - Livornese première of Lodoletta, with Beniamino Gigli as Flammen.

1919: August 9 - Death of Ruggero Leoncavallo. December 13 - Première of Sì, Mascagni's operetta, in Rome. December 20 - Funeral ceremony for death of Luigi Illica.

1920-1929

1920: Composition of Il piccolo Marat.

1921: May 2 - Première of Il piccolo Marat in Rome. September - Première in Buenos Aires.

1922: May - Beginning of a tour in South America.

1923: Visione Lirica. Death of Alfredo Soffredini in Milan.

1924: Death of Giacomo Puccini.

1926: Première of Puccini's Turandot.

1927: Mascagni moved to the Albergo Plaza in Rome, a place he will not leave until his death.

1930-1939

1930: Mascagni conducted La Bohème in Torre del Lago, an homage to Puccini.

1931: Le maschere at La Scala.

1932: March 23 - Première of Pinotta in San Remo. Official membership in the PNF (Fascist party). Like many contemporary musicians, including Puccini and Giordano, Mascagni joined the party.

1934: May 30 - Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti died.

1935: January 16 - Première of Nerone in Milan. August 24 - Première in Livorno.

1936: June - Death of Dino Mascagni in Somalia.

1940-1949

1940: Celebration of the fifty years of Cavalleria rusticana. The opera was recorded in studio under the direction of Mascagni.

1943: April - Last appearance of Mascagni at La Scala for L'amico Fritz.

1943-1944: Last season of Mascagni at the Rome Opera (Cavalleria rusticana, L'amico Fritz).

1945: August 2 - At 7.15, death of Mascagni. August 4 - Funeral ceremony at 10h30. The Italian authorities were not present.

1950-1951

1951: The mortal remains of Mascagni were transferred from Rome to Livorno, and finally Mascagni received an official homage.

Selected Works

Operas

• Cavalleria rusticana (17 May 1890 Teatro Costanzi, Rome) - libretto, libretto
• L'amico Fritz (31 October 1891 Teatro Costanzi, Rome) - libretto
• I Rantzau (10 November 1892 Teatro La Pergola, Florence)
• Guglielmo Ratcliff (16 February 1895 Teatro alla Scala, Milan), composed between 1885 and the early 1890s - libretto
• Silvano (25 March 1895 Teatro alla Scala, Milan)
• Zanetto (2 March 1896 Liceo Musicale, Pesaro) - libretto
• Iris (22 November 1898 Teatro Costanzi, Rome) - libretto
• Le maschere (17 January 1901 Teatro Carlo Felice, Genoa - Teatro Regio, Turin - Teatro alla Scala, Milan - Teatro La Fenice, Venice - Teatro Filarmonico, Verona - Teatro Costanzi, Rome)
• Amica (16 March 1905, Monte Carlo) - Italian libretto
• Isabeau (2 June 1911 Teatro Coliseo, Buenos Aires)
• Parisina (15 December 1913 Teatro alla Scala, Milan) - libretto
• Lodoletta (30 April 1917 Teatro Costanzi, Rome) - libretto
• Sì (13 December 1919 Teatro Quirino, Rome), operetta
• Il piccolo Marat (2 May 1921 Teatro Costanzi, Rome)
• Pinotta (23 March 1932 Casinò, San Remo), adapted from the cantata In filanda (1881)
• Nerone (16 January 1935 Teatro alla Scala, Milan), with music written between the 1890s and the 1930s

Sacred music

• Messa di Gloria in F major for soloists, chorus and orchestra

Orchestral music

• A Giacomo Leopardi, cantata for voice and orchestra (1898)

External links

• Mascagni cylinder recordings, from the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California, Santa Barbara Library.

Resources

• English web site about Pietro Mascagni
• Alan Mallach's Pietro Mascagni biography ISBN 1-55553-524-0
• Official Italian web site about Pietro Mascagni
• Mascagni, l'avventuroso dell'opera, by Roberto Iovino ISBN 88-7767-014-2
• Buoso Donati, "Mascagni and Mussolini" Bibliography.

• Works by Pietro Mascagni at Project Gutenberg