Wilhelm Richard Wagner (Richard Wagner), born May 22, 1813 and died February 13, 1883, was a German conductor, polemicist, dramatic composer and theorist. Wagner had a revolutionary influence over the course of Western music. Unique to most opera composers is the fact that Wagner wrote both the libretto and music for each of his stage… Read More about “Featured composer: Richard Wagner”
Librettists and Poets
Featured composer: Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel
Fanny Hensel, née Fanny [Cäcilie] Mendelssohn Bartholdy (November 14, 1805 – May 14, 1847) had a lifelong dream of being considered a serious composer. It is said that her talent was equal to and perhaps surpassed that of her famous brother, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. Fanny and Felix were children of Abraham and Lea Mendelssohn. When Napoleon’s… Read More about “Featured composer: Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel”
La clemenza di Tito as set by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
La clemenza di Tito is an opera in two acts that premiered at the Estates Theatre in Prague on September 6, 1791, just a few hours following the coronation of Leopold II, Roman Emperor, as King of Bohemia. In 1791, impresario Domenico Guardasoni commissioned Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to compose an opera seria in honor of the coronation of Leopold… Read More about “La clemenza di Tito as set by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart”
Three Mozart Opera Librettos written by Lorenzo da Ponte
Lorenzo da Ponte (March 10, 1749 – August 17, 1838) was an Italian (later American) poet and opera librettist who is remembered today for his librettos for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s three most famous operas: Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Cosí fan tutte. Born into a Jewish family, his father, upon the death of Lorenzo’s mother,… Read More about “Three Mozart Opera Librettos written by Lorenzo da Ponte”