Antonio Ghislanzoni (; 25 November 1824 – 16 July 1893) was an Italian

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or w ...

, and

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire ...

who wrote librettos for

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the ...

, among other composers, of which the best known are '' Aida'' and the revised version of '' La forza del destino''.

Life and career

Ghislanzoni was born in Lecco,

Lombardy (man), (woman) lmo, lumbard, links=no (man), (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , ...

, and studied briefly in a seminary, but was expelled for bad conduct in 1841. He then decided to study medicine in

Pavia Pavia (, , , ; la, Ticinum; Medieval Latin: ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy in northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was the ...

, but abandoned this after a short time to pursue a singing career as a

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the ...

and to cultivate his literary interests. In 1848, stimulated by the nationalist ideas of

Mazzini Giuseppe Mazzini (, , ; 22 June 1805 – 10 March 1872) was an Italian politician, journalist, and activist for the unification of Italy (Risorgimento) and spearhead of the Italian revolutionary movement. His efforts helped bring about the in ...

, Ghislanzoni founded several republican newspapers in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...

but eventually had to take refuge in Switzerland. While travelling to Rome, where he wanted to help defend the nascent republic, Ghislanzoni was arrested by the French and briefly detained in

Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...

. In the mid-1850s, having forsaken the stage, Ghislanzoni became active in journalism in the

bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...

circles of Milan, serving as director of ''Italia musicale'' and editor of the ''Gazzetta musicale di Milano''. He also founded ''L'uomo di pietra'' the magazine ''Rivista minima'', collaborating with, among others, Arrigo Boito. In 1869, Ghislanzoni retired from journalism and returned to his native Lombardy, where he dedicated himself to literature and writing libretti for operas. He wrote many short stories in verse and diverse novels including ''Un suicidio a fior d'acqua'' (1864), ''Angioli nelle tenebre'' (1865), ''La contessa di Karolystria'' (1883), ''Abracadabra: Storia dell'avvenire'' (1884). His novel of theatrical life ''Gli artisti da teatro'', (1865), was republished into the 20th century. He also published musical essays, the most important being ''Reminiscenze artistiche''. Ghislanzoni wrote some eighty-five libretti, including ''Edmea'' for Catalani (1866), ''Aida'' (1870), '' Fosca'' (1873) and ''

Salvator Rosa Salvator Rosa (1615 –1673) is best known today as an Italian Baroque painter, whose romanticized landscapes and history paintings, often set in dark and untamed nature, exerted considerable influence from the 17th century into the early 19t ...

'' (1874) for Gomes, '' I Lituani'' for

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 Ponchiel ...

(1874) and the second version of ''La forza del destino'' (1869). He also contributed a few verses to the revised translation into Italian of Verdi's ''

Don Carlos ''Don Carlos'' is a five-act grand opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French-language libretto by Joseph Méry and Camille du Locle, based on the dramatic play '' Don Carlos, Infant von Spanien'' (''Don Carlos, Infante of Spain'') by Fried ...

''. Ghislanzoni died in

Caprino Bergamasco Caprino Bergamasco ( Bergamasque: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Bergamo in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about northeast of Milan and about northwest of Bergamo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,9 ...

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 Com ...

in 1893 at age 68. He was an atheist.Rossana Bossaglia, ''Arte e società in Italia: dal realismo al simbolismo'', Assessorato agli Enti Locali e alla Cultura della Regione Lombardia, 1979, p. 451.

Filmography

*'' Aida'', directed by

Clemente Fracassi Clemente Fracassi (5 March 1917 – 2 February 1993) was an Italian film producer, director and screenwriter. His career spanned from 1939 to 1967. Selected filmography * ''To Live in Peace'' (1947 - producer) * '' Senza pietà'' (1948 - pr ...

(1953) *'' Aida'', directed by

Claes Fellbom Claes Fellbom (born 29 January 1943) is a Swedish film director, screenwriter, and composer, and a librettist and opera stage director. He is the founder and managing director of Folkoperan. This company he led for 36 years. In 1989 he started his ...

(1987)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ghislanzoni, Antonio 1824 births 1893 deaths Italian journalists Italian male journalists Italian male poets Italian opera librettists Italian poets People from Lecco 19th-century Italian singers 19th-century journalists Italian male novelists Italian male dramatists and playwrights 19th-century poets 19th-century Italian novelists 19th-century Italian dramatists and playwrights 19th-century Italian male writers

Life and career

Filmography

See also

References

External links