Emilio Pizzi (1 February 1861 – 27 November 1940) was an Italian composer. His output of works include 10 operas, a

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, an

oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is mus ...

, and numerous vocal and chamber works. Pizzi graduated from the Milan Conservatory in 1884 where he was a pupil of

Antonio Bazzini Antonio Bazzini (11 March 181810 February 1897) was an Italian violinist, composer and teacher. As a composer, his most enduring work is his chamber music, which earned him a central place in the Italian instrumental renaissance of the 19th cent ...

and

Amilcare Ponchielli Amilcare Ponchielli (, ; 31 August 1834 – 16 January 1886) was an Italian opera composer, best known for his opera ''La Gioconda''. He was married to the soprano Teresina Brambilla. Life and work Born in Paderno Fasolaro (now Paderno Ponchiell ...

and attended classes with Pietro Mascagni. Shortly after completing his education, he moved to London where he remained for almost 13 years. In 1885 his

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its s ...

''Lina'' won the Bonetti Competition. In 1889 his first opera, ''

Guglielmo Ratcliff ''Guglielmo Ratcliff'' is a tragic opera in four acts by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Andrea Maffei, translated from the German play ''Wilhelm Ratcliff'' (1822) by Heinrich Heine. Mascagni had substantially finished the composition of ...

'', won first prize at the Baruzzi Competition. His fourth opera, '' Gabriella'', was commissioned by

Adelina Patti Adelina Patti (19 February 184327 September 1919) was an Italian 19th-century opera singer, earning huge fees at the height of her career in the music capitals of Europe and America. She first sang in public as a child in 1851, and gave her la ...

and she portrayed the title role when the work premiered in Boston in 1893 at the Metropolitan Theatre with the composer in attendance. Pizzi returned to Italy in 1897 to succeed

Antonio Cesaro Claudio Castagnoli ( ; born 27 December 1980) is a Swiss professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and is a member of the Blackpool Combat Club stable. Castagnoli also performs for AEW's sister promotion, Ring of Honor ...

as the maestro di cappella at the

Santa Maria Maggiore The Basilica of Saint Mary Major ( it, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, ; la, Basilica Sanctae Mariae Maioris), or church of Santa Maria Maggiore, is a Major papal basilica as well as one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome and the larges ...

Bergamo Bergamo (; lmo, Bèrghem ; from the proto- Germanic elements *''berg +*heim'', the "mountain home") is a city in the alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from Switzerland, the alpine lakes Como ...

. He also taught at the Bergamo Conservatory. He returned to London in 1900 where he became a popular composer of vocal pieces. He died in Milan at the age of 79.

Operas

*''Lina'' (1885) *''Guglielmo Ratcliff'' (1889, Bologna) *''Editha'' (1890, Milan) *''Viviana'' (early 1890s, never performed) *''Gabriella'' (1893, Boston) *''The bric-a-brac-Will'' (1895, London) *''Ultimo canto'' (1896, Vienna) *''Rosalba'' (1899, Turin) *''La vendetta'' (1906, Cologne) *''Ivania'' (1926, Bergamo)

Sources

Operisti minori dell'800 italiano By Corrado Ambìveri

References

External links

*
William Ratcliff , opera romantica in un prologo e tre atti
1889 publication, Italian, digitized by

BYU Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...

on archive.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Pizzi, Emilio 1861 births 1940 deaths Academic staff of the Bergamo Conservatory Italian classical composers Italian opera composers Italian male opera composers Musicians from Verona Milan Conservatory alumni