Angelo Anelli (10 November 1761 – 9 April 1820) was an Italian poet and librettist who also wrote under the pseudonyms Marco Landi and Niccolò Liprandi. He was born in

Desenzano del Garda Desenzano del Garda ( lmo, label=Brescian, Dezensà) is a town and '' comune'' in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy, Italy, on the southwestern shore of Lake Garda. It borders the communes of Castiglione delle Stiviere, Lonato, Padenghe sul Gar ...

and studied literature and poetry at a seminary in Verona. In 1793 he enrolled in the

University of Padua The University of Padua ( it, Università degli Studi di Padova, UNIPD) is an Italian university located in the city of Padua, region of Veneto, northern Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from ...

, receiving a degree in

Canon and Civil Law A doctor of both laws, from the Latin ''doctor utriusque juris'', or ''juris utriusque doctor'', or ''doctor juris utriusque'' ("doctor of both laws") (abbreviations include: JUD, IUD, DUJ, JUDr., DUI, DJU, Dr.iur.utr., Dr.jur.utr., DIU, UJD a ...

two years later. Active in the politics of the

Cisalpine Republic The Cisalpine Republic ( it, Repubblica Cisalpina) was a sister republic of France in Northern Italy that existed from 1797 to 1799, with a second version until 1802. Creation After the Battle of Lodi in May 1796, Napoleon Bonaparte organiz ...

in his youth, he was imprisoned twice. His 1789 sonnet on the vicissitudes of Italy under Austrian domination, "La calamità d'Italia" (The Calamity of Italy), was for a long time incorrectly attributed to

Ugo Foscolo Ugo Foscolo (; 6 February 177810 September 1827), born Niccolò Foscolo, was an Italian writer, revolutionary and a poet. He is especially remembered for his 1807 long poem ''Dei Sepolcri''. Early life Foscolo was born in Zakynthos in the Io ...

.Campostrini, Edoardo (5 November 2011)
"Angelo Anelli 1760-1820"
. '' Il Corriere del Garda''. Retrieved 29 August 2014 . From 1799 to 1817, Anello was one of the "house librettists" at

La Scala La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...

. His opera librettos include those for

Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards ...

's ''

L'italiana in Algeri ''L'italiana in Algeri'' (; ''The Italian Girl in Algiers'') is an operatic ''dramma giocoso'' in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Angelo Anelli, based on his earlier text set by Luigi Mosca. It premiered at the Teatro San ...

'', Paer's ''

I fuorusciti di Firenze (''The Exiles of Florence'') is an ''opera semiseria'' in two acts by the Italian composer Ferdinando Paer. The libretto was by Angelo Anelli. The work is a form of 'rescue opera'. The opera was first performed at the Hoftheater in Dresden on ...

'', Usiglio's ''La secchia rapita'', and Pavesi's ''Ser Marcantonio'' which later formed the basis for Donizetti's ''

Don Pasquale ''Don Pasquale'' () is an opera buffa, or comic opera, in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti with an Italian libretto completed largely by Giovanni Ruffini as well as the composer. It was based on a libretto by Angelo Anelli for Stefano Pavesi's ...

''. He largely abandoned his literary career to return to the legal profession in 1817 when he was appointed professor of ''procedura giudiziaria'' (judicial procedure) at the

University of Pavia The University of Pavia ( it, Università degli Studi di Pavia, UNIPV or ''Università di Pavia''; la, Alma Ticinensis Universitas) is a university located in Pavia, Lombardy, Italy. There was evidence of teaching as early as 1361, making it one ...

. He died in Pavia at the age of 58.Capasso, Riccardo (1961)
"Anello, Angelo"
''

Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani The ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani'' ( en, Biographical Dictionary of the Italians) is a biographical dictionary published in 100 volumes by the Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, started in 1960 and completed in 2020. It includes abou ...

'', Vol. 3. Treccani. Online version retrieved 28 August 2014 .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anelli 1761 births 1820 deaths Italian opera librettists 18th-century Italian dramatists and playwrights 18th-century Italian poets Italian male poets Italian male dramatists and playwrights 19th-century Italian dramatists and playwrights 19th-century Italian poets 18th-century Italian male writers 19th-century Italian male writers University of Padua alumni University of Pavia faculty People from Desenzano del Garda