Born:
December 22, 1858; Lucca, Italy
Died:
November 29, 1924; Brussels, Belgium
Nationality:
Italian
Occupation: Composer
Giacomo Puccini was an Italian opera composer who was born on December 22, 1858 and died on November 29, 1924. He is considered "the greatest composer of Italian opera after Verdi."
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| Puccini's birthplace, seen in 1984 |
Puccini's early work was rooted in
traditional romantic Italian opera of the late 19th century. Later, he
developed his works in a realistic verismo style. Puccini's most famous works
are "La bohème", "Tosca", "Madama Butterfly" and
"Turandot", all of which are among the most important and frequently
performed repertoires around the world.
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| Original poster for "La bohème" (1896) |
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| Promotional poster for "Turandot" (1926) |
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| Original poster for "Madama Butterfly" (1904) |
Puccini was born in Lucca, Italy in
1858. He was the sixth of nine children of Michele Puccini and Albina Magi. As
a child, he served as a member of the boys’ choir and later as a substitute
organist at the Cattedrale di San Martino.
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The Cattedrale di San Martino (Lucca Cathedral) |
Puccini received a general education at the seminary of San Michele in Lucca, and then at the seminary of the cathedral. One of Puccini's uncles, Fortunato Magi, supervised his musical education.
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| Giacomo Puccini (1908) |
Puccini received his musical education from his uncle Fortunato at
the Pacini School of Music in Lucca in 1880, and then later from Carlo
Angeloni, who had also instructed Alfredo Catalani. With a grant from Queen
Margherita and assistance from another uncle Nicholas Cerù, he was able to
continue studying at the Milan Conservatory.
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| Milan Conservatory |
Puccini wrote an orchestral piece
called the "Capriccio sinfonico" as a thesis work for the Milan
Conservatory. Puccini's teachers, Ponchielli and Bazzini, were impressed with
this work, which was performed on July 14, 1883 at a student concert at the
conservatory, conducted by Franco Faccio. Puccini's work was well received in
Milan's publication "Perseveranza", and thus Puccini began to build a
reputation as a young promising composer in Milanese music scene.
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| Monument to Giacomo Puccini, Lucca, Italy |
Puccini, who was a chain smoker of
Toscano cigars and cigarettes, began to complain of chronic sore throats in
late 1923. He diagnosed with throat cancer, and his doctors recommended a new
and experimental radiation therapy treatment available in Brussels.
He underwent surgery in Brussels, but the day after the surgery, he suffered a heart attack due to uncontrollable excessive bleeding, and died on 29 November 1924 at the age of 65 from complications after the surgery.
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| Monumento a Puccini, Torre del Lago |
News of his death reached Rome during a performance of La bohème, and the orchestra, which was performing, immediately stopped the opera and played Chopin's Funeral March for the astonished audience.
His remains were buried in Milan and then moved to a specially created chapel inside the Puccini villa at Torre del Lago in 1926.
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| Puccini villa, Torre del Lago, Italy |
Thank you.
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