Claudio Guastalla was an Italian

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 ...

librettist A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major ...

. Guastalla was born in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

on 7 November 1880 and died probably in the same city in 1948. Especially important was his collaboration with the composer

Ottorino Respighi Ottorino Respighi ( , , ; 9 July 187918 April 1936) was an Italian composer, violinist, teacher, and musicologist and one of the leading Italian composers of the early 20th century. List of compositions by Ottorino Respighi, His compositions ra ...

Operas

Guastalla wrote fifteen libretti. Among them: * ''La grazia'', opera in 2 acts, music by

Vincenzo Michetti Vincenzo Michetti (1878 in Pesaro – 1956 in Pesaro) was an Italian composer. Works Operas * ''Maria di Magdala'', dramma lirico in 3 acts (episodes), libretto by the composer, Rome, Teatro Costanzi, 5 March 1918 * ''La grazia'', dramma pas ...

, Rome,

Teatro Costanzi The Teatro dell'Opera di Roma (Rome Opera House) is an opera house in Rome, Italy. Originally opened in November 1880 as the 2,212 seat ''Costanzi Theatre'', it has undergone several changes of name as well modifications and improvements. The pre ...

, 31 March 1923 (after

Grazia Deledda Grazia Maria Cosima Damiana Deledda (; or Gràtzia Deledda ; 27 September 1871 – 15 August 1936) was an Italian writer who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1926 "for her idealistically inspired writings which with plastic clarity p ...

) * ''

Belfagor ''Belfagor'' (premiere 26 April 1923) is an Italian-language opera by the composer Ottorino Respighi to a libretto by Claudio Guastalla (1880–1948) based on the comedy ''Belfagor'' of Ercole Luigi Morselli (1882–1921), itself loosely based ...

'', commedia lirica in 1 prologue, 2 acts and 1 epilogue, music by Ottorino Respighi, Milan,

Teatro alla Scala La Scala (, , ; officially , ) is a historic opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as (, which previously was a church). The premiere performance was Antonio Salieri's ''Europa r ...

, 26 April 1923 * ''Die versunkene Glocke'' ('' La campana sommersa''), opera in 4 acts, music by Ottorino Respighi,

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

, Stadttheater, 18 November 1927 * ''Odette'', opera in 3 acts, music by Mario Marangolo,

Brescia Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...

, Teatro Grande, 1929 * ''

Maria egiziaca (''Saint Mary of Egypt'') is an opera in a single three-episode act by the Italian composer Ottorino Respighi. The libretto, by Claudio Guastalla, is based on a medieval life of Saint Mary of Egypt, contained in the translation into the vernacu ...

'' , mistero lirico in 1 act and three episodes, music by Ottorino Respighi, New York City,

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

, 16 March 1932 * ''La fiamma'', melodramma in 3 acts, music by Ottorino Respighi, Rome, Teatro dell'Opera, 23 January 1934 * '' Lucrezia'' , opera in 1 act, music by Ottorino Respighi, Milan, Teatro alla Scala, 24 February 1937 * ''Gli Orazi'', opera (istoria per musica) in 1 act, music by

Ennio Porrino Ennio Porrino (20 January 1910 – 25 September 1959) was an Italian composer and teacher. Amongst his compositions were orchestral works, an oratorio and several operas and ballets. His best known work is the symphonic poem ''Sardegna'', a tri ...

, Milan, Teatro alla Scala, 1 February 1941 Guastalla was also the author of the subject of Respighi's ballet ''Belkis, regina di Saba'' (1932) and collaborated with Respighi for a revision (1934) of the libretto of ''

L'Orfeo ''L'Orfeo'' (Stattkus-Verzeichnis, SV 318) (), or ''La favola d'Orfeo'' , is a late Renaissance music, Renaissance/early Baroque music, Baroque ''favola in musica'', or List of operas by Claudio Monteverdi, opera, by Claudio Monteverdi, with a li ...

'' of

Claudio Monteverdi Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (baptized 15 May 1567 – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, choirmaster and string instrument, string player. A composer of both Secular music, secular and Church music, sacred music, and a pioneer ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guastalla, Claudio Italian opera librettists 1880 births 1948 deaths Musicians from Rome Italian male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Italian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Italian male writers Ottorino Respighi