The last of a dynasty of musicians
Life
Giacomo Puccini ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ง ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ ๐จ๐ง ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ, ๐๐๐๐, the last of a dynasty of composers who for more than a century held a virtual monopoly of the cityโs musical life. In his early years he grew up with ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฑ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ in the house of Corte S. Lorenzo, receiving his very first music lessons from his father Michele, before his untimely death in 1864. In 1868 Puccini enrolled in the violin class at the โG. Paciniโ Institute of Music, a school renown even outside Lucca, where he continued his studies, later passing to the composition class, where his teacher was Carlo Angeloni. His first compositions came to life in Lucca, including the Mass for 4 voices, his graduation piece written in 1880.
1880- 1889
1880- 1889
โTi manderรฒ lโEdgar, le Villi e i Crisantemi, composiziโI will send you the Edgar, le Villi and Crisantemi, composition for quartet performed by Campanari with great success at the Conservatory and in Bresciaโ
THE YEARS OF TRAINING IN MILAN AND HIS FIRST WORKS.
๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ข ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ฏ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ, where, among others, Antonio Bazzini and Amilcare Ponchielli were his teachers. Determined to be only a composer and not a teacher or interpreter of music, he composed his first opera, immediately after the final exam at the conservatory. With ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข he took part โ unsuccessfully โ in the Sonzogno Competition for one-act operas. Some friends still managed to organize a first performance of the work in 1884, and ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐ข๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ข๐จ ๐๐ข๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐ข, ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ง ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ซ, ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ข. He not only inserted Le Villi in the catalogue of his publishing house, but commissioned a second opera from Puccini, ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐๐. The composition was very long and laborious, but the premiere, in 1889, was sadly unsuccessful.
1886-1893
1886-1893
``now at noon I leave with Elvira for Venice - Trieste - Fiume where I attend Manon - Budapest - Vienna and back``.
THE LOVE FOR ELVIRA AND THE FIRST SUCCESS
Meanwhile ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ข ๐ก๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ง ๐ข๐ง ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐ with a married woman, Elvira Bonturi, who abandoned her husband for him in 1886. Only in 1904, after the death of Elviraโs first husband, the two were able to legalize their living together and legitimize their son Antonio, who had already attained the age of 17. In the early years of their relationship the small family lived in difficult financial conditions in several rented houses, sometimes even guests of relatives, separated from each other. It was only thanks to the increasing success of his third opera, ๐ด๐๐๐๐ ๐ณ๐๐๐๐๐๐ (1893), that Puccini was able to create a solid economic base for himself and his family.
1896 โ 1904
1896 โ 1904
โYesterday night our boheme triumphed three encores 35 stage calls warm greetings โ Giacomoโ
INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION
In 1896, with ๐ณ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฬ๐๐, he achieved even greater success which soon reached an international level and with ๐ป๐๐๐๐ (1900) he became the most famous composer of his times. He reaped good earnings, purchased two buildings in Torre del Lago and Chiatri, a few kilometres from Lucca, and transformed them into two country villas, retaining the ownership until his death.๐๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐จ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฃ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐๐๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฌ, where he often went to assist in the preparation of the stagings.
At the height of success, however, came the fall of ๐๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ฝ๐ช๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐ก๐ฎ, which was ๐๐จ๐จ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐ at the Teatro alla Scala on 17 February 1904. Puccini was forced to withdraw the opera which, with some modifications, debuted again a few months later, on May 25th, at the Teatro Grande in Brescia, finally achieving success with the public and the critics.
The proceeds from the royalties allowed him to cultivate two of ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฉ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ: cars (he bought the first โ followed by another dozen - in 1902) and, in particular, houses.
After La bohรจme, at the end of the nineteenth century, Giacomo purchased two houses in ๐๐ก๐ข๐๐ญ๐ซ๐ข, a hilly village a few kilometers from Lucca, and in ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ ๐จ where he could nurture another of his passions: hunting. For a few years he also owned two holiday homes: one in ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐จ ๐๐๐๐ญ๐จ๐ง๐ and the ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ญ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐.
1905-1910
1905-1910
โArrived in southernamerican land I warmly greet the press for the fondness with which my visit is welcomedโ
THE TRIPS OVERSEAS
In 1905 ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ข ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ in order to attend a real 'Festival' dedicated to his works: the Opera Theater, in fact, staged all Puccini's operas (with the exception of Le Villi) and he was welcomed with all the honors, especially from the Italian community. Two years later, a similar welcome was also given to Puccini in ๐๐๐ฐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ค, where he went with his wife Elvira supervising his operas. It was on that occasion that Puccini came into contact with the subject for his subsequent opera ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ช๐ก๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ก ๐๐๐จ๐ฉ which made its debut in 1910 at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. For the first time, the premiere of a Puccini opera took place outside Italy, ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐๐ซโ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ซ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ โ๐๐๐ฐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฅ๐โ. The premiere of La fanciulla del West was in fact a grandiose event, also thanks to the cast which included two great stars of the time: ๐๐ง๐ซ๐ข๐๐จ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐จ and ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐จ ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐๐๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ข.
1913- 1920
1913- 1920
โIt will not be an operetta but a real comic opera โ namely of a much higher calibreโ
LA RONDINE, THE TRIPTYCH AND THE WAR YEARS
In 1913 Puccini received a well-paid appointment to write an operetta from a publishing house in Vienna: the result was his next opera, ๐ณ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ (1917), which suffered significant difficulties and delays due to the international crisis, shortly to lead to the outbreak of the First World War.Puccini greatly detested war and spent these years working on three single acts, ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐๐ซ๐ซ๐จ, ๐๐ฎ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ง๐ง๐ข ๐๐๐ก๐ข๐๐๐ก๐ข (The triptych) which premiered shortly after the end of the war in ๐๐๐ฐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ค ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐๐, without the presence of the composer. Puccini resumed travelling only in 1919 when he went to London, where he came back again in 1920 for the British premiere of The triptych. In 1920 he also went to Vienna for the first performances in german language of La rondine and The triptych. During those years Puccini's operas were performed in many European and American cities, a confirmation of continuity, or rather, an increase in his fame and international success.
Despite this, his works from ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ del West onwards were staged more rarely, even in Italy; evidently the most complex and progressive musical language that characterized them was less appreciated by the public, who tended to prefer the โpopularityโ of the earlier works, from Manon Lescaut to Madama Butterfly.
1921- 1924
1921- 1924
``there is an aria for tenor that I believe will become as popular as Lucean le stelle``
TURANDOT AND THE FINAL YEARS
In 1918 Puccini commissioned the construction a ๐ง๐๐ฐ ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ข๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐ ๐ข๐จ, replacing the one in Torre del Lago as his main residence and moving there in late 1921. In this house he mainly concentrated on his latest opera, ๐ป๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐, which he had started to work on in 1920. This task proved to be very problematic and Puccini often considered abandoning the enterprise. This opera had not been completed when the composer, who for years had complained of an insistent sore throat, was diagnosed with a cancer of the larynx. In order to undergo the innovative, experimental treatment of radiotherapy, Puccini went to a specialised clinic in Brussels. He survived the operation only a few days, and ๐๐ข๐๐ ๐จ๐ง ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐๐. ๐๐ก๐ ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐จ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐๐ and since then is one of the most frequently performed operas of Puccini.๐ท๐๐๐ก๐๐ ๐๐โ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ โ september 2011
