Gian Carlo Menotti
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Gian Carlo Menotti (, ; July 7, 1911 – February 1, 2007) was an Italian composer, librettist, director, and playwright who is primarily known for his output of 25 operas. Although he often referred to himself as an American composer, he kept his Italian citizenship. One of the most frequently performed opera composers of the 20th century, his most successful works were written in the 1940s and 1950s. Highly influenced by
Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Puccini ( Lucca, 22 December 1858Bruxelles, 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long ...
and Modest Mussorgsky, Menotti further developed the verismo tradition of opera in the post-
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
era. Rejecting atonality and the aesthetic of the Second Viennese School, Menotti's music is characterized by expressive
lyricism Lyricism is a quality that expresses deep feelings or emotions in an inspired work of art. Often used to describe the capability of a Lyricist. Description Lyricism is when art is expressed in a beautiful or imaginative way, or when it has an ...
which carefully sets language to natural rhythms in ways that highlight textual meaning and underscore dramatic intent. Like Wagner, Menotti wrote the libretti of all his operas. He wrote the classic Christmas opera ''
Amahl and the Night Visitors ''Amahl and the Night Visitors'' is an opera in one act by Gian Carlo Menotti with an original English libretto by the composer.Menotti, Gian-Carlo: ''Amahl and the Night Visitors (piano-vocal score)'', G. Schirmer, Inc., 1997. It was commissi ...
'' (1951), along with over two dozen other operas intended to appeal to popular taste. Many of Menotti's operas enjoyed successful runs on Broadway, including two
Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made ...
winning works, ''
The Consul ''The Consul'' is an opera in three acts with music and libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti, his first full-length opera. Performance history Its first performance was on March 1, 1950 at the Schubert Theatre in Philadelphia with Patricia Neway as the ...
'' (1950) and '' The Saint of Bleecker Street'' (1955). While all of his works used English language libretti, three of his operas also had Italian language libretti penned by the composer: ''
Amelia Goes to the Ball ''Amelia al ballo'' (''Amelia Goes to the Ball'') is a one-act ''opera buffa'' by Gian Carlo Menotti, who set his own Italian libretto. Composed during 1936 when Menotti was in his mid-twenties, it was the composer's first mature opera and first c ...
'' (1937), ''
The Island God ''The Island God'' is a one-act opera by Gian Carlo Menotti with a libretto by the composer. It was first performed on February 20, 1942, at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Although the opera’s only performances were in English, Menot ...
'' (1942), and ''
The Last Savage ''The Last Savage'' is an opera in three acts by composer Gian Carlo Menotti. Menotti wrote his own libretto, originally in the Italian language (''L'ultimo selvaggio''). The opera was translated into French (''Le dernier sauvage'') by Jean-Pier ...
'' (1963). He founded the ''
Festival dei Due Mondi The ''Festival dei Due Mondi'' (Festival of the Two Worlds) is an annual summer music and opera festival held each June to early July in Spoleto, Italy, since its founding by composer Gian Carlo Menotti in 1958. It features a vast array of conc ...
'' (Festival of the Two Worlds) in
Spoleto Spoleto (, also , , ; la, Spoletum) is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east-central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is S. of Trevi, N. of Terni, SE of Perugia; SE of Florence; and N of Rome. History Sp ...
in 1958 and its American counterpart, Spoleto Festival USA, in 1977. In 1986 he commenced a Melbourne Spoleto Festival in Australia, but he withdrew after three years. In addition to his operas, Menotti wrote music for several ballets, numerous choral works,
chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small nu ...
, orchestral music of varying kinds including a
symphony A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning c ...
, and stage plays. Notable among these is his
cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning o ...
''The Death of the Bishop of Brindisi'', written in 1963, and the cantata ''Landscapes and Remembrances'' in 1976 – a descriptive work of Menotti's memories of America written for the
United States Bicentennial The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to historical events leading up to the creation of the United States of America as an independent republic. It was a central event ...
. Also worthy of note is a small Mass commissioned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore – ''Mass for the Contemporary English Liturgy''. Menotti taught music composition on the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music from 1948 to 1955. He also served as the artistic director of the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma from 1992 to 1994, and directed operas periodically for notable organizations such as the
Salzburg Festival The Salzburg Festival (german: Salzburger Festspiele) is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer (for five weeks starting in late July) in the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Ama ...
and the Vienna State Opera.


Early life and education: 1911–1933

Born in
Cadegliano-Viconago Cadegliano-Viconago is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Varese in the Italian region Lombardy, located about northwest of Milan and about north of Varese, on the border with Switzerland. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population ...
,
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, near Lake Maggiore and the Swiss border, Menotti was the sixth of ten children of Alfonso and Ines Menotti. His father was a businessman and his mother a talented amateur musician. The family was financially prosperous with his father and uncle jointly operating a coffee exporting firm in Colombia. He learned to play the organ from his eccentric aunt LiLine Bianchini, who experienced religious hallucinations. He was deeply religious in his youth, and was greatly influenced by his parish priest Don Rimoldi. Menotti's mother was highly influential in his musical development and sent all of her children to music lessons in the piano, violin, and cello. The family performed chamber music together, and with other musicians in the community in evenings hosted in the Menotti household. Gian Carlo began writing songs when he was seven years old, and at eleven wrote both the libretto and music for his first opera, ''The Death of Pierrot''. This work was performed as a home puppet show, a passion that occupied Gian Carlo's youth after he was introduced to the art from his older brother Pier Antonio. He began his formal musical training at the Milan Conservatory in 1924 at the age of 13. He spent three years studying at the conservatory during which time he frequently attended operas 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 ...
which cemented his lifetime love for the artform. At the age of 17, Menotti's life was dramatically altered by the death of his father. Following her husband's death, Ines Menotti and Gian Carlo moved to
Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the ...
in a futile attempt to salvage the family's coffee business. In 1928 she enrolled him at
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
's Curtis Institute of Music before returning to Italy. Armed with a letter of introduction from the wife of
Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orch ...
, Gian Carlo studied composition at Curtis under Rosario Scalero. In 1928, he met fellow Curtis schoolmate
Samuel Barber Samuel Osmond Barber II (March 9, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was an American composer, pianist, conductor, baritone, and music educator, and one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century. The music critic Donal Henahan said, "Probab ...
, who became his partner in life as well as in their shared profession. As a student, Menotti spent much of his time with the Barber family in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and the two also spent several summer breaks in Europe attending opera performances in Vienna and in Italy while studying at Curtis.


Early career: 1933–1949

After graduating from the Curtis Institute in the spring of 1933, Menotti and Barber spent the following summer in Austria where Menotti began writing the libretto for his first mature opera, ''
Amelia Goes to the Ball ''Amelia al ballo'' (''Amelia Goes to the Ball'') is a one-act ''opera buffa'' by Gian Carlo Menotti, who set his own Italian libretto. Composed during 1936 when Menotti was in his mid-twenties, it was the composer's first mature opera and first c ...
'' (''Amelia al Ballo''), to his own Italian text while staying in a small village on
Lake Wolfgang Lake Wolfgang (german: Wolfgangsee) is a lake in Austria that lies mostly within the state of Salzburg and is one of the best known lakes in the Salzkammergut resort region. The municipalities on its shore are Strobl, St. Gilgen with the village ...
. The work was inspired by the Baroness von Montechivsky whom Menotti met earlier that summer in Vienna. He spent the majority of the next four years pursuing further musical studies in Europe, including composition studies with
Nadia Boulanger Juliette Nadia Boulanger (; 16 September 188722 October 1979) was a French music teacher and conductor. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organist. From a ...
in Paris. He did not finish composing the music for ''Amelia'' until his return to the United States in 1937. The Curtis Institute presented the world premiere of the ''Amelia Goes to the Ball'' at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia with Margaret Daum as Amelia in April 1937, and this was soon followed by professional stagings later that year at the Lyric Opera House in Baltimore and the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York City with soprano
Florence Kirk Florence Kirk (1909 – June 6, 1999) was an American dramatic soprano who had an active international performance career in operas and concerts from 1937 to 1954. Born in Philadelphia and trained at the Curtis Institute of Music by Elisabeth Sc ...
in the title role. A critical success, the
Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is opera ...
staged the work in 1938 with Muriel Dickson in the title role. The opera was given its first international staging in Sanremo, Italy that same year.''Amelia al Ballo'' is the only one of Menotti's operas still to be published in its original or perhaps "complementary" Italian libretto (alongside the English): it is an example of the traditional romantic Italianate style, with a nod to (but not an imitation of) Puccini and, notably, Mascagni (whose final opera, ''Nerone'', had premiered in 1935). The success of ''Amelia Goes to the Ball'' earned Menotti a commission to compose a radio opera for the NBC Radio Network, '' The Old Maid and the Thief'', one of the first such works. The opera premiered in a radio broadcast on April 22, 1939, with
Alberto Erede Alberto Erede (8 November 190912 April 2001) was an Italian conductor, particularly associated with operatic work. Born in Genoa, Erede studied there before studying at the Verdi Conservatory in Milan, then with Felix Weingartner at Basle, and ...
conducting the
NBC Symphony Orchestra The NBC Symphony Orchestra was a radio orchestra conceived by David Sarnoff, the president of the Radio Corporation of America, especially for the conductor Arturo Toscanini. The NBC Symphony performed weekly radio concert broadcasts with Tosc ...
for the closing of the orchestra's 1938–1939 season. The opera was first staged in a slightly revised version by the
Philadelphia Opera Company The Philadelphia Opera Company was the name of two different American opera companies active during the twentieth century in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The first company was founded by impresario Oscar Hammerstein I in 1908. That company disbanded ...
at the Academy of Music in
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
in 1941. The New York Philharmonic chose to program portions of the opera in 1942 with conductor Fritz Busch leading the ensemble. The first staged production in New York was presented by the New York City Opera in April 1948 in a double bill with ''Amelia Goes to the Ball'', both operas directed by the composer. In 1943, Menotti and Barber purchased ‘Capricorn', a house north of Manhattan in suburban Mount Kisco, New York. The home served as their artistic retreat up until 1972. Many of their major works were composed at this house. The two frequently hosted
salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon ( ...
gatherings at Capricorn with other well known composers, artists, musicians, and intellectuals in attendance. Menotti's third opera, ''
The Island God ''The Island God'' is a one-act opera by Gian Carlo Menotti with a libretto by the composer. It was first performed on February 20, 1942, at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Although the opera’s only performances were in English, Menot ...
'', was written for the Metropolitan Opera where it premiered to poor reviews in 1942. He believed this work failed because the libretto he wrote relied too heavily on metaphysics which resulted in an overly pretentious philosophical and symbolic work that failed to connect with audiences. In interviews he expressed that this failure taught him "how not to write an opera". Following this, he wrote his first dramatic play without music, ''A Copy of Madame Aupic'', in 1943. The work was not staged until 1947 when it premiered in
New Milford, Connecticut New Milford is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The town is in western Connecticut, north of Danbury, on the banks of the Housatonic River, and it shares its border with the northeastern shore of Candlewood Lake. It is th ...
. Other works from this period include a ballet, ''Sebastian'' (1944), and the ''Piano Concerto in A Minor'' (1945) which were written before Menotti returned to opera with '' The Medium'' in 1946. Commissioned by the Alice M. Ditson Fund, this fourth opera premiered at
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
and then transferred to a critically successful run on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in 1947. This Broadway production also included Menotti's fifth opera, the short one act opera ''
The Telephone, or L'Amour à trois ''The Telephone, or L'Amour à trois'' is an English-language comic opera in one act by Gian Carlo Menotti, both words and music. It was written for production by the Ballet Society and was first presented on a double bill with Menotti's ''The ...
'', as a prelude to performances of ''The Medium''. These operas became Menotti's first internationally successful works, notably receiving critically acclaimed productions in Paris and London in 1949 and later touring Europe in 1955 under the sponsorship of the
United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other na ...
with musical forces led by Thomas Schippers. ''The Medium'' was also made into a motion picture in 1951 starring
Marie Powers Marie Powers (1902–1973) was an American contralto who was best known for her performance as Madame Flora in Gian Carlo Menotti’s ''The Medium'', a role that she played on stage, screen and television. Early life On June 20, 1902, Powers wa ...
and Anna Maria Alberghetti and competed in the
1952 Cannes Film Festival The 5th Cannes Film Festival was held from 23 April to 10 May 1952. As in the previous three festivals, the entire jury of this festival was made up of French persons, with Maurice Genevoix as the Jury President. The Grand Prix of the Festival we ...
. It is widely regarded as one of the finest examples of opera on film ever made. In the midst of the success, Menotti also composed music for the 1948 ballet ''Errand in the Maze'' for the Martha Graham Dance Company, and wrote two screenplays for
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...
which were ultimately never developed into films. He accepted a position teaching music composition on the faculty of the Curtis Institute in 1948, a post he remained in until 1955. His notable pupils included composers Olga Gorelli, Lee Hoiby, Stanley Hollingsworth, Leonard Kastle,
George Rochberg George Rochberg (July 5, 1918May 29, 2005) was an American composer of contemporary classical music. Long a serial composer, Rochberg abandoned the practice following the death of his teenage son in 1964; he claimed this compositional technique ...
, and Luigi Zaninelli.


Middle career: 1950–1969

The 1950s marked the pinnacle of Menotti's critical acclaim, beginning with his first full-length opera, ''
The Consul ''The Consul'' is an opera in three acts with music and libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti, his first full-length opera. Performance history Its first performance was on March 1, 1950 at the Schubert Theatre in Philadelphia with Patricia Neway as the ...
'', which premiered on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in 1950. The work won both the Pulitzer Prize for Music and the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Musical Play of the Year (the latter in 1954). American soprano Patricia Neway starred as the tormented protagonist Magda Sorel, for which she won the Donaldson Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 1950. Menotti apparently intended to give a role to a then-unknown Maria Callas, but the producer would not have it. The work has become a part of the established opera repertory, and has been performed in more than a dozen languages and over 20 countries. In 1951, Menotti wrote his Christmas opera ''Amahl and the Night Visitors'' for NBC which was inspired by Hieronymus Bosch's painting ''
Adoration of the Magi The Adoration of the Magi or Adoration of the Kings is the name traditionally given to the subject in the Nativity of Jesus in art in which the three Magi, represented as kings, especially in the West, having found Jesus by following a star, ...
'' (c. 1485–1500). It was the first opera ever written for television in America, and first aired on Christmas Eve, 1951 with Chet Allen as Amahl and
Rosemary Kuhlmann Rosemary Kuhlmann (January 30, 1922 – August 17, 2019) was an American operatic mezzo-soprano and Broadway musical actress best known for originating the role of the Mother in Gian Carlo Menotti's ''Amahl and the Night Visitors'', the first oper ...
as his mother. The opera was such a success that the broadcasting of ''Amahl and the Night Visitors'' became an annual Christmas tradition. The work has also been staged by numerous opera companies, universities, and other institutions, and became one of the most frequently performed operas of the 20th century. The work remains Menotti's most popular work. Menotti won a second Pulitzer Prize for his opera '' The Saint of Bleecker Street'', which premiered at the
Broadway Theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''T ...
in 1955. This work was also awarded the Drama Critics' Circle Award for best musical and the New York Music Critics' Circle Award for the best opera. Set in contemporary New York, the opera is concerned with the conflict of the physical and spiritual worlds. Following its New York run, the opera was staged at La Scala and the Vienna Volksoper, and was recorded for BBC Television in 1957. This work was followed by '' The Unicorn, the Gorgon, and the Manticore'' (1956), a "madrigal fable" for chorus, ten dancers and nine instruments which was based on the 16th century Italian madrigal comedy. Commissioned by the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Foundation, the work premiered at the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...
in 1956 and was then staged by the
New York City Ballet New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company ...
with dancers Nicholas Magallanes and Arthur Mitchell in 1957. While working on ''The Unicorn, the Gorgon, and the Manticore, Menotti crafted the libretto for Barber's most famous opera, '' Vanessa'', which premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in 1958. That same year his opera '' Maria Golovin'' premiered at the 1958 Brussels World's Fair. Commissioned by Peter Herman Adler and the NBC Opera, the production moved to the
Martin Beck Theatre The Al Hirschfeld Theatre, originally the Martin Beck Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 302 West 45th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1924, it was designed by G. Albert Lansburgh in a Moorish a ...
on Broadway in 1959 and was also filmed for a nationally televised broadcast on NBC. The cast remained constant throughout and included Patricia Neway,
Ruth Kobart Ruth Kobart (April 24, 1924 – December 14, 2002) was an American performer, whose six-decade career encompassed opera, Broadway musical theatre, regional theatre, films, and television. Life and career Born as Ruth Maxine Kahn in Des Moin ...
,
Norman Kelley Norman Kelley (August 27, 1911 – September 4, 2006) was an American operatic tenor who had an active international career during the 1940s through the 1970s. He was notably a regular performer at the Metropolitan Opera between 1957 and 1961, a ...
, William Chapman, and Richard Cross. Menotti's founded the Festival of Two Worlds in
Spoleto Spoleto (, also , , ; la, Spoletum) is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east-central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is S. of Trevi, N. of Terni, SE of Perugia; SE of Florence; and N of Rome. History Sp ...
, Italy in 1958. His compositional output slowed as his duties as director of the festival consumed his time. He wrote the libretti for Barber's one act opera ''
A Hand of Bridge ''A Hand of Bridge'', opus 35, is an opera in one act composed by Samuel Barber with libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti, and is possibly the shortest opera that is regularly performed: it lasts about nine minutes. It premiered as a part of Menotti' ...
'' and Lukas Foss's ''Introductions and Good-byes'', both of which premiered together at the Festival of Two Worlds in 1959. He later revised the libretto for Barber's '' Antony and Cleopatra'' (1966). Albert Husson adapted his first dramatic play without music, ''A Copy of Madame Aupic'' (1943), into a French language play which premiered in Paris in 1959. Music critic
Joel Honig Joel Honig (October 13, 1936 – September 25, 2003) was an American music critic, copy editor, writer, and pianist. He is best remembered for his extensive contributions to ''Opera News'' magazine. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Honig studied piano ...
served as his personal secretary during the late 1950s. The year 1963 was a particularly busy one for Menotti. His television opera ''
Labyrinth In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (, ) was an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by ...
'' was premiered by the NBC Opera Theatre. Unlike ''Amahl and the Night Visitors'', this opera was never intended to be transferred from television to the stage and was written with the intention of utilizing special camera effects that were unique to television. That same year the opera ''
The Last Savage ''The Last Savage'' is an opera in three acts by composer Gian Carlo Menotti. Menotti wrote his own libretto, originally in the Italian language (''L'ultimo selvaggio''). The opera was translated into French (''Le dernier sauvage'') by Jean-Pier ...
'' premiered at the
Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief rival, the Comédie-Italienne ...
in Paris, and that work was given a lavish production at the Metropolitan Opera in 1964. This opera was disparaged by the French and American press, but was particularly well received for performances at opera houses in Italy in succeeding years. Also in 1963, his
cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning o ...
''
The Death of the Bishop of Brindisi ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
'' concerning the Children's Crusade of 1212 premiered at the
Cincinnati May Festival The Cincinnati May Festival is a two-week annual choral festival, held in May in Cincinnati, Ohio, US. History The festival's roots go back to the 1840s, when '' Saengerfests'' were held in that city, bringing singers from all over the United Sta ...
to good reviews. Menotti wrote a chamber opera, ''
Martin's Lie ''Martin's Lie'' is a chamber opera in one act with music and an English language libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti. Commissioned by CBS, it was Menotti's third opera for television after ''Amahl and the Night Visitors'' and ''Labyrinth''. Although n ...
'' (1964) under commissioned by CBS for American television. Although not initially conceived as a work for the stage, the opera premiered in a live theatrical performance on June 3, 1964, at the Bristol Cathedral for the opening of the 17th annual
Bath International Music Festival The Bath International Music Festival was held late each spring in Bath, South West England between 1948 and 2016. The festival included many genres such as Jazz, Classical, World and Folk and merged with the Bath Literature Festival in 2017 to c ...
. The opera was subsequently filmed with the same cast for television under the direction of Kirk Browning, and was broadcast nationally by CBS for the opera's United States premiere on May 30, 1965. In 1967 Thomas Schippers succeeded Menotti as director of the Festival of Two Worlds, although he continued on as President of the festival's board of directors for several more decades. That same year Menotti's
song cycle A song cycle (german: Liederkreis or Liederzyklus) is a group, or cycle, of individually complete songs designed to be performed in a sequence as a unit.Susan Youens, ''Grove online'' The songs are either for solo voice or an ensemble, or rare ...
''Canti della lontananza'' was given its premiere at
Hunter College Hunter College is a public university in New York City. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools. It also admin ...
by soprano Elisabeth Schwarzkopf for whom the work was written. He composed music for the 1968 production of
William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's ''
Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with ''Ham ...
'' at the
Théâtre National Populaire The Théâtre national populaire (French for ''People's National Theater'') is a theatre now at Villeurbanne, France. It was founded in 1920 by Firmin Gémier in Paris. Today, the TNP has a company of ten resident actors and the building is cur ...
with director
Michael Cacoyannis Michael Cacoyannis ( el, Μιχάλης Κακογιάννης, ''Michalis Kakogiannis''; 11 June 1922 – 25 July 2011), sometimes credited as Michael Yannis, was a Greek Cypriot theatre and film director, writer, producer, and actor. ...
. In 1969 the children's opera ''
Help, Help, the Globolinks! ''Help, Help, the Globolinks!'' is an opera in four scenes by Gian Carlo Menotti with an original English libretto by the composer. It was commissioned by the Hamburg State Opera and first performed as ''Hilfe, Hilfe, die Globolinks!'' in a Ger ...
'' premiered at the Hamburg State Opera, and the work was performed at the Santa Fe Opera and the New York City Opera the year after.


Later career: 1970–2007

In 1970 Menotti made the difficult decision to end his lengthy romantic relationship with Samuel Barber. Barber had battled depression and alcoholism following the harsh critical reaction to his 1966 opera ''Antony and Cleopatra'' which had a negative impact on his creative productivity and his relationship with Menotti.' Barber had already begun to self isolate for long periods of time at a chalet in Santa Christina, Italy and spent increasingly less time at Capricorn. Tensions grew between Menotti and Barber, leading Menotti to end their romantic attachment and put 'Capricorn' up for sale in 1970. Capricorn sold in 1972, and the two men remained friends after their romantic involvement ceased. In 1972 Menotti purchased
Yester House Yester House is an early 18th-century mansion near Gifford in East Lothian, Scotland. It was the home of the Hay family, later Marquesses of Tweeddale, from the 15th century until the late 1960s. Construction of the present house began in 1699 ...
, an 18th-century estate in the
Lammermuir Hills The Lammermuirs are a range of hills in southern Scotland, forming a natural boundary between East Lothian and the Borders. The name "Lammermuir" comes from the Old English ''lambra mōr'', meaning "moorland of the lambs". Geology The Lamm ...
, East Lothian, Scotland. He lived there until his death thirty-five years later. While there, he jokingly stated his Scottish neighbors referred to him as "Mr McNotti". In 1974 he adopted Francis "Chip" Phelan, an American actor and figure skater he had known since the early 1960s. Chip, and later his wife, lived with Menotti at Yester House. In 1970 Menotti's second drama without music, ''The Leper'', was first performed in Tallahassee, Florida, on April 24, 1970. His opera ''
The Most Important Man ''The Most Important Man'' is an opera in three acts with music and libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti. Commissioned by Julius Rudel for the New York City Opera, the work premiered at Lincoln Center in 1971 in a production directed by Menotti with se ...
'' was commissioned by the New York City Opera, and was given its premiere at
Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 milli ...
in 1971. An opera focusing on racial tensions in America with a central black hero, the work was poorly received by most critics. However, Menotti personally believed that this was one of his best operas on par with ''The Consul'' and ''The Saint of Bleecker Street''. His opera '' Tamu-Tamu'' premiered in 1973 at the Studebaker Theatre in Chicago as part of the IX Congress of the International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences. The year 1976 was particularly fruitful for Menotti, with a series of premieres commissioned in honor of the bicentennial of the Declaration of Independence. The first of these was the cantata in nine parts for soloists, chorus and orchestra, "Landscapes and Remembrances," which premiered on May 8 in a performance by the Bel Canto Chorus and Milwaukee Symphony in Milwaukee. Filmed for national broadcast on PBS, the piece is Menotti's most autobiographical work with the text consisting of personal memories and incidents of the composer's own life in America. On June 1 the Opera Company of Philadelphia performed the world premiere of the comedic opera ''
The Hero The Hero may refer to: Books * "The Hero" (poem), a poem written by Rabindranath Tagore * ''The Hero'' (novel), a science fiction novel by John Ringo and Michael Z. Williamson * '' The Hero: A Study in Tradition, Myth and Drama'', a book by Fi ...
'' (1976) which satirized American politics, particularly the
Watergate scandal The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's contin ...
. On August 4 of that same year the Philadelphia Orchestra presented the world premiere of Menotti's ''Symphony No. 1'' ("Halcyon Symphony") at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center under the baton of Eugene Ormandy. In 1977 Menotti founded Spoleto Festival USA, a companion festival to his Spoleto Festival (the other of its Two Worlds), in
Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...
. For three weeks each summer, Spoleto is visited by nearly a half-million people.''Time'', February 1, 2007 These festivals were intended to bring opera to a popular audience and helped launch the careers of such artists as singer Shirley Verrett and choreographers Paul Taylor and
Twyla Tharp Twyla Tharp (; born July 1, 1941) is an American dancer, choreographer, and author who lives and works in New York City. In 1966 she formed the company Twyla Tharp Dance. Her work often uses classical music, jazz, and contemporary pop music. Fr ...
. In 1986, he extended the concept to a Spoleto Festival in
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...
, Australia. Menotti was the artistic director during the period of 1986–88, but after three festivals there, he decided to withdraw – and took the naming rights with him. The Melbourne Spoleto Festival has now become the Melbourne International Arts Festival. Menotti left Spoleto USA in 1993 to take the helm of the Rome Opera. In spite of these festival's claims on Menotti's time, which included directing plays as well as operas, he maintained an active artistic career. Many of his later operas are directed towards children, both as subjects and as performers, including ''The Egg'' (1976), ''The Trial of the Gypsy'' (1978), ''Chip and his Dog'' (1979), ''A Bride from Pluto'' (1982), ''The Boy who Grew too Fast'' (1982), and his final opera ''The Singing Child'' (1993). The San Diego Opera commissioned the opera '' La Loca'' (1979) as a 50th birthday gift for soprano Beverly Sills, and she performed the work both in San Diego and with the New York City Opera. The work tells the story of the daughter of Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain, and was the last opera Sills added to her repertory before retiring. In 1986 his opera '' Goya'', written for
Placido Domingo Placido may refer to: People Surname *José Plácido de Castro (1873–1908), Brazilian soldier and politician *Michele Placido, (born 1946) Italian actor and director * Plácido Vega y Daza, (1830-1878) 19th century Mexican general and politician ...
, was given its première by the Washington National Opera. With ''Goya'' (1986), he utilized a traditional giovane scuola Italian style. His last opera for adults, ''The Wedding Day'', premiered in Seoul, South Korea in conjunction with the
1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...
under the baton of Daniel Lipton. In 1992 Menotti was appointed Artist Director of the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, a post he maintained for two years before being asked to resign over conflicts with the theatre's managers involving Menotti's insistence of staging Wagner's '' Lohengrin''. In honour of the 1995
Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Physiolo ...
, the American Choral Directors Association commissioned ''Gloria'' as part of the Mass celebrating the occasion. In 1996 Menotti directed his second filmed version of ''Amahl and the Night Visitors''. Menotti died on February 1, 2007, at the age of 95 at Princess Grace Hospital Centre in
Monte Carlo, Monaco Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Monaco, Principality of Monaco, specifically the Ward (country subdivision), ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugue ...
. He was buried in East Lothian, Scotland. In June and July 2007 the Festival of Two Worlds, which Menotti founded and oversaw until his death, dedicated the 50th Anniversary of the Festival to his memory, organised by his son Francis. Menotti works performed during the festival included ''Maria Golovin'', ''Landscapes and Remembrances'', ''Missa O Pulchritudo'', and ''The Unicorn, the Gorgon, and the Manticore''.


Musical style and critical assessment of Menotti

Menotti's style was particularly influenced by Giacomo Puccini and Modest Mussorgsky, and he further developed the verismo tradition of opera in the post-
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
era. Rejecting atonality and the aesthetic of the Second Viennese School, his music is characterized by expressive
lyricism Lyricism is a quality that expresses deep feelings or emotions in an inspired work of art. Often used to describe the capability of a Lyricist. Description Lyricism is when art is expressed in a beautiful or imaginative way, or when it has an ...
which carefully sets language to natural rhythms in ways that highlight textual meaning and underscore dramatic intent. In explaining his rejection of many of the composition trends of musical modernism, Menotti stated: "Atonal music is essentially pessimistic. It is incapable of expressing joy or humor." Menotti wrote skilfully for smaller instrumental ensembles, and his orchestrations tend to be lighter and open. A composer who purposefully chose to cater to the tastes of the general public, his use of tonal melodies often had a modal flavor, frequently used sequence and repetition; they are easily remembered. In his operas his aria-like passages tend to be brief so as not to interrupt the dramatic flow, while his recitative-like passages carefully used natural speech rhythms that make the text easily understood by audiences. In 1964 he wrote:
"There is a certain indolence towards the use of the voice today, a tendency to treat the voice instrumentally, as if composers feared that its texture is too expressive, too human.
While principally writing in the verismo style, Menotti did use some newer 20th century harmonic techniques and language when they served the dramatic intent of his works. For example, he uses 12-tone music ironically in Act 2 of ''The Last Savage'' to parody contemporary civilization (and indirectly the avant-garde composer); electronic tape music to represent the invaders from outer space in ''Help, Help, the Globolinks!'', and a lengthy sustained high dissonant chord in ''The Consul'' at the moment of Magda's suicide. Even in his tonal harmonic passages he would sometimes break traditional harmonic progression rules by employing
parallel harmony In music, parallel harmony, also known as harmonic parallelism, harmonic planing or parallel voice leading, is the parallel movement of two or more melodies (see voice leading). Illustrative example Lines with parallel harmony can be viewed as ...
. Critical appraisal of Menotti's works have spanned a wide range, and he experienced varied reactions to his music during his career. His early career was mainly marked by critical and commercial success, with the operas ''Amelia Goes to the Ball'' (1937), ''The Old Maid and the Thief'' (1939), ''The Medium'' (1946), ''The Telephone'' (1947), ''The Consul'' (1950), ''Amahl and the Night Visitors'' (1951), and ''The Saint of Bleecker Street'' (1954) all demonstrating popular appeal and overall favorable reviews. Music critic and editor
Winthrop Sargeant Winthrop Sargeant (December 10, 1903 – August 15, 1986) was an American music critic, violinist, and writer. Early life Sargeant was born in San Francisco, California on December 10, 1903. He studied violin in his native city with Albert Elku ...
of ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...
'', ''
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'' and '' Musical America'' was a particular admirer of Menotti who championed the composer in his reviews for his skillful merge of music and theater. In contrast, Joseph Kerman wrote in the 1956 edition of his widely read ''Opera as Drama'', "Menotti is a trivial artist, a sensationalist in the old style, and in fact a weak one, diluting the faults of Strauss and Puccini with none of their fugitive virtues." However, Kerman later tempered his assessment, and retracted this statement in the 1988 revision of the book. Kerman's scathing attack on Menotti was the beginning of a ambivalent relationship with music criticism for the composer which increased in the critical climate of the 1960s in which reviewers favored serialism and the musical avant-garde over Menotti's Italian verismo-inspired style. Viewed as a regressive musical conservative in this period, critics tended to dismiss his work as derivative or overly melodramatic. This negative reaction to Menotti's music continued into the 1980s, but then softened as tastes shifted away from serialism and the avant-garde towards neo-romanticism. Writing in ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'' at the time of Menotti's death in 2007, music critic Peter Dickinson wrote
The reaction against Menotti's popularity was, for a time, disproportionately extreme. The movement towards neo-romanticism during the last 20 years has tended to favour Barber, who used an excellent libretto from Menotti for his grand opera Vanessa, produced at the Met in 1958. But for sheer theatrical craft and human curiosity, sustained by his own complex emotional make-up, Menotti created a telling verismo of the Second World War era.


List of Menotti's operas

Sources: * ''The Death of Pierrot'' (1922) * ''The Little Mermaid'' (1923, lost) * ''
Amelia Goes to the Ball ''Amelia al ballo'' (''Amelia Goes to the Ball'') is a one-act ''opera buffa'' by Gian Carlo Menotti, who set his own Italian libretto. Composed during 1936 when Menotti was in his mid-twenties, it was the composer's first mature opera and first c ...
'' (''Amelia al ballo'') (1937) * '' The Old Maid and the Thief'', radio opera (1939) * ''
The Island God ''The Island God'' is a one-act opera by Gian Carlo Menotti with a libretto by the composer. It was first performed on February 20, 1942, at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Although the opera’s only performances were in English, Menot ...
'' (1942) * '' The Medium'' (1946) * ''
The Telephone, or L'Amour à trois ''The Telephone, or L'Amour à trois'' is an English-language comic opera in one act by Gian Carlo Menotti, both words and music. It was written for production by the Ballet Society and was first presented on a double bill with Menotti's ''The ...
'' (1947) * ''
The Consul ''The Consul'' is an opera in three acts with music and libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti, his first full-length opera. Performance history Its first performance was on March 1, 1950 at the Schubert Theatre in Philadelphia with Patricia Neway as the ...
'' (1950) * ''
Amahl and the Night Visitors ''Amahl and the Night Visitors'' is an opera in one act by Gian Carlo Menotti with an original English libretto by the composer.Menotti, Gian-Carlo: ''Amahl and the Night Visitors (piano-vocal score)'', G. Schirmer, Inc., 1997. It was commissi ...
'', television opera (1951) * '' The Saint of Bleecker Street'' (1954) * '' Maria Golovin'' (1958) * ''
Labyrinth In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (, ) was an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by ...
'', television opera (1963) * ''
The Last Savage ''The Last Savage'' is an opera in three acts by composer Gian Carlo Menotti. Menotti wrote his own libretto, originally in the Italian language (''L'ultimo selvaggio''). The opera was translated into French (''Le dernier sauvage'') by Jean-Pier ...
'' (1963) * ''
Martin's Lie ''Martin's Lie'' is a chamber opera in one act with music and an English language libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti. Commissioned by CBS, it was Menotti's third opera for television after ''Amahl and the Night Visitors'' and ''Labyrinth''. Although n ...
'' (1964) * ''
Help, Help, the Globolinks! ''Help, Help, the Globolinks!'' is an opera in four scenes by Gian Carlo Menotti with an original English libretto by the composer. It was commissioned by the Hamburg State Opera and first performed as ''Hilfe, Hilfe, die Globolinks!'' in a Ger ...
'' (1968) * ''
The Most Important Man ''The Most Important Man'' is an opera in three acts with music and libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti. Commissioned by Julius Rudel for the New York City Opera, the work premiered at Lincoln Center in 1971 in a production directed by Menotti with se ...
'' (1971) * '' Tamu-Tamu'' (1973) * ''The Egg'' (1976) * ''
The Hero The Hero may refer to: Books * "The Hero" (poem), a poem written by Rabindranath Tagore * ''The Hero'' (novel), a science fiction novel by John Ringo and Michael Z. Williamson * '' The Hero: A Study in Tradition, Myth and Drama'', a book by Fi ...
'' (1976) * '' The Trial of the Gypsy'' (1978) * '' Chip and his Dog'', on commission for the CCOC (1979) * '' La Loca'' (1979) * ''
A Bride from Pluto A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...
'' (1982) * ''
The Boy Who Grew Too Fast ''The Boy Who Grew Too Fast'' is a "one-act opera for young people" with music and libretto by Gian-Carlo Menotti Gian Carlo Menotti (, ; July 7, 1911 – February 1, 2007) was an Italian composer, librettist, director, and playwright who is p ...
'' (1982) * '' Goya'' (1986), with
Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French ...
in the title role * ''
The Wedding Day ''The Wedding Day'' (Swedish: ''Brollopsdagen'') is a 1960 Swedish comedy film directed by Kenne Fant and starring Max von Sydow, Bibi Andersson and Edvin Adolphson.Qvist & Von Bagh p.37 The film's sets were designed by the art director Bibi L ...
'' (''Giorno di Nozze'') (1988) * '' The Singing Child'' (1993)


Other works

* ''Sebastian'', ballet (1944) * Piano Concerto No. 1 (1945) * Symphonic poem, ''Apocalypse'' (1951) * Violin Concerto (1952) * '' The Unicorn, the Gorgon, and the Manticore'' (1956), a madrigal fable for chorus, instruments, and dancers * Triple Concerto (1970) * Symphony No. 1, ''Halcyon'' (1976) * ''Missa 'O Pulchritudo (1979) mass with inserted text * Piano Concerto No. 2 (1982) * Double-Bass Concerto (1983)


Honors

In 1984 Menotti was awarded a Kennedy Center Honor for achievement in the arts, and in 1991 he was chosen as ''Musical America's "Musician of the Year". In addition to composing operas to his own texts, on his chosen subject matter, Menotti directed most productions of his work. In 1997, he was awarded the
Brock Commission The American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a non-profit organization with the stated purpose of promoting excellence in the field of choral music. Its membership comprises approximately 22,000 c ...
from the American Choral Directors Association., Retrieved March 2016 In 2010, the main theatre in Spoleto was renamed as the ''Teatro Nuovo Gian Carlo Menotti'' to honour his role as creator and spirit of the festival.Theatre profile
on MySpoleto. Accessed February 25, 2015.


Publications

Vocal scores of his compositions: * ''Amahl and the Night Visitors: Vocal Score''.
G. Schirmer Inc. G. Schirmer, Inc. is an American classical music publishing company based in New York City, founded in 1861. The oldest active music publisher in the United States, Schirmer publishes sheet music for sale and rental, and represents some well-know ...
, 1986. . * ''The Telephone: Vocal Score''. G. Schirmer Inc., 1986. . * ''The Medium: Vocal Score''. G. Schirmer Inc., 1986. . * ''Mass for the Contemporary English Liturgy''. G. Schirmer Inc., 1990.


See also

*


References

Notes Sources * Wlaschin, Ken, ''Gian Carlo Menotti on Screen: Opera, Dance and Choral Works on Film, Television and Video''. McFarland & Company, 1999. * Gruen, John, ''Menotti: A Biography''. Macmillan Pub. Co, 1978. . *


External links

* *
Art of the States: Giancarlo Menotti


by Bruce Duffie (1981, 1993, 1995) * from first recording of Menotti's Arioso for 2 cellos and strings. {{DEFAULTSORT:Menotti, Giancarlo 1911 births 2007 deaths 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century classical composers 20th-century Italian composers 20th-century Italian dramatists and playwrights American male classical composers American classical composers American opera composers American opera librettists Ballet composers Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Composers for carillon Curtis Institute of Music alumni Donaldson Award winners Italian ballet composers Italian classical composers Italian emigrants to the United States Italian male classical composers Italian male dramatists and playwrights Italian opera composers Italian opera librettists Kennedy Center honorees Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic LGBT classical composers American LGBT musicians LGBT musicians from Italy Male opera composers Milan Conservatory alumni Opera directors Peabody Award winners People associated with East Lothian People from the Province of Varese Pulitzer Prize for Music winners Pupils of Rosario Scalero 20th-century Italian male writers 20th-century LGBT people