Biography
Italian composer Rujsero Leonkallo is known as the founder of the Verism - the style of vocal orchestral works about the life of ordinary people. In the operations created throughout life, a graduate of the Neapolitan Conservatory implemented most innovative, meaningful ideas for music.Childhood and youth
Rujsero Leonkallo was born in Naples on April 23, 1857 in the family, where various types of elegant arts were revered from distant times. The ancestors of the future composer were engaged in painting and sculpture, so the boy and his parents were well developed aesthetic taste.
Father, violating family traditions, received a legal education and worked in the Royal Magistrate by the office and judge. Mother, as a true Italian woman, was engaged in household and was quite pleased with her fate written on her.
According to the photo of archival records, in November 1860, a girl who came to the composer with a blood sister appeared in the family of Leonkallo. The baby died at an early age to the baptism ceremony, and the members of the surname for a long time, burdened by this trouble.
Three-year-old Rujereo together with his mother sent to the province of Cosenz, they settled in a cozy house located among the hills. The boy had a unique chance to enjoy the beauty of nature and get acquainted with the ancient traditions of the inhabitants of the southern districts.
The local Maestro Sebastian Ricci became the first teacher of the future composer, a man introduced a talented child with the plays of European masters. For further education associated with musical creativity, Leonkallo was sent to Naples in the early 1870s.
In the walls of the National Conservatory, the young man learned to play the piano and learned theoretical basics compositions on the example of the works of past years. The student worked as a governer in the wealthy aristocrats, and then, to the joy of relatives, entered the University of Bologna.
Having received a prestigious bachelor's degree, Rujero was engaged in writing the dissertation and soon with the blessing of the Special Commission he became a doctor of philological sciences. Studies in the field of poetry were useful to the composer in the future, he himself wrote a libretto for the opera, avoiding third-party services.
In his youth, Leonkallo was considered a magnificent accompanist, he acted together with Enrico Caruso and a number of other famous singers. The pianist toured in Europe and occasionally gave singing lessons until he began to write music in the late 1880s.
Personal life
Becoming the famous, native of Naples acquired a villa in Switzerland, where musicians gathered, directors and cinema artists. In his personal life, there were women whose names are lost today, and then the Girl of Berta appeared, formerly with the composer at the same time.Italian of noble origin over time has become the wife of Rujsero, the first listener of works and a dedicated custodian of the hearth. When the creator of the opera died, she, following the will, ordered to bury the body in Florence on the "Holy Gate" cemetery.
Music
At the beginning of the creative biography of Leonkallo under the influence of Richard Wagner began working on a debut opera called "Chatterton". Unfortunately, the work did not find an understanding of the listeners, since the libretto was written in a complex language.
Without realizing the mistakes perfect, Rujsero took the epic poem, but the manuscript of the heroic creation of the Twilight did not react to Italian theaters. The author who thought about the future decided to change the stylistic direction and turned to simplified plots to stand up and establish cases.
In the work of composers that were popular in the 90s of the XIX century, eventively covered events from the life of ordinary people. Successful colleagues in the profession of Pietro Maskanya and Umberto Jordano young native of Florence gained progressive ideas.
The reflection of the new approach was the tragic opera "Schetza", written by Leonkallo based on real impressions from children's years. The history of the murder of theatrical actress during a public submission gave the author to the pass to the world of art and conquered cultural light.
The most bright moments of the production of the Arioso Kanio and Aria were not performed by soloists Adeline Schlele and Fiorello Zhiro. The plot was so touched upon the sense of society that the author survived the author for a long time and was repeatedly used by directors in world artistic cinema.
Having decided to consolidate the acquired position, Rujsero continued to write music and presented to the public of the opera "Bohem" in 1897. Contrary to hopes, the Italians remained indifferent to the new creation and did not show proper respect for the composer labor.
This unfavorable work was the cause of tapping with Gakomo Puccini, who conquered the public with the famous Opera "Tosca". The authors at the same time worked on the interpretation of the popular novel, but who will be the first to complete, did not know for sure.
As a result, two "Bohemians" appeared on the stage of Italian theaters, and Leonkallo honorably for the best one's own version to rename. The name "Latin Quarter's life" did not change the fate of the work, and the author regretted the lost time, but could not turn it back.
To cope with disappointment, Rujero has been edited by some parties and created another work, known as "Mimi Pence". In the libretto, the poems of famous poets were woven independently, therefore, the improved production was accepted in Italy and abroad.
At the very beginning of the 20th century, a new "ZAZ" opened, but only individual fragments occasionally executed now. Other works of "Gypsies" and "King Edip", which remained unfinished, did not achieve the glory of the "soldiers" and did not enjoy the love of the masses.
A significant part of the creative heritage of a talented Italian composer became piano plays and romances written for famous singers. The song "Dawn", or "Mattinat", created for a gramophone company, performed Enrico Caruso in the early 1900s.
Death
In the first decade of the XX century, Rujsero lived in Montecatini, it was there in 1919 for unknown reasons for his death. Relatives, colleagues and fans who arrived at the solemn funeral, stated with sadness that Italy lost the talented of men.At the ceremony in the local church, the prayer "Ave Maria" was sounded, as well as songs written by the composer in the 1900s. Then the grave of Leonkallo moved with the consent of the Tuscany authorities, and the Commune of Brissago in the south of Switzerland became the place where the dust is now resting.
Work
- 1892 - "Bares"
- 1897 - "Bohemia"
- 1900 - "ZAZ"
- 1900 - "Life of puppets"
- 1912 - "Gypsy"
- 1912 - "Little Queen of Roses"
- 1920 - "King Edip"