THE MAN BEHIND THE MUSIC: Giacomo Puccini W H A T W A S P U C C I N I ’S CHILDHOOD LIKE? Giacomo Puccini was born on December 22, 1858. His father died when he was six years old. His family was poor and he had seven siblings. He joined the seminary to get an education and be free from poverty.
HOW DID PUCCINI BECOME A COMPOSER? In 1876, Puccini and his brother walked 18 miles to see a performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Aïda in Pisa, Italy. He was so moved by the performance, he knew that opera was his destiny. He wanted to study in the conservatory in Milan, but couldn’t afford the tuition. Puccini’s mother wrote a letter to Queen Margherita of Italy (1851-1926) to get a scholarship for her son.
HOW DID PUCCINI BEGIN C O M P O S I N G O P E R A? In 1882, when Puccini was 24, he submitted his first opera, Le Villi (The Fairies), into a competition. He didn’t win, but opera producers noticed his talent. One critic called Puccini “the composer Italy had waited for.” WHEN DID PUCCINI BECOME A SUCCESSFUL OPER A COMPOSER? The first opera that put Puccini on the map was Manon Lescaut (1892). This opera about a young woman who doesn't know whether to live for love or money, thrilled audiences across Italy and Europe with its beautiful melodies and tragic ending. Manon Lescaut was followed by three operas that were so popular they gave Puccini international fame and tremendous wealth: La bohème (1896), Tosca (1900), and Madame Butterfly (1904).
W H AT D I D P U C C I N I D O F O R F U N ? Puccini liked to relax by Lake Massaciuccoli at Torre del Lago and indulged in his passions of hunting, technology (he often spoke to Thomas Edison), and fast cars.
Composer Giacomo Puccini sits at his piano Photo Credit: Unknown
W H AT I S T H E H I S TO RY B E H I N D L A BOHÈME? Puccini's La bohème is one of the most popular operas ever written. In fact, the opera will be performed well over 500 times around the world this year alone! Its success was instant after its premiere in Turin, Italy on February 1, 1896. It was first heard in the United States in Los Angeles on October 14, 1897. Despite, or maybe because of, the opera's success, the story behind the creation of the opera shows how friends can become enemies. On March 19, 1893, Italian composer Ruggero Leoncavallo met with Puccini. Leoncavallo had made his international mark with his opera, Pagliacci. He asked Puccini what he was going to do after the success of his opera Manon Lescaut. Puccini shared that he was going to compose an opera based on Henri Murger's book Scenes from the Bohemian Life. Leoncavallo became very upset because he had previously offered Puccini a libretto based on that same text and it was rejected. Leoncavallo then began to compose his own opera based on the same novel. Puccini and Leoncavallo were then in direct competition with each other. When news of this broke, Puccini said to the press, "Let him compose, and I will compose, and the public will be the judge!" In the end, Puccini won over the public with his masterpiece. 9