Mascagni, Pietro, << mahs KAH nyee, PYEH traw >> (1863-1945), was an Italian opera composer. He studied music in Livorno, his birthplace. In 1888, Mascagni entered a one-act opera in a competition and won first prize. The opera, Cavalleria Rusticana, was a drama of raw passion in a Sicilian village. It was presented in Rome in 1890 and made Mascagni world famous as the leader of a realistic, boisterous operatic style called Verismo (see Opera (Cavalleria Rusticana) ). Mascagni never came close to repeating his first success. He composed 15 operas, but the only other one still performed is L’Amico Fritz (1891).
Mascagni died a disappointed and almost discredited composer. He seemed to lack the creative imagination to overcome public expectations after the worldwide success of Cavalleria. The opera remains popular because of its emotional melodies and the theatrical force of its libretto (words).
Loading the player...Intermezzo by Pietro Mascagni
