Antonio Cagnoni (8 February 1828 – 30 April 1896) was an Italian

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

. Primarily known for his twenty

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

s, his work is characterized by his use of

leitmotif A leitmotif or () is a "short, recurring musical phrase" associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical concepts of ''idée fixe'' or ''motto-theme''. The spelling ''leitmotif'' is a partial angliciz ...

s and moderately dissonant harmonies. In addition to writing music for the stage, he composed a modest amount of sacred music, most notably a ''Requiem'' in 1888. He also contributed the third movement, ''Quid sum miser'', to the ''

Messa per Rossini Messa (Italian for mass (liturgy)) may refer to: * '' Al Messa'', a daily newspaper * ''Messa'' (Puccini), an 1880 mass * Messa (Greece), a town in ancient Greece See also * Massa (disambiguation) * Mess (disambiguation) A mess is a place w ...

'', a collaborative work created by thirteen composers to honor

Gioacchino Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. He gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote man ...

Life and career

Born in

Godiasco Godiasco Salice Terme (Western Lombard: ''Gudiass'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pavia in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 60 km south of Milan and about 30 km south of Pavia. Geography The municipality of ...

, Cagnoni first studied music composition privately in

Voghera image:Voghera Castle.jpg, The Castle of Voghera in a 19th-century etching. Voghera (Emilian dialect, Vogherese dialect of Emilian: ''Vughera''; Latin language, Latin: ''Forum Iulii Iriensium'') is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Pavia i ...

. He then studied at the

Milan Conservatory The Milan Conservatory, also known as the Conservatorio di Milano and the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi, is a Music school, college of music in Milan, Italy. History The conservatory was established by a royal decree of 1807 in Milan, capital ...

where his first three operas, ''Rosalia di San Miniato'' (1845), ''I due savoiardi'' (1846), and '' Don Bucefalo'', were premiered while he was a student. The latter work was particularly well received and enjoyed successful stagings at the

Teatro Nacional de São Carlos The ''Teatro Nacional de São Carlos'' () (''National Theatre of Saint Charles'') is an opera house in Lisbon, Portugal. It was opened on June 30, 1793 by Queen Maria I as a replacement for the Tejo Opera House, which was destroyed in the 1755 ...

(1850),

Teatro di San Carlo The Real Teatro di San Carlo ("Royal Theatre of Saint Charles"), as originally named by the Bourbon monarchy but today known simply as the Teatro (di) San Carlo, is a historic opera house in Naples, Italy, connected to the Royal Palace and ...

(1853), the

Teatro della Canobbiana The Teatro Lirico (known until 1894 as the Teatro alla Canobbiana) is a theatre in Milan, Italy. In the 19th and early 20th centuries it hosted numerous opera performances, including the world premieres of Donizetti's ''L'elisir d'amore'' and Gio ...

(1854), and the

Teatro Regio di Parma Teatro Regio di Parma, originally constructed as the Nuovo Teatro Ducale (New Ducal Theatre),Martini, "Before the Teatro Regio", pp. 56 is an opera house and opera company in Parma, Italy. Replacing an obsolete house, the new Ducale achieved pro ...

(1860) among others. He went on to compose 16 more operas and a pastiche, of which his most successful were ''Michele Perrin'' (1864), ''Claudia'' (1866), ''Un capriccio di donna'' (1870), ''Papà Martin'' (1871), and ''Francesca da Rimini'' (1878). His last opera, ''Re Lear'', was completed in 1895 but did not premiere until 2009 when it was mounted at the

Festival della Valle d'Itria The Festival della Valle d'Itria is a summer opera festival held in the south eastern Italian town of Martina Franca in the Apulia region. The Festival was founded in 1975 and performances are given in July and August each summer on a specially ...

. In addition to his composition work, Cagnoni served as the

maestro di cappella ( , , ), from German (chapel) and (master), literally "master of the chapel choir", designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians. Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel, the term has evolved considerably in i ...

at the

Vigevano Cathedral Vigevano Cathedral (, ''Cattedrale di Sant'Ambrogio'') is a Roman Catholic cathedral dedicated to Saint Ambrose and located in the Piazza Ducale of Vigevano, Italy. It is the seat of the Bishop of Vigevano. The present building dates from the 16t ...

from 1852 to 1879 and served in the same capacity at the

Novara Cathedral Novara Cathedral ( or ''Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta'') is a Roman Catholic cathedral, dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, located at the Piazza della Repubblica in Novara, Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont, Italy. It is the seat of the ...

from 1879 to 1888. He became the director of the Civico Istituto Musicale Gaetano Donizetti in Bergamo in 1888, serving in that capacity until his death, in

Bergamo Bergamo ( , ; ) is a city in the Alps, alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from the alpine lakes Lake Como, Como and Lake Iseo, Iseo and 70 km (43 mi) from Lake Garda, Garda and Lake ...

, eight years later.

Operas

*''Rosalia di San Miniato'' (melodramma semiserio, 2 acts, libretto by Callisto Bassi, 28 February 1845, Milan Conservatory) *''I due savoiardi'' (melodramma semiserio, 2 acts, libretto by Leopoldo Tarantini, 15 June 1846, Milan Conservatory) *'' Don Bucefalo'' (melodramma semiserio, 3 acts, libretto by Callisto Bassi, 28 June 1847, Milan Conservatory) *''Il testamento di Figaro'' (melodramma comico, 2 acts, libretto by Callisto Bassi, 26 February 1848, Milan, Teatro Rè) *''Amori e trappole'' (melodramma giocoso, 3 acts, libretto by

Felice Romani Giuseppe Felice Romani (31 January 178828 January 1865) was an Italian poet and scholar of literature and mythology who wrote many librettos for the opera composers Donizetti and Bellini. Romani was considered the finest Italian librettist betw ...

, 27 April 1850, Genoa,

Teatro Carlo Felice The Teatro Carlo Felice is the principal opera house of Genoa, Italy, used for performances of opera, ballet, orchestral music, and recitals. It is located on the side of Piazza De Ferrari. History The hall is named for King Carlo Felice, a ...

) *''Il sindaco babbeo'' (opera comica, 3 acts, libretto by Giorgio Giachetti, 3 March 1851, Milan, Teatro di Santa Radegonda) *''La valle d'Andorra'' (melodramma semiserio, 2 acts, libretto by Giorgio Giachetti, 7 June 1851, Milan,

) *''Giralda'' (melodramma giocoso, 3 acts, libretto by Giorgio Giachetti and Raffaele Berninzone, 8 May 1852, Milan, Teatro di Santa Radegonda) *''La fioraia'' (melodramma giocoso, 3 acts, libretto by Giorgio Giachetti, 24 November 1853, Turin, Teatro Nazionale) *''La figlia di Don Liborio'' (opera buffa, 3 acts, libretto by Francesco Guidi, 18 October 1856, Genoa, Teatro Carlo Felice) *''Il vecchio della montagna ossia L'emiro'' (tragedia lirica, 4 acts, libretto by Francesco Guidi, 5 September 1860, Turin,

Teatro Carignano The Teatro Carignano (Carignano Theatre) is a theatre in Turin and one of the oldest and most important theatres in Italy. Designed by Benedetto Alfieri, it is located opposite the Palazzo Carignano. Building commenced in 1752 and the theatre wa ...

) *''Michele Perrin'' (opera comica, 3 acts, libretto by Marco Marcelliano Marcello, 7 May 1864, Milan, Teatro di Santa Radegonda) *''Claudia'' (dramma lirico, 4 acts, libretto by Marco Marcelliano Marcello, 20 May 1866, Milan, Teatro della Canobbiana) *''La tombola'' (commedia lirica, 3 acts, libretto by

Francesco Maria Piave Francesco Maria Piave (18 May 18105 March 1876) was an Italian opera libretto, librettist who was born in Murano in the lagoon of Venice, during the brief Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic), Kingdom of Italy. Career Piave's career spanned ...

, 18 January 1867, Rome, Torre Argentina) *''La vergine di Kermo'' (melodramma romantico, 3 acts, a pastiche also containing music by Carlo Pedrotti,

Federico Ricci Federico Ricci (22 October 1809 – 10 December 1877), was an Italian composer, particularly of operas. Born in Naples, he was the younger brother of Luigi Ricci, with whom he collaborated on several works. Federico studied at Naples as had hi ...

Amilcare Ponchielli Amilcare Ponchielli (, ; 31 August 1834 – 16 January 1886) was an Italian opera composer, best known for his opera La Gioconda (opera), ''La Gioconda''. He was married to the soprano Teresina Brambilla. Life and work Born in Paderno Fasolaro ( ...

Giovanni Pacini Giovanni Pacini (11 February 17966 December 1867) was an Italian composer, best known for his operas. Pacini was born in Catania, Sicily, the son of the buffo Luigi Pacini, who was to appear in the premieres of many of Giovanni's operas. The fam ...

Lauro Rossi Lauro Rossi (born in Macerata, 19 February 1810;Some sources say 1812. died in Cremona, 5 May 1885), was an Italian composer, particularly of operas. There is no known connection with Luigi Rossi (1597–1653). Life and career Rossi studied i ...

, and

Alberto Mazzucato Alberto Mazzucato (28 July 1813 – 31 December 1877) was an Italian composer, music teacher, and writer. Mazzucato was born in Udine. He trained at the Padua Conservatory and composed eight operas between 1834 and 1843, the most successful of ...

, libretto by Francesco Guidi, 16 February 1870, Cremona, Teatro Concordia) *''Un capriccio di donna'' (melodramma serio, 1 prologue and 3 acts, libretto by

Antonio Ghislanzoni Antonio Ghislanzoni (; 25 November 1824 – 16 July 1893) was an Italian journalist, poet, and novelist who wrote librettos for Verdi, among other composers, of which the best known are ''Aida'' and the revised version of '' La forza del de ...

, 10 March 1870, Genoa, Teatro Carlo Felice) *''Papà Martin'' (opera semiseria, 3 acts, libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, 4 March 1871, Genoa, Teatro Politeama Tivoli) *''Il duca di Tapigliano'' (opera comica, 1 prologue and 2 acts, libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, 10 October 1874, Lecco, Teatro Sociale) *''Francesca da Rimini (tragedia lirica, 4 acts, libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, 19 February 1878, Turin, Teatro Regio) *''Re Lear'' (tragedia lirica, 4 acts, libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, 19 July 2009, Martina Franca,

)

References

External links

*
List of operas
on operone.de (based on the German MGG)] {{DEFAULTSORT:Cagnoni, Antonio 1828 births 1896 deaths Academic staff of the Bergamo Conservatory Italian Romantic composers Milan Conservatory alumni Italian opera composers Italian male opera composers People from the Province of Pavia 19th-century Italian classical composers 19th-century Italian male musicians