Questo e Quella E-Magazine V01

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Questo e Quella E-Magazine V01-07
August 31, 2013
I have been sending out mailings… Newsletters, Memos, Culture, etc., for 15 years and I hope you are
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Joe DeFelice (aka AmiciJoe)
This Issue Contents Index
1. Giacomo Puccini Opera Genius
2. a) Happy Ferragosto
b) Celebrating August in Italy
3. Settembrata in Italy
4. [LILL] a)Italian Language Blog conjugate avere and essere
b)Italian Language Blog “Does it make sense?”
b) Italian Conversation per bambini
5. a)San Fruttuoso – A hidden abbey by the sea
b)Monterosso’s Favorite Festival Fish
6. Mangia e Bere – Ancient Roma Wines
7. a)Springtime of the Renaissance
b) Images from Springtime of the Renaissance
8. Cozy Morely (entertainer) passes
Giacomo Puccini
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini (Italian: 22
December 1858 – 29 November 1924), generally known as Giacomo Puccini,
was an Italian composer whose operas are among the most frequently
performed in the standard repertoire.[n 1]
Puccini has been called "the greatest composer of Italian opera after Verdi".[1]
While his early work was rooted in traditional late-19th-century romantic
Italian opera, he successfully developed his work in the 'realistic' verismo style,
of which he became one of the leading exponents.
Contents
1 Family and education
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2 Early career and first operas
o 2.1 Le villi
o 2.2 Edgar
o 2.3 Manon Lescaut
3 Middle career
o 3.1 La bohème
o 3.2 Tosca
o 3.3 Automobile accident and near death
o 3.4 Madama Butterfly
4 Later works
o 4.1 La fanciulla del West
o 4.2 La rondine
o 4.3 Il trittico: Il tabarro, Suor Angelica, and Gianni Schicchi
o 4.4 Turandot
5 Puccini and his librettists
6 Puccini at Torre del Lago
7 Marriage and affairs
8 Politics
9 Death
10 Puccini, his contemporaries, and the verismo style
11 Style and critical reception
12 Works
13 Centres for Puccini Studies
14 References
15 External links
Family and education
Puccini's birthplace, seen in 1984
Statue of Puccini in front of his birthplace
Puccini was born in Lucca in Tuscany, in 1858. He
was one of seven children of Michele Puccini and
Albina Magi. The Puccini family was established in
Lucca as a local musical dynasty by Puccini's greatgreat grandfather – also named Giacomo (1712–
1781).[2][3] This first Giacomo Puccini was maestro di
cappella of the Cattedrale di San Martino in Lucca.[4]
He was succeeded in this position by his son, Antonio
Puccini,[4] and then by Antonio's son Domenico, and
Domenico's son Michele (father of the subject of this
article).[2] Each of these men studied music at
Bologna, and some took additional musical studies
elsewhere.[2][4] Domenico Puccini studied for a time
under Giovanni Paisiello.[2] Each composed music for
the church. In addition, Domenico composed several
operas, and Michele composed one opera.[2] Puccini's
father Michele enjoyed a reputation throughout
northern Italy, and his funeral was an occasion of
public mourning, at which the then-famed composer
Giovanni Pacini conducted a Requiem.[5]
With the Puccini family having occupied the position
of maestro di cappella for 124 years (1740–1864) by
the time of Michele's death, it was anticipated that
Michele's son Giacomo would occupy that position as
well when he was old enough.[3] However, when
Michele Puccini died in 1864, his son Giacomo was
only six years old, and thus not capable of taking over
his father's job.[2] As a child, he nevertheless
participated in the musical life of the Cattedrale di San
Martino, as a member of the boys' choir and later as a
substitute organist.[3]
Puccini was given a general education at the seminary
of San Michele in Lucca, and then at the seminary of
the cathedral.[2] One of Puccini's uncles, Fortunato
Magi, supervised his musical education. Puccini got a
diploma from the Pacini School of Music in Lucca in
1880, having studied there with his uncle Fortunato,
and later with Carlo Angeloni, who had also
instructed Alfredo Catalani. A grant from the queen of
Italy, and assistance from another uncle, Nicholas
Cerù, provided the funds necessary for Puccini to
continue his studies at the Milan Conservatory,[2][5]
where he studied composition with Stefano RonchettiMonteviti, Amilcare Ponchielli, and Antonio Bazzini.
Puccini studied at the conservatory for three years. In
1880, at the age of 21, Puccini composed his Mass,
which marks the culmination of his family's long
association with church music in his native Lucca.[n 2]
Early career and first operas
Puccini wrote an orchestral piece called the Capriccio
sinfonica as a thesis composition for the Milan
Conservatory. Puccini's teachers Ponchielli and
Bazzini were impressed by the work, and it was
performed at a student concert at the conservatory.
Puccini's work was favorably reviewed in the
Milanese publication Perseveranza,[2] and thus
Puccini began to build a reputation as a young
composer of promise in Milanese music circles.
Le villi
After the premiere of the Capriccio sinfonica,
Ponchielli and Puccini discussed the possibility that
Puccini's next work might be an opera. Ponchielli
invited Puccini to stay at his villa, where Puccini was
introduced to another young man named Fernando
Fontana.[2] Puccini and Fontana agreed to collaborate
on an opera, for which Fontana would provide the
libretto. The work, Le villi, was entered into a
competition sponsored by the Sozogno music
publishing company in 1883 (the same competition in
which Pietro Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana was the
winner in 1889).[2] Although it did not win, Le villi
was later staged at the Teatro Dal Verme, premiering
on 31 May 1884.[2] G. Ricordi & Co. music publishers
assisted with the premier by printing the libretto
without charge.[2] Fellow students from the Milan
Conservatory formed a large part of the orchestra.[2]
The performance was enough of a success that Casa
Ricordi purchased the opera.[2] Revised into a two-act
version with an intermezzo between the acts, Le villi
was performed at La Scala in Milan, on 24 January
1885. However, Ricordi did not publish the score until
1887, hindering further performance of the work.[2]
Edgar[
Giulio Ricordi, head of G. Ricordi & Co. music
publishers, was sufficiently impressed with Le villi
and its young composer that he commissioned a
second opera, which would result in Edgar. Work was
begun in 1884 when Fontana began working out the
scenario for the libretto.[6] Puccini finished primary
composition in 1887 and orchestration in 1888.[6]
Edgar premiered at La Scala on 21 April 1889 to a
lukewarm response.[6] The work was withdrawn for
revisions after its third performance.[6] In a Milanese
newspaper, Giulio Ricordi published a defense of
Puccini's skill as a composer, while criticizing
Fontana's libretto. A revised version met with success
at the Teatro di Giglio in Puccini's native Lucca on 5
September 1891.[6] In 1892, further revisions reduced
the length of the opera to three acts from four, in a
version that was well received in Ferrara and was
performed in Turin and in Spain.[6] Puccini made
further revisions in 1901 and 1905, but the work never
achieved popularity.[6] But for the personal support of
Ricordi, Edgar might have cost Puccini his career.
Puccini had eloped with his former piano student, the
married Elvira Gemignani, and Ricordi's associates
were willing to turn a blind eye to his life style as long
as he was successful. When Edgar failed, they
suggested to Ricordi that he should drop Puccini, but
Ricordi said that he would stay with him and
continued his allowance until his next opera.[7]
Manon Lescaut
On commencing his next opera, Manon Lescaut,
Puccini announced that he would write his own
libretto so that "no fool of a librettist"[8] could spoil it.
Ricordi persuaded him to accept Ruggero Leoncavallo
as his librettist, but Puccini soon asked Ricordi to
remove him from the project. Four other librettists
were then involved with the opera, as Puccini
constantly changed his mind about the structure of the
piece. It was almost by accident that the final two,
Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, came together to
complete the opera.
Manon Lescaut premiered at the Teatro Regio in
Turin on 2 February 1893.[9] By coincidence, Puccini's
first enduringly popular opera appeared within a week
of the premiere of Verdi's last opera, Falstaff, which
was first performed on 9 February 1893.[9] In
anticipation of the premiere, La Stampa wrote that
Puccini was a young man concerning whom "great
hopes" had a real basis ("un giovane che e tra i pochi
sul quale le larghe speranze non siano benigne
illusioni").[9] Because of the failure of Edgar,
however, a failure of Manon Lescaut could have
jeopardized Puccini's future as a composer. Although
Giulio Ricordi, head of Casa Ricordi, was supportive
of Puccini while Manon Lescaut was still in
development, the Casa Ricordi board of directors was
considering cutting off Puccini's financial support.[10]
In the event, "Manon Lescaut was Puccini's first and
only uncontested triumph, acclaimed by critics and
public alike."[11] After the London premiere in 1894,
George Bernard Shaw pronounced: "Puccini looks to
me more like the heir of Verdi than any of his
rivals."[12]
Illica and Giacosa returned as librettists for Puccini
for his next three operas, probably his greatest
successes: La bohème, Tosca and Madama Butterfly.
Manon Lescaut was a great success and established
Puccini's reputation as the most promising rising
composer of his generation, and the most likely
"successor" to Verdi as the leading exponent of the
Italian operatic tradition.[5]
Middle career
Puccini's own life as young man in Milan served as a
source of inspiration for elements of the libretto.
During Puccini's years as a conservatory student and
in the years before Manon Lescaut, Puccini
experienced poverty similar to that of the bohemians
in La bohème, including chronic shortage of
necessities like food, clothing and money to pay rent.
Although Puccini was granted a small monthly
stipend by the Congregation of Charity in Rome
(Congregazione di caritá), he frequently had to pawn
possessions in order to cover basic expenses.[2][15]
Indeed, early biographers of Puccini such as Wakeling
Dry and Eugenio Checchi, who were his
contemporaries, drew express parallels between these
incidents and particular events in the opera La
bohème.[2][15] Checchi cited a diary kept by Puccini
while he was still a student, which recorded an
occasion in which, as in Act 4 of the opera, a single
herring served as a dinner for four people.[2][15]
Puccini was quoted as commenting: "I lived that
Bohème, when there wasn't yet any thought stirring in
my brain of seeking the theme of an opera. (Quella
Bohème io l’ho vissuta, quando ancora non mi
mulinava nel cervello l’idea di cercarvi l’argomento
per un’opera in musica.)"[15]
Original poster for Puccini's Tosca
Within a few years, La bohème had been performed
throughout many of the leading opera houses of
Europe, including Britain, as well as in the United
States.[16] It was a popular success, and remains one of
the most frequently performed operas ever written.
La bohème
Tosca
Puccini's next work after Manon Lescaut was La
bohème, based on the 1851 book by Henri Murger, La
Vie de Bohème. La bohème was premiered in Turin in
1896, conducted by Arturo Toscanini.[13] The opera
quickly became popular throughout Italy and
productions were soon mounted all over the world.[14]
Puccini's next work after La bohème was Tosca
(1900), arguably Puccini's first foray into verismo, the
realistic depiction of many facets of real life including
violence. Puccini had been considering an opera on
this theme since he saw the play Tosca by Victorien
Sardou in 1889, when he wrote to his publisher,
Giulio Ricordi, begging him to get Sardou's
permission for the work to be made into an opera: "I
see in this Tosca the opera I need, with no overblown
proportions, no elaborate spectacle, nor will it call for
the usual excessive amount of music."[17]
The opera freely adapted Murger's episodic novel into
a four-act opera focusing on six young bohemians in
Paris. The libretto of the opera combines comic
elements of the impoverished life of the young
protagonists of the opera with the tragic aspects, such
as the death of Mimí. The world premiere
performance of La bohème was in Turin on 1
February 1896 at the Teatro Regio and conducted by
the young Arturo Toscanini.
Madama Butterfly
Puccini photographed in 1908
The music of Tosca employs musical signatures for
particular characters and emotions, which have been
compared to Wagnerian leitmotivs, and some
contemporaries saw Puccini as thereby adopting a
new musical style influenced by Wagner. Others
viewed the work differently. Rejecting the allegation
that Tosca displayed Wagnerian influences, a critic
reporting on the 20 February 1900 Torino premiere
wrote: "I don't think you could find a more Puccinian
score than this."[18]
The original version of Madama Butterfly, premiered
at La Scala on 17 February 1904, was initially greeted
with great hostility (probably largely owing to
inadequate rehearsals). This version[21] was in two
acts; after its disastrous premiere, Puccini withdrew
the opera, revising it for what was virtually a second
premiere at Brescia in May 1904[22] and performances
in the USA and Paris. In 1907, Puccini made his final
revisions to the opera in a fifth version,[23] which has
become known as the "standard version". Today, the
standard version of the opera is the version most often
performed around the world. However, the original
1904 version is occasionally performed as well, and
has been recorded.[24]
Later works]
Automobile accident and near death
On 25 February 1903, Puccini was seriously injured in
a car accident during a nighttime journey on the road
from Lucca to Torre del Lago. The car was driven by
Puccini's chauffeur and was carrying Puccini, his wife
Elvira, and their son Antonio. It went off the road, fell
several meters, and flipped over. Elvira and Antonio
were flung from the car and escaped with minor
injuries. Puccini's chauffeur, also thrown from the car,
suffered a serious fracture of his femur. Puccini was
pinned under the vehicle, with a severe fracture of his
right leg and with a portion of the car pressing down
on his chest. A doctor living near the scene of the
accident, together with another person who came to
investigate, saved Puccini from the wreckage.[19] The
injury did not heal well, and Puccini remained under
treatment for months. During the medical
examinations that he underwent it was also found that
he was suffering from a form of diabetes.[20] The
accident and its consequences slowed Puccini's
completion of his next work, Madama Butterfly.
Giacomo Puccini with conductor Arturo Toscanini
After 1904, Puccini's compositions were less frequent.
In 1906 Giacosa died and, in 1909, there was scandal
after Puccini's wife, Elvira, falsely accused their maid
Doria Manfredi of having an affair with Puccini.
Finally, in 1912, the death of Giulio Ricordi, Puccini's
editor and publisher, ended a productive period of his
career.
La fanciulla del West]
Puccini completed La fanciulla del West, based on a
play by David Belasco, in 1910. This was
commissioned by, and first performed at, the
Metropolitan Opera in New York on 10 December
1910 with Met stars Enrico Caruso and Emmy
Destinn for whom Puccini created the leading roles of
Dick Johnson and Minnie. Toscanini, then the musical
director of the Met, conducted.[25] This was the first
world premiere of an opera at the Met.[26] The
premiere was a great success.[27] However, the
compositional style employed in the opera, with few
stand-alone arias, was criticized at the time[28] and
remains a barrier to the opera's complete acceptance
into the standard repertoire. Some contemporaries also
criticized the opera for failing to achieve an
"American" tone.[29][30] However, the opera has been
acclaimed for its incorporation of advanced harmonic
language and rhythmic complexity into the Italian
operatic form.[31] In addition, one aria from the opera,
Ch'ella mi creda, has become a staple of compilation
albums by operatic tenors. It is said that during World
War I, Italian soldiers sang this aria to maintain their
spirits.[32][33]
La rondine
Puccini completed the score of La rondine, to a
libretto by Giuseppe Adami in 1916 after two years of
work, and it was premiered at the Grand Théâtre de
Monte Carlo on 27 March 1917. The opera had been
originally commissioned by Vienna's Carltheater;
however, the outbreak of World War I prevented the
premiere from being given there. Moreover, the firm
of Ricordi had declined the score of the opera – Giulio
Ricordi's son Tito was then in charge and he described
the opera as "bad Lehár".[34] It was taken up by their
rival, Lorenzo Sonzogno, who arranged the first
performance in neutral Monaco.[35] The least known
of Puccini's mature operas, the composer continued to
work at revising it until his death.
La rondine was initially conceived as an operetta, but
Puccini eliminated spoken dialogue, rendering the
work closer in form to an opera. A modern reviewer
described La rondine as "a continuous fabric of lilting
waltz tunes, catchy pop-styled melodies, and nostalgic
love music," while characterizing the plot as recycling
characters and incidents from works like 'La traviata'
and 'Die Fledermaus'.[36]
Il trittico: Il tabarro, Suor Angelica, and
Gianni Schicchi]
In 1918, Il trittico premiered in New York. This work
is composed of three one-act operas: a horrific episode
(Il tabarro) in the style of the Parisian Grand Guignol,
a sentimental tragedy (Suor Angelica), and a comedy
(Gianni Schicchi). Of the three, Gianni Schicchi,
containing the popular aria "O mio babbino caro", has
remained popular.
Turandot[edit source | editbeta]
Turandot, Puccini's final opera, was left unfinished,
and the last two scenes were completed by Franco
Alfano based on the composer's sketches. The libretto
for Turandot was based on a play of the same name by
Carlo Gozzi.[37] The music of the opera is heavily
inflected with pentatonic motifs, intended to produce
an Asiatic flavor to the music. Unlike La fanciulla,
Turandot contains a number of memorable standalone arias, among them Nessun dorma.
Puccini and his librettists
The libretto of Edgar was a significant factor in the
failure of that opera. Thereafter, especially throughout
his middle and late career, Puccini was extremely
selective, and at times indecisive, in his choice of
subject matter for new works.[6] Puccini was deeply
involved in the process of writing the libretto itself,
requiring many iterative revisions of his libretti in
terms of both structure and text. Puccini's
relationships with his librettists were at times very
difficult. His publisher, Casa Ricordi, was frequently
required to mediate disputes and impasses between
them.[10]
Puccini explored many possible subjects that he
ultimately rejected only after a significant amount of
effort—such as the creation of a libretto—had been
put into them.[38] Among the subjects that Puccini
seriously considered, but abandoned, were: Cristoforo
Sly, Anima Allegra (based on the play El genio alegre
by Serafín and Joaquín Álvarez Quintero), Two Little
Wooden Shoes (I due zoccoletti) (a short story by
Maria Louise Ramé, aka Ouida), the life of Marie
Antoinette, Margherita da Cortona, and Conchita
(based on the novel La Femme et le pantin --The
Woman and the Puppet, by Pierre Loüys).[10] Some of
these abandoned subjects were taken up and turned
into operas by other composers. For example, Franco
Vittadini made an opera of Anima Allegra, Mascagni's
opera Lodoletta is derived from Two Little Wooden
Shoes, and Riccardo Zandonai eventually wrote
Conchita.[10]
Puccini at Torre del Lago
From 1891 onwards, Puccini spent most of his time,
when not traveling on business, at Torre del Lago, a
small community about fifteen miles from Lucca
situated between the Ligurian Sea and Lake
Massaciuccoli, just south of Viareggio. Torre del
Lago was the primary place for Puccini to indulge his
love of hunting. "I love hunting, I love cars: and for
these things, in the isolation of Torre del Lago, I keep
the faith." ("Amo la caccia, adoro l’automobile: e a
questo e a quella nelle solitudini di Torre del Lago
serbo intera la mia fede.")[39]
By 1900, he had acquired land and built a villa on the
lake, now known as the "Villa Museo Puccini." He
lived there until 1921, when pollution produced by
peat works on the lake forced him to move to
Viareggio, a few kilometres north. After his death, a
mausoleum was created in the Villa Puccini and the
composer is buried there in the chapel, along with his
wife and son who died later.
The Villa Museo is presently owned by his
granddaughter, Simonetta Puccini, and is open to the
public. An annual Festival Puccini is held at Torre del
Lago.
Marriage and affairs
In the autumn of 1884, Puccini began a relationship
with a married woman named Elvira Gemignani (née
Bonturi) in Lucca. Elvira's husband, Narisco
Gemignani, was an "unrepentant womanizer", and
Elvira's marriage was not a happy one.[6] Elvira
became pregnant by Puccini, and their son, Antonio,
was born in 1886. Elvira left Lucca when the
pregnancy began to show, and gave birth elsewhere to
avoid gossip.[6] Elvira, Antonio and Elvira's daughter
by Narisco, Fosca, began to live with Puccini shortly
afterwards. Narisco was killed by the husband of a
woman that Narisco had an affair with, dying on 26
February 1903.[6] Only then were Puccini and Elvira
able to marry, and to legitimize Antonio.
The marriage between Puccini and Elvira was also
troubled by infidelity, as Puccini had frequent affairs
himself, including with well-known singers such as
Maria Jeritza, Emmy Destinn, Cesira Ferrani, and
Hariclea Darclée.[6]
In 1909, Puccini's wife Elvira publicly accused Doria
Manfredi, a maid working for the Puccini family, of
having an affair with the composer. After being
publicly accused of adultery, Doria Manfredi
committed suicide. An autopsy determined, however,
that Doria had died a virgin, refuting the allegations
made against her. Elvira Puccini was prosecuted for
slander, and was sentenced to more than five months
in prison, although a payment to the Manfredi family
by Puccini spared Elvira from having to serve the
sentence.[40] According to documents found in the
possession of a descendant of the Manfredi family,
Nadia Manfredi, in 2007, Puccini was actually having
an affair with Giulia Manfredi, Doria's cousin. Press
reports at the time when these documents were
discovered alleged that Nadia Manfredi was Puccini's
granddaughter, by a son, Antonio Manfredi, born to
Giulia.[40][41] Some music critics and interpreters of
Puccini's work have speculated that the psychological
effects of this incident on Puccini interfered with his
ability to complete compositions later in his career,
and also influenced the development of Puccinian
characters such as Liu (from Turandot), a slave girl
who dies tragically by suicide.[42][43][44]
Politics
Unlike Verdi, Puccini was not active in the politics of
his day. Puccini biographer Mary Jane Phillips-Matz
wrote: "Puccini's interest in politics was close to zero
.. all his life. He seemed indifferent to everything from
mayoral elections in Viareggio to cabinet
appointments in Rome."[10] Another biographer
speculates that Puccini may have been—if he had a
political philosophy—a monarchist.[45]
Puccini's indifference to politics caused him personal
and professional problems during World War I.
Puccini's long-standing and close friendship with
Toscanini was interrupted for nearly a decade because
of an argument in the summer of 1914 (in the opening
months of the war) during which Puccini remarked
that Italy could benefit from German organization.[10]
Puccini was also criticized during the war for his work
on La rondine under a 1913 commission contract with
an Austrian theater after Italy and Austria-Hungary
became opponents in the war in 1914 (although the
contract was ultimately cancelled). Puccini did not
participate in the public war effort, but privately
rendered assistance to individuals and families
affected by the war.[10]
In 1919, Puccini was commissioned to write music to
an ode by Fausto Salvatori honoring Italy's victories in
World War I. The work, Inno a Roma (Hymn to
Rome), was to premiere on 21 April 1919, during a
celebration of the anniversary of the founding of
Rome. The premiere was delayed to 1 June 1919,
when it was played at the opening of a gymnastics
competition.[46] Although not written for the fascists,
the Inno a Roma was widely played during Fascist
street parades and public ceremonies.[47]
his party had not yet taken full control of the Italian
Parliament through the violence and irregularities of
the Italian general election, 1924. Puccini was no
longer alive when Mussolini announced the end of
representative government, and the beginning of a
fascist dictatorship, in his speech before the Chamber
of Deputies on 3 January 1925.[49]
Puccini had some contact with Benito Mussolini and
the Italian fascist party in the year preceding his death.
Unsolicited, in 1923 the fascist party in Viareggio
made Puccini an honorary member and sent him a
membership card.[10] However, evidence that Puccini
was actually a member of the Fascist party is
equivocal.[48] The Italian Senate has traditionally
included a small number of members appointed in
recognition of their cultural contributions to the
nation. Puccini hoped to attain this honor, which had
been granted to Verdi, and undertook to use his
connections to bring about the appointment. While
honorary senators could vote, there is no indication
that Puccini sought the appointment for this purpose.
Puccini also wished to establish a national theater in
Viareggio, a project which would require government
support. Puccini met with Mussolini twice, in
November and December 1923, seeking support for
the theater project. While the theater project never
came to fruition, Puccini was named Senator
(senatore a vita) a few months before his death.[10]
A chain smoker of Toscano cigars and cigarettes,
Puccini began to complain of chronic sore throats
towards the end of 1923. A diagnosis of throat cancer
led his doctors to recommend a new and experimental
radiation therapy treatment, which was being offered
in Brussels. Puccini and his wife never knew how
serious the cancer was, as the news was only revealed
to his son.
At the time Puccini met with Mussolini, Mussolini
had been prime minister for approximately a year, but
Plaque at Puccini's last residence in Brussels
Death
Puccini died in Brussels on 29 November 1924, from
complications after the treatment; uncontrolled
bleeding led to a heart attack the day after surgery.
News of his death reached Rome during a
performance of La bohème. The opera was
immediately stopped, and the orchestra played
Chopin's Funeral March for the stunned
audience.[citation needed] He was buried in Milan, in
Toscanini's family tomb, but that was always intended
as a temporary measure. In 1926 his son arranged for
the transfer of his father's remains to a specially
created chapel inside the Puccini villa at Torre del
Lago.
Puccini, his contemporaries,
and the verismo style
Today, Puccini is by far the most-performed composer
among his Italian contemporaries, and the same was
true during his lifetime. One contemporary English
author, writing in 1897 wrote "[Puccini] is
undoubtedly the most fully equipped of the younger
Italian composers, and his future career will be
watched with some interest."[5] Italian opera
composers of the generation with whom Puccini was
compared included Pietro Mascagni (7 Dec. 1863 – 2
Aug. 1945), Ruggero Leoncavallo (b. Naples, 8 Mar.
1857; d. 9 Aug. 1919), Umberto Giordano (28 Aug.
1867 – 12 Nov. 1948), Francesco Cilea (23 July 1866
– 20 November 1950), Baron Pierantonio Tasca
(1858-1934), Gaetano Coronaro (b. Vicenza, 18 Dec.
1852; d. Milan, 5 5 Apr. 1908).[5] By the time of his
death in 1924, Puccini had earned $4 million from his
works.[50]
Eleven of Puccini's operas numbered among the 200
most-performed operas between August 2008 and
December 2011 (worldwide, by composers of any
nationality, as surveyed by Operabase).[51] Only three
composers, and three works, by Italian contemporaries
of Puccini appear on this list: Cavalleria rusticana by
Mascagni, Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo, and
Andrea Chenier by Umberto Giordano).
Puccini is frequently referred to as a "verismo"
composer. Verismo is a style of Italian opera that
began in 1890 with the first performance of
Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana, peaked in the early
1900s, and lingered into the 1920s.[52] The style is
distinguished by realistic – sometimes sordid or
violent – depictions of everyday life, especially the
life of the contemporary lower classes. It by and large
rejects the historical or mythical subjects associated
with Romanticism. Cavalleria rusticana, Pagliacci,
and Andrea Chenier are uniformly considered to be
verismo operas—they represent the primary verismo
works in performance today other than those written
by Puccini.
Puccini's career as a composer is almost entirely
coincident in time with the verismo movement. Only
his Le villi and Edgar preceded Cavalleria rusticana.
At least two of Puccini's operas, Tosca and Il tabarro,
are generally considered to be verismo operas.[53]
While some view Puccini as essentially a verismo
composer,[54] others, although acknowledging that he
took part in the movement to some degree, do not
view him as a "pure" verismo composer.[55] In
addition, critics differ as to the degree to which
particular operas by Puccini are, or are not, properly
described as verismo operas. For example, Puccini
scholar Mosco Carner places only two of Puccini's
operas other than Tosca and Il tabarro within the
verismo school: Madama Butterfly, and La fanciulla
del West.[56]
Style and critical reception
Grove Music Online comments that
Puccini succeeded in mastering the orchestra as no
other Italian had done before him, creating new forms
by manipulating structures inherited from the great
Italian tradition, loading them with bold harmonic
progressions which had little or nothing to do with
what was happening then in Italy, though they were in
step with the work of French, Austrian and German
colleagues.[57]
In his work on Puccini, Julian Budden describes
Puccini as a gifted and original composer, noting the
vibrant innovation hidden in the popularity of works
such as "Che gelida manina". He describes the aria in
musical terms (the signature embedded in the
harmony for example), and points out that its structure
was rather unheard of at the time, having three distinct
musical paragraphs that nonetheless form a complete
and coherent whole. This gumption in musical
experimentation was the essence of Puccini's style, as
evidenced in his diverse settings and use of the motif
to express ideas beyond those in the story and
text.[citation needed]
While Puccini's music has remained extremely
popular with opera audiences, Puccini has consistently
been the target of condescension by some music
critics who find his music insufficiently sophisticated
or difficult. Some have explicitly condemned his
efforts to please his audience, such as this
contemporary Italian critic:
He willingly stops himself at minor genius, stroking
the taste of the public ... obstinately shunning toodaring innovation ... A little heroism, but not taken to
great heights; a little bit of veristic comedy, but brief;
a lot of sentiment and romantic idyll: this is the recipe
in which he finds happiness. ([E]gli si arresta
volentieri alla piccola genialità, accarezzando il gusto
del pubblico ... rifuggendo ostinato dalle troppo ardite
innovazioni. ... Un po' di eroismo, ma non spinto a
grandi altezze, un po' di commedia verista, ma breve;
molto idillio sentimentale e romantico: ecco la ricetta
in cui egli compiace.)[58]
Works
Main article: List of compositions by Giacomo Puccini
"Donna non vidi mai"
0:00
From Manon Lescaut, act 1. Sung by Enrico
Caruso in 1913.
"O soave fanciulla"
0:00
From La bohème, act 1. Sung by Enrico Caruso
and Nellie Melba in 1906.
"O mio babbino caro"
0:00
From Gianni Schicchi, sung by Frances Alda in
1919
Problems playing these files? See media help.
Puccini wrote orchestral pieces, sacred music, chamber music and songs for voice and piano, most notably his
1880 mass Messa di gloria and his 1890 string quartet Crisantemi. However, he is primarily known for his
operas:
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Le Villi, libretto by Ferdinando Fontana (in one act – premiered at the Teatro Dal Verme, 31 May 1884)
Edgar, libretto by Ferdinando Fontana (in four acts – premiered at La Scala, 21 April 1889)
Manon Lescaut, libretto by Luigi Illica, Marco Praga and Domenico Oliva (premiered at the Teatro
Regio, 1 February 1893)
La bohème, libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa (premiered at the Teatro Regio of Torino, 1
February 1896)
Tosca, libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa (premiered at the Teatro Costanzi, 14 January
1900)
Madama Butterfly, libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa (in two acts – premiered at La Scala,
17 February 1904)
La fanciulla del West, libretto by Guelfo Civinini and Carlo Zangarini (premiered at the Metropolitan
Opera, 10 December 1910)
La rondine, libretto by Giuseppe Adami (premiered at the Opéra of Monte Carlo, 27 March 1917)
Il trittico (premiered at the Metropolitan Opera, 14 December 1918)
o Il tabarro, libretto by Giuseppe Adami
o Suor Angelica, libretto by Giovacchino Forzano
o Gianni Schicchi, libretto by Giovacchino Forzano
Turandot, libretto by Renato Simoni and Giuseppe Adami (incomplete at the time of Puccini's death,
completed by Franco Alfano: premiered at La Scala, 25 April 1926)
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"Puccini Vocal and Instrumental Music". Centro Studi di Giacomo Puccini. Retrieved 6 February 2008.
"Puccini Operas". Centro Studi di Giacomo Puccini. Retrieved 6 February 2008.
Centro Studi di Giacomo Puccini
American Center for Puccini Studies
Puccini-Research-Center
Festival Puccini e la sua Lucca
Encyclopædia Britannica, Giacomo Puccini
Puccini cylinder recordings, from the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of
California, Santa Barbara Library.
Puccini's music in movies
Works by or about Giacomo Puccini in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
Free scores by Giacomo Puccini at the International Music Score Library Project
Free scores by Giacomo Puccini in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
Giacomo Puccini at the Internet Movie Database
Giacomo Puccini (character) at the Internet Movie Database
This page was last modified on 26 July 2013 at 22:21.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may
apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Happy Ferragosto!
From Kyle Phillips, Former About.com Guide
Ferragosto, or Assumption Day (August 15, the day
the Virgin Mary was assumed into Heaven), is the
most important summer holiday in Italy, a time that all
Italians who can get out of the cities and head for
either the coast or the hills.
It's also an occasion for a festive meal, and for many in
Tuscany is a culinary breath of winter in the midst of
summer: People fire up their ranges and make rich
hearty dishes along the lines of pasta with sugo alla
bolognese or lasagna, and Artusi has a number of
other interesting suggestions.
In other parts of Italy people do other things, for
example in Milano they enjoy vitello tonnato (which
makes more sense to me, given the season), but no
matter how you look at it, it's an occasion to get
together with friends and enjoy a fine meal.
And what are we going to do this time? Probably enjoy pasta with pesto sauce, grill up a steak and some chicken, with a
nice tossed salad and borlotti, also known as cranberry beans, all followed by a sorbetto al limone.
Again, Auguri!
Having said all this, though the dogma is recent the custom of celebrating the Virgin in Mid-August goes way back, and
as is the case with most holidays, people would cook up something special for the occasion. Artusi, who published the
first truly successful Italian cookbook in 1890, suggests a number of dishes including the following, which are drawn
from The Art of Eating Well my translation of his book (Random House, 1996):
A soup:
Quail with Rice
A pair of entremets, dishes to nibble upon:
Syringe fritters and Roman Fried Meat
A stew:
Beef a la mode, served with a Zucchini tart
Something chilled:
Chicken in tuna sauce
A roast:
Chicken, served with salad
Dessert:
Babá, a Neapolitan cake, and chocolate ice cream
This meal was obviously a major undertaking (I have already reduced it some), and you will likely want to reduce it still
more. But it does give an idea of how people might have celebrated Ferragosto in Italy a century ago.
Celebrating August in the Italian Language
Ferragosto
August 15
From Dianne Hales
Years ago I celebrated my first Italian
Ferragosto in Capri, which turns out to
be a most fitting (though crowded)
place to be on August 15. The Roman
emperor Augustus so enjoyed late
summer that he claimed as his own the
month we now call by his name. He
ordered month-long festivities, called
feriae augustus, which included games,
races, and rituals to honor the goddess
Diana, who was worshiped as queen of
the fields as well as of heaven and
earth. Augustus was equally enamored
with the beguiling island of Capri,
which he appropriated from the
municipality of Naples in exchange for
the nearby island of Ischia.
With the rise of Christianity and the suppression of
pagan feasts, August 15 became a religious holiday
commemorating the assumption or lifting into heaven of
Mary, the mother of Jesus. Over the centuries various
communities developed special ways of honoring the
Madonna. In the Sardinian town of Sassari men
carrying elaborately decorated wood columns dance
through the streets. Messina’s townspeople construct La
Vara, a fantastic sixty-foot-high pyramid from which
stars, clouds and figures of saints dangle. At one time
young boys dressed as angels and apostles were hoisted
into the air by rings attached to La Vara. As part of the
ceremonies a young girl representing the Virgin Mary
freed a prisoner.
According to a Neapolitan legend, local fishermen once
pulled a portrait of the Madonna from the sea, and their
king ordered a church built around it at the beach. On
August 15, which became known as the Festa della
Nzegna, everyone was tossed into the water. The night
before the faithful ate only watermelon but feasted on
sumptuous desserts the next day.
In the late Renaissance, Rome’s governors flooded the
splendid Piazza Navona for festivities that included fake
fish splashing in the water and young boys diving for
coins. As darkness fell, candles and torches glistened,
and Romans enjoyed lavish dinners called sabatine
(little Saturday feasts).
Times have changed. Now a national holiday, Ferragosto
marks the height of the Italian vacation season. In cities
and towns many restaurants and shops close; residents
shut up their apartments and flock to the beaches.
Seaside villages often end the day’s festivities with
spectacular displays of fireworks (fuochi d’artificio).
This year, given Italy's slumping economy, more Italians
are staying home and giving literal meaning to the
phrase “ferragosta in citta,” a term used for any bleak
or unhappy situation.
Wherever you celebrate it, I hope your Ferragosta is a
good one!
Words and Expressions
ferie estive -- summer holidays
l’estate -- summer
festeggiare -- to celebrate
andare in ferie -- go on holiday
Dianne Hales is the author of La Bella Lingua: My
Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting
Language. Click here for more information on joining
her for a week of writing, cooking, and savoring Italian
pleasures in Capri this fall.
Questo e Quella E-Magazine V01-07
August 31, 2013
Settembrata
October 3, 2012
Anacapri, Campania
Settembrata on Anacapri means Italian musicians
singing in the street, pacchiane (local women dressed in
Neapolitan garb) carrying baskets of grapes on their
heads, and contadini (farmers) pushing wooden wagons
piled high with the first seasons grapes. This is la festa
dell’uva e della vendemmia,the festival of the grape and
wine harvest. The festa takes its name from September,
it blesses the coming vendemmia, and kisses summer good bye.
Settembratta was first started in 1923 by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Edwin Cerio,
and Lino Lipinsky. It was paused only once in 1931 due to war times, however it
reconvened and the seven day celebration has continued ever since. Torte Caprese, the
classical flour-less cake is made by the local women and passed out to all from La Porta,
Boffe to Caprile and all the little quarters of Anacapri. Small children dressed in
Neapolitan costumes sing and dance in the street. As the week continues each
neighborhood in Anacapri hosts celebrations with local foods and folk music.
Questo e Quella E-Magazine V01-07
Anacapri
August 31, 2013
Anacapri
— Comune —
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Comune di Anacapri
Anacapri is a comune on the island of Capri, in the
province of Naples, Italy. The Ancient Greek
prefix ana means "up" or "above", signifying that
Anacapri is located at a higher elevation on the
island than Capri (about 150 m higher on average.
Administratively, it has a separate status from the
city of Capri. The most significant site in the
village is the Villa San Michele.
Notable landmarkseditbeta]
View from Villa San Michele towards Marina Grande
Region
Campania
Province
Naples (NA)
Dialing code
081
Patron saint
St. Anthony of Padua
Saint day
June 13
Website
Official website
Anacapri street
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Caprile
Castello Barbarossa
Belvedere della Migliera (o Migliara)
Casa Rossa
Chiesa di San Michele
Chiesa di Santa Sofia
Eremo di Santa Maria a Cetrella
Le Boffe
Sentiero dei fortini
Phoenician Steps (Scala Fenicia)
Monte Solaro
Punta Carena Lighthouse
Casa Cernia di Luigi Cosenza
Villa Damecuta
Chairlift to Monte Solaro
Anacapri viewed from the chairlift
to Monte Solaro
Questo e Quella E-Magazine V01-07
August 15, 2013
Italian Language Blog
Connect with us on Facebook http://feeds2.feedburner.com/ItalianBlogTL
It doesn’t make sense but it has sense … doesn’t it?
Posted on 22. Jul, 2013 by Serena in Grammar, Italian Language
It’s very easy to get caught out by the verbs avere (to have) and fare (to do / to make), as they both have a wide
variety of uses beyond their usual literal translation.
Take the expression ‘to make sense’ for example. If we translate this literally into Italian we get fare senso
which has an entirely different meaning: ‘to give one the shivers’, e.g. i ragni mi fanno senso (spiders give me
the shivers). When we want to say ‘make sense’ in Italian we use the verb avere: ha senso = it makes sense, e.g.
questa frase non ha alcun senso (this sentence doesn’t make any sense).
In Italian we often use avere (‘to have’) where in English you would use ‘to be’. Let’s have a look at some
examples:
Physical Sensations
We use the verb avere followed by a noun to describe a physical sensation,
e.g. avere caldo / freddo (to be hot/cold), avere sete / fame (to be thirsty/hungry), avere sonno (to be sleepy)
e.g. Ho freddo, mi vado a mettere la felpa (I’m cold, I’m going to wear my sweatshirt) or Se hai sonno perché
non vai a fare un riposino? (If you are sleepy, why don’t you go and take a nap?)
Feelings and Emotions
Avere is often followed by nouns describing feelings and emotions,
e.g. avere paura / timore di (to be scared / afraid of), avere coraggio / forza (to be courageous / strong), avere
pietà / compassione di (to feel pity / compassion towards), avere passione / amore per (to be passionate about),
avere voglia di (to be in the mood for)
e.g. Luca ha paura del temporale (Luca is scared of the thunderstorm) or Ho proprio voglia di un caffè (I’m
really in the mood for a coffee)
Here are a few more instances in which we use the verb avere, where in English you would use ‘to be’: avere
torto / ragione (to be wrong / right), avere colpa (to be guilty), avere fortuna / sfortuna (to be lucky / unlucky),
avere l’obbligo di (to be required), avere valore / importanza (to be valuable / important)
e.g. Povero Gianni, lo hanno punito anche se non aveva alcuna colpa (Poor Gianni, he was punished even if
he wasn’t guilty at all) or Quando guido ho l’obbligo di portare gli occhiali (when I drive I am required to
wear glasses)
Finally, we use the verb avere when talking about age, e.g. avere … anni / mesi (to be … years
/months old) e.g. Quanti anni hai? Ho quindici anni (How old are you? I’m fifteen), or
Quanto tempo ha la bambina di Costanza? Ha cinque mesi (How old is Costanza’s child?
She’s five months old). N.B. when talking about a little child we use the word tempo (time)
instead of anni (years).
Questo e Quella E-Magazine V01-06
August 31, 2013
Children's Conversational Italian
Conversazione per i bambini
From Michael San Filippo, your About.com Guide to Italian
Do You Speak English?/Parla Inglese?
Click on the highlighted links to hear the phrases spoken by native speakers.
Fabio:
Chiara:
Fabio:
Chiara:
Fabio:
Chiara:
Buon giorno.
Good morning.
Parla inglese?
Do you speak English?
No, mi dispiace, ma non lo parlo.
No, I'm sorry, I don't speak English.
Purtroppo so soltanto un po' di italiano.
I'm afraid I only speak a little Italian.
Non fa niente.
That's alright.
Riesco a capirla.
I understand you.
Mi innervosisco sempre quando parlo in
italiano.
I always get nervous when I speak Italian.
La capisco benissimo.
I understand you very well.
Happy Birthday/Buon Compleanno
Click on the highlighted links to hear the phrases spoken by native speakers.
Chiara:
Fabio:
Chiara:
Fabio:
Chiara:
Fabio:
Chiara:
Buon compleanno, Fabio!
Happy birthday, Fabio!
Grazie!
Thank you!
Ma quanti anni compi?
But how old are you today?
Dodici, come te.
Twelve, like you!
Senti, ti va di aprire il mio regalo ora?
Listen, would you like to open my present
for you now?
Dovrei aspettare il momento della torta, ma
sono curioso e se insisti...
I should wait for the cake, but I am really
curious and if you insist...
Ti piace? È il nuovo CD di Eros
Fabio:
Chiara:
Fabio:
Chiara:
Ramazzotti!
Do you like it? It's the new Eros
Ramazzotti's CD!
Oh, si! Grazie! Lo metto subito sù! Ecco
fatto! Vieni voglio presentarti gli altri.
Oh, yes! Thanks! I'm going to play it right
now! Done! Come on, I'm going to
introduce you to the others!
Ciao a tutti! Che dite se adesso balliamo?
Hi everybody! What do you say we start
dancing now?
Ma che fai?
But what are you doing?
Ti sto tirando le orecchie! Dodici
anni...dodici tirate...me ne stavo quasi per
scordare!
I'm pulling on your ears! Twelve
years...twelve pulls...I almost forgot to do
it!
Baby Sister/La Sorellina
Click on the highlighted links to hear the phrases spoken by native speakers.
Chiara:
Mamma, ma quanto grande sarà la nuova
sorellina!
Mom, how big is the new baby sister going
to be?
Mamma: Beh, sarà piccolina all'inizio, ma poi
crescerý in fretta!
Well, she is going to be small at the
beginning, but then she's going to grow
fast!
Fabio:
Anche noi eravamo molto piccoli una
volta, non è vero mamma!
Even we were very little once, right mom?
Mamma: Piccoli e dolcissimi!
Small and very sweet!
Chiara:
Credi che le piacerà giocare alle bambole?
Do you think she is going to like playing
with dolls?
Fabio:
Macché! Vorrà solo mangiare e dormire!
Not at all! She is just going to eat and
sleep!
Mamma: Beh, all'inizio, ma quando sarà un po' più
grande, sono certa che adorerà giocare con
te!
Well, at the beginning, but when she's a
little older, I'm sure she'll very much like
playing with you!
Chiara:
Allora le terrò da parte le mie.
Then I'm going to save mine for her!
Fabio:
Certo che se fosse stato un maschietto,
avrei almeno avuto qualcuno con cui
giocare a calcio!
For sure if she was a boy, at least I would
have someone who I could play soccer
with!
Chiara:
Ma hai papà, sciocchino! Che è il miglior
calciatore che conosca!
But you have dad, silly! who is the best
soccer player I ever met!
At The Zoo/Allo Zoo
Click on the highlighted links to hear the phrases spoken by native speakers.
Fabio:
Chiara:
Fabio:
Chiara:
Fabio:
Chiara:
Fabio:
Chiara:
Per prima cosa vorrei vedere le scimmie!
First I'd like to look at the monkeys!
Guarda! I delfini...si stanno divertendo a
schizzare il pubblico!
Look! Dolphins...they are having fun
splashing the audience!
Sì, ho visto. Poverino quel signore in prima
fila è tutto bagnato!
Yes, I saw. That poor man sitting at the first
row is all wet!
Presto, vieni! Voglio vedere i coccodrilli.
Hurry up, come on! I want to see the
crocodiles.
Allora dobbiamo andare da questa parte.
Then we have to go this way.
Oh, non sapevo che gli elefanti fossero così
grandi! E la proboscide...guarda che lunga!
Wow, I didn't know elephants are that big!
And the trunk...look at how long it is!
Proviamo a dargli delle noccioline da
mangiare.
Let's try to feed them with some peanuts.
No! Sei matto? Non vedi il cartello? Non si
può dare da mangiare agli animali!
No! Are you crazy? Can't you see the sign?
Fabio:
Chiara:
You can't feed the animals!
Hai ragione! Però è un peccato, non ti
sembra?
You're right! What a pity! Don't you think
so?
Che bello andare allo zoo! Mi piacciono gli
animali!
It's great to go to the zoo! I like animals!
At The Carnival/Al Luna Park
Click on the highlighted links to hear the phrases spoken by native speakers.
Fabio:
Chiara:
Fabio:
Chiara:
Fabio:
Chiara:
Fabio:
Chiara:
Fabio:
Chiara:
Vieni con me sulle montagne russe?
Would you come with me on the roller
coaster?
OK, ma dopo devi venire con me nella casa
dei fantasmi!
OK, but then you have to come with me
into the haunted house!
Se peschi ancora dieci punti, vinci un
pesciolino! Forza!
If you catch other 10-point fish, you're
going to win a nice goldfish! Come on!
Ce l'ho fatta! Voglio quello! Lo chiamerò
Napoleone!
I did it! I want that one! I'm going to name
it Napoleon!
Ti piace il mio pupazzo di peluche? L'ho
vinto al tiro a segno.
Do you like my stuffed animal? I won it
playing target shooting.
Carino! Che dici di comprarci dello
zucchero filato?
Nice! What do you say we buy some cotton
candy to eat?
Si, bella idea! Ma vorrei anche qualche
frittella...
Yes, great idea! But I'd like some funnel
cakes too...
È ora di andare sugli autoscontri. Ma guido
io il primo giro.
It's time to go ride the bumper cars. But I
drive first.
Ci sono rimaste solo 2.000 lire. Che
facciamo ora?
We have only 2,000 lire left. What else can
we do?
Andiamo alla sala giochi!
Let's go to the video game arcade!
Questo e Quella E-Magazine V01-06
July 15, 2013
Italian Language
How To Conjugate Italian Verbs Like A Native
By Michael San Filippo, About.com Guide
Verbs are essential to communicating in any foreign language, and Italian verbs have a consistent, logical
pattern of conjugation. These quick, step-by-step instructions will explain the three Italian verb categories,
suggest ways to begin your studies, and teach you how to conjugate verbs like a native.
Difficulty: Hard
Time Required: one year
Here's How:
1. Learn the present tenses of avere (to have) and essere to be) first. They form the keystone to all other
Italian verb conjugations.
2. Although it may be seem tedious, memorize the endings for each class of verbs to facilitate conjugation
skills.
3. Understand that Italian verbs fall into three conjugations depending on the endings of the infinitive: 1) are, 2) -ere, and 3) -ire. The stem of regular verbs is obtained by dropping the infinitive ending.
4. Recognize that Italian verbs are conjugated in the various persons, numbers, and tenses by adding the
proper ending to the stem.
Tips:
1.
In English the infinitive (l'infinito) consists of to + verb.
2.
Note that in the third person plural the stress falls on the same syllable as in the third person singular form.
3.
Consult a table of verb endings to determine the correct tense.
See More About
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avere
conjugating italian verbs
essere
Suggested Reading
•
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1001 Italian Verbs
-Are Verbs
-Ere Verbs
•
•
-Ire Verbs
Italian Verbs For Beginners
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Questo e Quella E-Magazine V01-07
August 31, 2013
ItalianNotebook
San Fruttuoso: a hidden abbey by the sea
by Christine Mitchell
San Fruttuoso, Liguria - July 18, 2013
A reminder of all there is to see in this “land of the endless discoveries”.
The ancient abbey of San Fruttuoso lies between the Ligurian villages of Camogli and Portofino, nestled at the
foot of the sloping mountains of the Portofino regional park that meet the crystal blue waters of the Ligurian
sea.
Aside from exploring the 10th century abbey and its slightly newer tower (1500′s), you can take seasonal boat trips to see
the statue of Christ of the Abyss, an incredible bronze creation with arms outstretched in a gesture of peace that was
lowered about 50 feet deep in the clear Mediterranean sea in the 1950′s. If you’re not so keen to dive in the water, boat
trips equipped with video show in real time the divers below swimming around the striking Christ in the sea.
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The replica of the statue of Christ of the Abiss that lays
in the depths of the Ligurian sea
For those who want to soak up the plentiful Ligurian sun instead,
the little beach offers a tranquil afternoon in some of the clearest
water you will ever see – and you won’t have too much
company, as San Fruttuoso can only be accessed by a
challenging hiking trail (more like an old mountain goat path) or
by the hourly connections during the high season by boat from
the nearby villages of Rapallo, Camogli, Santa Marherita Ligure
or Portofino.
The thousand year old abbey
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The bluest water on a secluded beach,
in the shadows of the abbey
The ancient abbey of San Fruttuoso
meets the stunning sea
About Christine Mitchell
Christine has a Master's Degree in Food Studies and Culture from New York University, and spends most of
her waking hours cooking food, serving food at La Cantina Di Miky, happily talking about food and writing
about food - and wouldn't have it any other way, except maybe with an Italian craft beer in her hand.
Related Articles
Monterosso’s Favorite Festival Fish
Monterosso al Mare, Liguria - June 17, 2013
The anchovy, a fish that plays a part of traumatic childhood memories involving the salted kind, has a whole
different following in the tiny village of Monterosso al Mare in the National Park of the Cinque Terre.
Caught fresh from the shores of the Riviera, mild flavored and white-fleshed, anchovies are at their peak harvest
in the months of June and July, and Monterosso celebrates their mascot in a big way.
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Anchovies (acciughe), many ways
If you are in the area, try and make it to the sagra
dell’acciuga salata (the salted anchovy festival) which
is usually held in mid-September. There are also
festivals for the fried little fish (the sagra delle acciughe
fritte, held in mid-June), as well as a lemon festival (late
May) that showcases the lemon preserved kind.
Local elders of the village take their places at stands
along the boardwalk leading into the piazza in the town
center, cooking and serving the anchovies that their
families have fished and relied on for centuries, while
kids and tourists line up to snack on Monterosso’s most
famous treat – it’s a great way to change your opinion
on a local treat you might be hesitant to try.
<The Giant Anchovy Fry in The Piazza
V
ABOUT CHRISTINE MITCHELL
Christine has a Master's Degree in Food Studies and Culture from New York University, and spends most of her
waking hours cooking food, serving food at La Cantina Di Miky, happily talking about food and writing about food and wouldn't have it any other way, except maybe with an Italian craft beer in her hand.
Questo e Quella E-Magazine V01-07
August 31, 2013
Ancient / Classical History
Preferred Ancient Roman Wines
"Vinum" Wine About Which "In Vino Veritas"
By N.S. Gill, About.com Guide
Sarcophagus with a vintage scene. Roman, A.D. 290-300. Marble.
The vindemia: a Roman rural festival celebrating the harvesting of
grapes for making wine.
Getty Villa, Malibu.
Bacchus (Dionysus) holding a wine cup (kantharos).
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See More About
wine
roman daily life
italic peninsula
geography of italy
vinum
Ancient Romans regularly enjoyed wine (vinum) of fine, aged vintage, or cheap
and new -- depending on the consumer's finances. It wasn't only grapes and the
land on which they grew that imparted their flavor to the wine. The containers
and metals with which the acidic beverage came in contact also affected the
taste. Wine was usually mixed with water (to reduce potency), and any number
of other ingredients, to alter the acidity or improve clarity.
From Grapes to Inspiration
Men, naked on bottom except for a subligaculum [see Roman bikini underwear], stomped on ripe grapes
harvested into a shallow vat. Then they put the grapes through a special wine press (torculum) to extract all
remaining juice. The result of the stomp and press was an unfermented, sweet grape juice, called mustum, and
solid particles that were strained out. Mustum could be used as is, combined with other ingredients, or
processed further (fermented in buried jars) to produce wine fine enough to inspire poets or to add the gift of
Bacchus to feasts. Doctors recommended certain varieties of wine as wholesome, and prescribed some varieties
as part of their healing therapies.
The Choicest Wine Varieties
There was great variety in the quality of the wine, depending on factors like aging and cultivation. Here are
some of the preferred Roman wines and their place of origin, listed in an order based on the writing of the
naturalist Pliny (often credited with the in vino veritas 'in wine, truth' quote), following the article on Wine in
the Roman World in the 1875 Smith's Dictionary.
"The Caecuban Plain borders on the Gulf of Caietas; and next to the plain comes Fundi, situated on the
Appian Way. All these places produce exceedingly good wine; indeed, the Caecuban and the Fundanian and
the Setinian belong to the class of wines that are widely famed, as is the case with the Falernian and the
Alban and the Statanian."
Lacus Curtius Strabo
High Alcohol Content of Falernian
"There is now no wine known that ranks higher than the Falernian; it is the only one, too, among all the wines
that takes fire on the application of flame."
Pliny Natural History 14.8
1. Caecubum - from poplar swamps by the Gulf of Amyclae, in Latium. The best Roman wine, but it was
no longer superior by the time of the elder Pliny.
Setinum - hills of Setia, above the Appian forum. A wine Augustus is said to have enjoyed, the top wine
from the time of Augustus, according to "Wine in the Roman World".
2. Falernum - from the slopes of Mt. Falernus on the border between Latium and Campania, from the
Aminean grape. Falernum is usually cited as the best Roman wine. It was a white wine that was aged
10-20 years until it was amber-colored. Subdivided into:
o Caucinian
o Faustian (best)
o Falernian.
3. Albanum - wines from the Alban Hills kept for 15 years; Surrentinum (kept for 25 years), Massicum
from Campania, Gauranum, from the ridge above Baiae and Puteoli, Calenum from Cales, and
Fundanum from Fundi were next best.
4. Veliterninum - from Velitrae, Privernatinum from Privernum, and Signinum from Signia -- Volscian
wines were next best.
5. Formianum - from the gulf of Caieta.
6. Mamertinum (Potalanum) - from Messana.
Other Popular Roman Wines
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Rhaeticum - from Verona (Augustus' favorite, according to Suetonius).
Mulsum - not a variety, but any wine sweetened with honey (or must), mixed in just before drinking,
referred to as an apperitif.
Conditura - like mulsum, not a variety; wine mixed with herbs and spices:
"The principal substances employed as conditurae were, 1. sea-water; 2. turpentine, either pure, or in
the form of pitch (pix), tar (pix liquida), or resin (resina). 3. Lime, in the form of gypsum, burnt marble,
or calcined shells. 4. Inspissated must. 5. Aromatic herbs, spices, and gums; and these were used either
singly, or cooked up into a great variety of complicated confections."
"Wine in the Roman World"
FACT SHEET
Exhibition:
The Springtime of the Renaissance. Sculpture and the Arts in Florence, 1400-1460
Dates:
Palazzo Strozzi, Florence, 23 March to 18 August 2013
Musée du Louvre, Paris, 23 September 2013 to 6 January 2014
Location:
Palazzo Strozzi, Piazza Strozzi, 50123 Florence, Italy
Tel. +39 055 264 5155, www.palazzostrozzi.org
Organised by:
Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi, the Musée du Louvre, the Ministero per i Beni e le Attività
Culturali, the Soprintendenza PSAE e per il Polo Museale della città di Firenze and the
Museo Nazionale del Bargello with the participation of the Comune di Firenze, the
Provincia di Firenze, the Camera di Commercio di Firenze, the Associazione Partners
Palazzo Strozzi and Regione Toscana and the patronage of Ministero per i Benui e le
Attività Culturali, Ministero degli Esteri and the French Embassy in Italy.
Under the High Patronage of the President of the Italian Republic
Main Sponsor:
Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze
Curators:
Curated by Beatrice Paolozzi Strozzi, director of the Museo Nazionale del Bargello, and
Marc Bormand, curator-in-chief of the Département des Sculptures, Musée du Louvre.
Catalogue:
Jointly published by Mandragora Editore Firenze and the Editions du Louvre in Italian,
French and English; exhibition bookshop price €39. For families and children: Touching
the Past. Reflections on the Sense of Touch edited by James M. Bradburne; price €12.
Opening hours:
Daily 09.00 to 20.00, Thursday 09.00 to 23.00. Last admission one hour before closing
Admission:
Adult: €10.00; concessions: €8.50, €8.00, €7.50, €5.00; schools: €4.00
Free caption booklets in French, Russian and Chinese available on request.
Booking:
Sigma CSC, Tel. +39 055 246 9600, Fax. +39 055 244 145
[email protected] or via www.palazzostrozzi.org
Café:
The Renaissance Café is open daily from 09.00 to 20.00, Thursdays 09.00 to 23.00
How to get there:
By plane: Florence Airport www.aeroporto.firenze.it Tel. +39 055 306 1700
By car: From north (Milan) A1 Bologna, Firenze, Firenze Nord exit, follow directions for
city. From south (Rome) A1 Roma, Milano, Firenze Sud exit, follow directions for city
By train: Nearest stations are Stazione di Santa Maria Novella, Piazza del Duomo, Via
Tornabuoni
The Springtime of the Renaissance.
Sculpture and the Arts in Florence,
1400-1460
23 March to 18 August 2013
Images
1.02
2.01
3.11.
3.10.
6.10.
9.01.
2.02
3.20.
7.07.
10.21
The Springtime of the Renaissance.
Sculpture and the Arts in Florence, 1400-1460
23 March to 18 August 2013
Images Captions
1.02
of the
School of Nicola Pisano, Virtue (Faith?), 1260-70 (?)
marble, 95 x 22.5 x 16.5 cm
Paris, Musée du Louvre, Département des Sculptures, inv. RF 1493, donated by a group of friends
Louvre, 1909
2.01
Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446), The Sacrifice of Isaac, 1401
gilt bronze, 41.5 x 39.5 x 9 cm
Florence, Museo Nazionale del Bargello, inv. 209, Bronzi
2.02
Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378 or 1381-1455), The Sacrifice of Isaac, 1401
gilt bronze, 44 x 38 x 10.5 cm
Florence, Museo Nazionale del Bargello, inv. 203, Bronzi
3.10
Michelozzo (Michelozzo di Bartolomeo Michelozzi) (1396-1472), An Adoring Angel, 1427-38
one of a pair, marble, 97.2 x 100.3 x 36 cm
London, Victoria and Albert Museum; inv. 934-1904
3.11
Michelozzo (Michelozzo di Bartolomeo Michelozzi) (1396-1472), An Adoring Angel, 1427-38
one of a pair, marble, 96 x 97 x 32.2 cm
London, Victoria and Albert Museum; inv. 934A-1904
3.20
Donatello (Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi) (c. 1386-1466), St. Louis of Toulouse, 1422-5
gilt bronze; enamels and rock crystals (tiara), 285 x 101 x 78 cm
Florence, Museo dell’Opera di Santa Croce, Patrimonio del Fondo Edifici di Culto –
Ministero
dell’Interno, inv. M 101
6.10
Andrea del Castagno (Andrea di Bartolo) (c.1421-1457), Queen Tomyris, 1448-9
detached fresco, 245 x 155 cm
Florence, Galleria degli Uffizi, inv. San Marco e Cenacoli 168
7.07
Florentine goldsmith, Christ Casting Out a Demon, c. 1450-60
plaque: silver; frame: silver gilt; translucent enamels on a repoussé relief, 15 x 18.7 x 0.45 cm
Paris, Musée du Louvre, Département des Objets d’art, inv. OA 5962
9.01
Gentile da Fabriano (c. 1370-1427), Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, 1423
tempera and gold on wood, 26.7 x 62.5 cm
Paris, Musée du Louvre, Département des Peintures, inv. 295
10.21
Desiderio da Settignano (c. 1429-1464), Marietta Strozzi, c. 1464
marble, 52.5 x 47.8 x 23.8 cm
Berlin, Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin,
Bode-Museum, inv. 77
For further information and high res images, please contact:
Sue Bond Public Relations
Tel. +44 (0)1359 271085
E-mail [email protected], Website. www.suebond.co.uk
14/1/2013
Thomas "Cozy" Morley, 87, popular South Jersey
comedian and musician.
GALLERY: Morley
BY JOHN F. MORRISON, Daily News Staff Writer [email protected], 215-854-5573
POSTED: AUGUST 26, 2013
THERE WAS the Sam Ting joke.
A Chinese man has the name Isadore Schwartz. How could that be? Well, said the
man, he was on Ellis Island and the officers asked the fellow in front of him for his
name, which was Isadore Schwartz. When they asked the Chinese man for his name,
he said "Sam Ting."
Get it?
Or how
about the
cop writing a report on a horse that
died on Moyamensing Avenue? The
cop couldn't spell Moyamensing, so he
dragged the dead horse to 2nd Street.
Or the man who went into an Italian
restaurant and ordered chicken in the
basket. Every leg was broken.
Haddon Township and Fort
Lauderdale, Fla.
LaRosa, Al Alberts, Johnny Ray, as
well as fellow jokester Joey Bishop.
Cozy was so revered at the Shore that a
life-size bronze statue of him stands
outside Westy's Irish Pub in North
Wildwood, where the Club Avalon
stood before it went out of business in
1988 and was razed.
Cozy and Alberts (of the Four Aces)
used to race trams on the Atlantic City
Boardwalk at a 15-mph clip with
tourists and residents hanging on to
raise money for charity.
Cozy also performed at benefits for
various charities over the years.
Cozy Morley didn't bother about being
politically correct. He learned jokes on
Another entertainment icon, Jerry
the streets of South Philadelphia, where
Blavat, told the Press of Atlantic City
neighbors were Jewish, Polish, Italian
that Cozy represented "a time when
and African-American.
you entertained people, and you didn't
"I suppose none of my jokes are
need to entertain them with risque
politically correct now," he once told
material. He was a family comedian.
the New York Times. "But when I
"He did impressions, made jokes,
learned them, that was what was
played the ukulele and the guitar.
politically correct, to make fun of
There's no one to replace guys like
yourself and everyone else."
this."
Thomas Francis "Cozy" Morley, who
Cozy was a musician as well as a
became an iconic part of the South
comedian. He played a number of
Jersey entertainment scene, a jokester
instruments, and was famous for his
who could pack his 1,200-seat Club
rendition of "On the Way to Cape
Avalon in North Wildwood every night
May."
and became a hit in the Atlantic City
casinos, died last week. He was 87. He He wrote songs and booked musicians
into his Club Avalon, including the
had homes in North Wildwood,
Glen Miller Band, Al Martino, Julius
He bought Club Avalon in the early
'50s. It was a ramshackle joint with a
leaky roof that Cozy never bothered to
spruce up. He called it "the Toilet," but
there was standing room only on many
nights.
He and his wife, Bobbie, a cocktail
waitress at the club, were married in
the '80s.
Cozy was born on Two Street in South
Philadelphia and attended Southeast
Catholic High School, where he
studied clarinet and saxophone. He
always said he became a performer to
overcome his natural shyness.
He once said, "Other than being a
doctor, the greatest thing is to make
people laugh."
A tribute to him is being planned for
Mummer's Weekend, the weekend
after Labor Day.
THOMAS "COZY" MORLEY, of Haddon Township and North Wildwood, went home to our Lord on August 23, 2013. Age 87.
Beloved husband of Roberta "Bobbie" Morley (nee Hawthorne). Brother of William Morley (Rose) and the late James "Hoagie" Morley.
Brother-in-law of Caroline M. Smith (Francis), Andrew J. Hawthorne (Bobbie Anne) and Mariellen Hawthorne (James H. Furey). Also will be
sadly missed by his nieces and nephews: Ellen Shackleton (Ken), Thomas A. Morley, Kathleen Morley, Francis L. Smith (Dee), James M. Smith
(Jean), Marianne Hennessey (Joe), Brian A. Smith (Sandy), Caroline M. Crouse (Greg), Andrew J. Hawthorne Jr., Leah Furey Bruder (Steve),
James A. Furey and Alicia Furey Jenkins (Jason). Relatives and friends are invited to the viewing on Wednesday August 28 from 6-9 P.M. and
Thursday August 29 from 10-11 A.M. at THE BRADLEY FUNERAL HOME, Rt. 73 & Evesham Rd., Marlton, NJ. Funeral Service will be
11 A.M. at the funeral home on Thursday. Interment will be private. Memorial donations may be made in Cozy's name to The Cape May County
Zoo, 707 North Route 9, P.O. Box 864, Cape May Court House, NJ 08210.
Published in Philadelphia Inquirer & Philadelphia Daily News on August 26, 2013