34 Facts About Pietro Mascagni

Pietro Mascagni was an Italian composer primarily known for his operas.

Pietro Mascagni wrote fifteen operas, an operetta, several orchestral and vocal works, and songs and piano music.

Pietro Mascagni enjoyed immense success during his lifetime, both as a composer and conductor of his own and other people's music and created a variety of styles in his operas.

Pietro Mascagni was born on 7 December 1863 in Livorno, Tuscany, the second son of Domenico and Emilia Pietro Mascagni.

In 1876, at the age of 13, Pietro Mascagni began musical studies with Alfredo Soffredini, who founded the Instituto Musicale di Livorno.

Pietro Mascagni started composing rapidly: between 1879 and 1880, he wrote several works: Sinfonia in do minore, Prima sinfonia in fa maggiore, Elegia, Kyrie, Gloria and Ave Maria.

In 1885, Pietro Mascagni composed Il Re a Napoli in Cremona, a romance for tenor and orchestra, on a text by Andrea Maffei.

Pietro Mascagni met the impresario Luigi Maresca in 1886 and started working with him.

Pietro Mascagni was accompanied by Argenide Marcellina Carbognani, his future wife.

Pietro Mascagni was appointed as the master of music and singing of the new philharmonia of Cerignola.

Pietro Mascagni won against seventy-two other operas, including Niccola Spinelli's Labilia and Vincenzo Ferroni's Rudello.

On 21 February 1890, Pietro Mascagni was summoned to Rome to present his opera.

Pietro Mascagni premiered his L'amico Fritz, his second most successful opera, on 31 October 1891 at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome.

That year, Pietro Mascagni accepted the directorship of the Liceo Rossini in Pesaro and moved his family there.

On 2 March 1896, Pietro Mascagni conducted the premiere of Zanetto at the Liceo.

On 29 June 1898 in Recanati, Pietro Mascagni conducted the premiere of his symphonic poem, A Giacomo Leopardi.

In 1900, Pietro Mascagni toured Moscow and St Petersburg and, on 17 January 1901, Le maschere was premiered in six Italian theatres.

Pietro Mascagni composed the incidental music for Hall Caine's play, The Eternal City in August 1902; the premiere of the play with Pietro Mascagni's music took place in London on 2 October.

The tour was mostly a fiasco, except for the visit to San Francisco where Pietro Mascagni was extremely well received.

In 1903, Pietro Mascagni left Pesaro after problems with the authorities.

Pietro Mascagni became director of the Scuola Musicale Romana, in Rome.

Pietro Mascagni was director of the Costanzi for the season beginning in August 1909.

On 4 April 1910, Pietro Mascagni began a relationship with Anna Lolli.

Pietro Mascagni ceased his activity as director of the Scuola Musicale Romana in 1911.

In 1915 Pietro Mascagni wrote music for Nino Oxilia's movie Rapsodia Satanica; the custom was for silent films to be accompanied live in a theatre by organ, piano, or an orchestra, often using a prepared score with cues for the conductor or musician.

Pietro Mascagni had a quarrel regarding the rights of Louise de la Ramee's Two Little Wooden Shoes, which inspired both Puccini and Pietro Mascagni.

In 1920 Pietro Mascagni composed Il piccolo Marat, which was premiered in Rome on 2 May 1921, followed by a premiere in Buenos Aires in September.

Pietro Mascagni appeared on the cover of Time on 6 September 1926.

Pietro Mascagni moved to the Grand Hotel Plaza in Rome in 1927, a place he would not leave until his death.

In 1930, Pietro Mascagni conducted La boheme in Torre del Lago, as a homage to Puccini, who had died in 1924.

Pietro Mascagni joined the PNF, following the example of many contemporary musicians, including Giordano.

The opera was recorded for La Voce del padrone at La Scala under the direction of Pietro Mascagni, who recorded a special spoken introduction.

Pietro Mascagni died on 2 August 1945 in his apartment at the Grand Hotel Plaza in Rome.

In 1951, his body was transferred from Rome to Livorno, where Pietro Mascagni finally received an official homage.