Leopoldo Mugnone (29 September 1858 in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

– 22 December 1941 in Capodichino, Naples) was an Italian conductor, especially of opera, whose most famous work was done in the period 1890–1920, both in Europe and South America. He conducted various operatic premieres, and was also a composer of operas.

Training

The son of Antonio Mugnone, principal double-bass in the orchestra of the San Carlo Theatre in Naples, Mugnone studied from an early age at the Royal Conservatorio of

San Pietro a Maiella San Pietro a Majella is a church in Naples, Italy. The term may also refer to the adjacent Naples music conservatory, which occupies the premises of the monastery that used to form a single complex with the church. The church stands at the west ...

under Paolo Serrao and Beniamino Cesi. He composed his first theatre work, a little opera buffa ''Il Dottor Bartolo Salsapariglia'', at the age of 12, in which he wished to take part in the basso comico role, though he had then only an alto voice. At 16 he began conducting. A year later he was recruited as a chorus director for an operetta troupe at the Teatro Nuovo, run by F. Sadowsky. From there he went on to the Garibaldi Theatre, first as chorus master and later as ''concertatore''. Two other early operettas by him, ''Don Bizzarro e le sue figlie'' (1 act), and ''Mamma Angot al serraglio di Costantinopoli'' (3 acts) were produced during the later 1870s at Naples. Mugnone was himself the teacher of the conductor Uriel Nespoli.

Early career

Mugnone established his reputation in Italy and beyond, and conducted a tour with the double-bass player Bottesini. In 1887 at the Costanzi Theatre (Rome) in a single season he conducted '' La forza del destino'' and Filippo Marchetti's ''

Ruy Blas ''Ruy Blas'' () is a tragic drama by Victor Hugo. It was the first play presented at the Théâtre de la Renaissance and opened on November 8, 1838. Though considered by many to be Hugo’s best drama, the play was initially met with only ave ...

''. After this the publisher Sonzogno, recognising his potential, took him under his wing: in 1888 he was promoted to conduct at La Scala, at the Théâtre de la Gaîté in Paris, and at the Municipale in

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionGiuseppe Depanis, a ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the O ...

'' of his of 1888, with Luisa Borghi, at the Carignano in

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

was the last artistic experience enjoyed by

Friedrich Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher. He began his career as a classical philology, classical philologist, turning to philosophy early in his academic career. In 1869, aged 24, Nietzsche bec ...

before madness overtook him. Mugnone was very esteemed by

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma, to a family of moderate means, recei ...

, who especially admired his performances of ''

Otello ''Otello'' () is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on William Shakespeare, Shakespeare's play ''Othello''. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, first performed at the La Scala, Teatro alla Scala, M ...

'' and ''

Falstaff Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare and is eulogised in a fourth. His significance as a fully developed character is primarily formed in the plays ''Henry IV, Part 1'' and '' Part 2'', w ...

'', and became a friend of the conductor. After a May 1894 performance of ''Falstaff'' at the Paris Opera, Boito wrote to Verdi: "Mugnone has understood the entire score with a great power of penetration." With the same work Mugnone gave the inaugural concert of the

Teatro Massimo The Teatro Massimo Vittorio Emanuele is an opera house and opera company located on the Piazza Verdi in Palermo, Sicily. It was dedicated to King Victor Emanuel II. It is the biggest in Italy, and one of the largest of Europe (at the time of its ...

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

on 16 May 1897. A story goes that he once got hold of a score with Toscanini's annotations and flung it from him, saying: "Bah! Puzza di Parma!" (It stinks of Parma). The Verdi centenary celebrations of October 1913, at La Scala, opened with a memorable performance of ''

Nabucco ''Nabucco'' (; short for ''Nabucodonosor'' , i.e. "Nebuchadnezzar II, Nebuchadnezzar") is an Italian-language opera in four acts composed in 1841 by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Temistocle Solera. The libretto is based on the biblic ...

'' which he arranged and directed. His own compositions, however, and many of his most important premieres, were in the field of

verismo In opera, , from , meaning 'true', was a post-Romantic operatic tradition associated with Italian composers such as Pietro Mascagni, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Umberto Giordano, Francesco Cilea and Giacomo Puccini. ''Verismo'' as an operatic ge ...

opera. In 1890 he conducted the sensational premiere of Mascagni's ''

Cavalleria rusticana ''Cavalleria rusticana'' (; ) is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, adapted from an 1880 Cavalleria rusticana (short story), short story of the same name and subsequent ...

'' (who had won the ''Concorso Sonzogno'' with this work), at the Costanzi with Gemma Bellincioni and

Roberto Stagno Roberto Stagno (; 18 October 1840 ome sources give 1836 as his birth year – 26 April 1897) was a prominent Italian opera tenor. He became an important interpreter of verismo music when it burst on to the operatic scene during the 1890s; ...

. After this he was sought out by composers of the young school as one likely to be sympathetic to their work. His own one-act opera '' Il biricchino'' (Venice 1892) did not fare well in Vienna, for after it was presented at the Teatro dell’Esposizione in 1892, the critic Hanslick pronounced it to be a mediocre and objectionable thing. It appeared in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

in 1893. Mugnone became famous for other revivals of important operas, including

Gluck Christoph Willibald ( Ritter von) Gluck (; ; 2 July 1714 – 15 November 1787) was a composer of Italian and French opera in the early classical period. Born in the Upper Palatinate and raised in Bohemia, both part of the Holy Roman Empire at ...

's '' Orfeo'',

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

's '' Guglielmo Tell'', and

Berlioz Louis-Hector Berlioz (11 December 1803 – 8 March 1869) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer and conductor. His output includes orchestral works such as the ''Symphonie fantastique'' and ''Harold en Italie, Harold in Italy'' ...

's ''

La Damnation de Faust ''La Damnation de Faust'' (English: ''The Damnation of Faust''), Op. 24 is a French musical composition for four solo voices, full seven-part chorus, large children's chorus and orchestra by the French composer Hector Berlioz. He called it a ' ...

'' in its original form as an oratorio. During the Exhibition of 1899 he directed a Grand Opera season in Paris. Mugnone conducted the world premiere of ''

Tosca ''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1 ...

'' in Rome in 1900 (including interruptions for a bomb scare). His own opera '' Vita Brettona'' was premiered at Naples in 1905. Between 1904 and 1906 he had busy seasons at

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...

, performing

Andrea Chénier ''Andrea Chénier'' () is a verismo opera in four acts by Umberto Giordano, set to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica, and first performed on 28 March 1896 at La Scala, Milan. The story is based loosely on the life of the French poet An ...

'' (with Strakosch, Zenatello, Sammarco), ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; full title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanish legen ...

'' (Strakosch and Battistini), ''

Madama Butterfly ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story " Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Lu ...

'' (with Rina Giachetti), ''

Faust Faust ( , ) is the protagonist of a classic German folklore, German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust (). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a deal with the Devil at a ...

'' and '' La traviata'' (with Melba), '' Manon Lescaut'', ''

La bohème ''La bohème'' ( , ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions '':wikt:quadro, quadri'', ''wikt:tableau, tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto b ...

'', ''Tosca'', ''

Mefistofele ''Mefistofele'' () is an opera in a prologue and five acts, later reduced to four acts and an epilogue, the only completed opera with music by the Italian composer-librettist Arrigo Boito (there are several completed operas for which he was lib ...

'', ''

Aida ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is a tragic opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 De ...

'', '' Un ballo in maschera'', and ''

Rigoletto ''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play '' Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had c ...

'' (with Melba, Stracciari, and Battistini). He gave the first London performances of Cilea's ''

Adriana Lecouvreur ''Adriana Lecouvreur'' () is an opera in four acts by Francesco Cilea to an Italian libretto by Arturo Colautti, based on the 1849 play '' Adrienne Lecouvreur'' by Eugène Scribe and Ernest Legouvé. It was first performed on 6 November 1902 ...

'' (November 1904) and Giordano's ''

Fedora A fedora () is a hat with a soft brim and indented crown.Kilgour, Ruth Edwards (1958). ''A Pageant of Hats Ancient and Modern''. R. M. McBride Company. It is typically creased lengthwise down the crown and "pinched" near the front on both sides ...

'' (November 1906, with Giachetti and Zenatello). He gave the first performance of Franchetti's '' La figlia di Iorio'' (on a text by d'Annunzio) at La Scala in 1906. (Like Mugnone, Franchetti had been a student of Serrao). He conducted for Eugenia Burzio's famous La Scala debut in March 1906 as Katiusha in the '' Risurrezione'' of

Franco Alfano Franco Alfano (8 March 1875 – 27 October 1954) was an Italian composer and pianist, best known today for his operas ''Cyrano de Bergerac'' (1936) and '' Risurrezione'' (1904), and for having completed Puccini's opera ''Turandot'' in 1926. He ha ...

(another Serrao pupil). In 1910 (17 March) he gave the premiere of Giordano's '' Mese Mariano'' at the Teatro Massimo. Other Italian premieres of this period given by him were: *'' Carlotta Clépier'' by Pietro Floridia (Naples, Circo Nazionale, May 1882); *'' Regina e Contadina di Sarria'' (Naples, Teatro dei Fiorentini, 24 June 1882, with Gemma Bellincioni and Antonio Pini-Corsi); *'' Medgé'' by

Spyridon Samaras Spyridon-Filiskos Samaras () (29 November 1861 - 7 April 1917) was a Greek composer particularly admired for his operas. His compositions were praised worldwide during his lifetime and he is arguably the most important composer of the Ionian Scho ...

(Rome, Costanzi, 11 Dec. 1888, with Emma Calvé and

De Vries De Vries is one of the most common Netherlands, Dutch surnames. It indicates a geographical origin: "Vriesland" is an old spelling of the Netherlands, Dutch province of Friesland (Frisia). Hence, "de Vries" means "the Frisian". The name has been m ...

); *'' Il Conte di Gléichen'' by Salvatore Auteri-Manzocchi (Rome, season of 1888–89); *'' Le Cid'' by

Massenet Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet (; 12 May 1842 – 13 August 1912) was a French composer of the Romantic music, Romantic era best known for his operas, of which he wrote more than thirty. The two most frequently staged are ''Manon'' (1884 ...

(first Rome production); *'' Patria'' by Emile Paladilhe. (Rome, autumn 1888); *''

Djamileh ''Djamileh'' is an ''opéra comique'' in one act by Georges Bizet to a libretto by Louis Gallet, based on an oriental tale, ''Namouna'', by Alfred de Musset. Composition history De Musset wrote ''Namouna'' in 1832, consisting of 147 verses in t ...

'' by Bizet, (Rome, season of 1889–90, with Bellincioni); *'' Orfeo'' by

, (revival, Rome 1889); *'' Labilia'' by N. Spinelli (Rome, 9 May 1890, with Bellincioni and Stagno); *'' Andrea del Sarto'' by Baravalle and ''

Spartacus Spartacus (; ) was a Thracians, Thracian gladiator (Thraex) who was one of the Slavery in ancient Rome, escaped slave leaders in the Third Servile War, a major Slave rebellion, slave uprising against the Roman Republic. Historical accounts o ...

'' by Pietro Platania (Rome, season 1890–91, with Mme Marconi and Cattaneo); *'' Rudello'' by Vincenzo Ferroni (Rome, 28 May 1890, with Bellincioni e Stagno); *'' I Pagliacci'' by

Leoncavallo Ruggero (or Ruggiero) Leoncavallo (23 April 18579 August 1919) was an Italian opera composer and librettist. Throughout his career, Leoncavallo produced numerous operas and songs but it is his 1892 opera ''Pagliacci'' that remained his lasting co ...

(first at Rome, Teatro Nazionale, 1892); *''

Le Villi ''Le Villi'' (''The Willis'' or ''The Fairies'') is an opera–ballet in two acts (originally one) composed by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Ferdinando Fontana, based on the short story "Les Willis" by Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr. Karr ...

'' by

Puccini Giacomo Puccini (22 December 1858 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 line of composers, s ...

(first Rome production, Costanzi, 28 October 1899, with Pasini and R. Galli); *''

Werther ''Werther'' is an opera (''drame lyrique'') in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Édouard Blau, Paul Milliet and Georges Hartmann (who used the pseudonym Henri Grémont). It is loosely based on Goethe's epistolary novel ''The S ...

'' by Massenet (first Rome production, 30 December 1899, with Savelli and De Luca); *'' Sapho'' by Massenet (first Rome production, 20 March 1900, with Bellincioni and Moreo); *''

Le Maschere ''Le maschere'' (''The Masks'') is an opera in a prologue and three acts by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica. The work was Mascagni's homage to Rossini and to the Italian opera buffa and commedia dell'arte traditions. It was ...

'' by Mascagni (Naples, San Carlo, 19 January 1901, with Angelica Pandolfini, Giachetti e Schiavazzi).

South America

It was through Sonzogno that Mugnano began to develop his work in operatic seasons in

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

and elsewhere in South America, where he made a significant impact. In Buenos Aires he gave the first South American ''

Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (; "The Master-Singers of Nuremberg"), WWV 96, is a music drama, or opera, in three acts, by Richard Wagner. It is the longest opera commonly performed, taking nearly four and a half hours, not counting two breaks between acts, and is traditio ...

'' (in Italian) in August 1898. He conducted premieres in

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

of ''

Die Walküre (; ''The Valkyrie''), Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis, WWV 86B, is the second of the four epic poetry, epic music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's Literary cycle, cycle ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). It was ...

'', ''

Zazà ''Zazà'' () is an opera by Ruggero Leoncavallo, with a libretto by the composer, which draws on the same material as the French play '' Zaza'' (1898). The story concerns the French music hall singer, Zazà, and her affair and subsequent decisio ...

'', ''

'', Franchetti's ''

Germania Germania ( ; ), also more specifically called Magna Germania (English: ''Great Germania''), Germania Libera (English: ''Free Germania''), or Germanic Barbaricum to distinguish it from the Roman provinces of Germania Inferior and Germania Superio ...

'', '' Thaïs'' and his own ''Vita Brettona'', and in 1910 conducted ''

Götterdämmerung ' (; ''Twilight of the Gods''), Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis, WWV 86D, is the last of the four epic poetry, epic music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's Literary cycle, cycle ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). I ...

'' and

Gustave Charpentier Gustave Charpentier (; 25 June 1860 – 18 February 1956) was a French composer, best known for his opera ''Louise (opera), Louise''.Langham Smith R., "Gustave Charpentier", ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera.'' Macmillan, London and New York, 19 ...

's '' Louise.''

Later tours

Between May and August 1919 he conducted a Covent Garden Italian season, including ''Aida'', ''Tosca'', ''Madame Butterfly'' and other works, and the first England performance of Mascagni's '' Iris'' (July, with Margaret Sheridan). This appearance was under the management of

Thomas Beecham Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet, (29 April 18798 March 1961) was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philh ...

, who describes him as a man of fiery and uncontrollable temper... 'never a day passed without a stormy scene with singers, chorus and orchestra, coupled with threats to return to Italy at once.' These scenes always ended in Beecham's room, and after several such experiences Beecham called his bluff by producing tickets for Mugnone and his family to return to Italy the following day. 'He opened and closed his mouth, rolled his eyes, ruffled his hair and after several abortive attempts at speech finally roared out "I will never leave you".' A long speech of justification, explanation, and declaration of fondness for England followed, and the season proceeded: life was a little quieter after that, at least for Beecham, who considered Mugnone's interpretations of Verdi the finest he ever heard.T. Beecham, ''A Mingled Chime, Leaves from an Autobiography'' (Hutchinson, London 1944, 180). In March 1921 he began a season at Lexington, USA, with an opera troupe headed by Iva Pacetti. From May to July 1925 he was back at Covent Garden for ''Aida'', ''Andrea Chénier'' (with Margaret Sheridan,

Giacomo Lauri-Volpi Giacomo Lauri-Volpi (11 December 1892 – 17 March 1979) was an Italian tenor with a lyric voice of exceptional range and technical facility. He performed throughout Europe and the Americas in a top-class career that spanned 40 years. Career an ...

, Benvenuto Franci), ''

Il barbiere di Siviglia ''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( ) is an ''opera buffa'' (comic opera) in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's French comedy '' ...

'' (with Toti dal Monte) and ''Tosca'' (with Maria Jeritza).

Archive and memorial

Around 1933 Mugnone gave to the Museums of La Scala and the Rome Opera, and to the Naples Conservatorio, about 2000 documents including letters of Verdi, Massenet, Mascagni, Strauss and Leoncavallo, and a voluminous cache of Puccini materials. A 'Teatro Mugnone' (named in his honour ) has recently been bought and should be restored in the Italian Comune of Marcianise.

Sources

*A. Eaglefield-Hull, ''A Dictionary of Modern Music and Musicians'' (Dent, London 1924). *G. Gatti-Cassazza, ''Memories of the Opera'' *Enzo Raucci,"Vita e Opere di L. Mugnone", in ''Aspettando il Teatro Mugnone, Omaggio al Mo. Leopoldo Mugnone'', (Unartgroup, Associazione Culturale Universitaria at www.unartgroup.it). *Titta Ruffo, ''La mia parabola artistica'', (Milano 1937). *E. De Leva, "Leopoldo Mugnone nel dolore e nell’arte", ''Corriere di Napoli'', 6 August 1941. *A. De Angelis, "Aneddoti sit Mugnone", in ''La Voce d'Italia'', 23 November 1941. *Giuseppe Depanis, ''I Concerti Popolari ed il Teatro Regio di Torino: Quindici Anni da Vita Musicale, 1872-1886'' (2 vols). (Societa Tipografico-Editrice Nazionale, Torino 1914–1915)

Notes

External links

*New York Times 30 March 1921 Announces Mugnone season at Lexingto

*Mugnone-Verdi Story of bell-casting at

Pistoia Pistoia (; ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of a province of the same name, located about north-west of Florence and is crossed by the Ombrone Pistoiese, a tributary of the River Arno. It is a typic ...

for ''Tosca''

*Item by Alessandro Tartaglione, Assessore alla Cultura del Comune di Marcianise, sopra il Teatro Mugnone (Italiano) {{DEFAULTSORT:Mugnone, Leopoldo Italian male conductors (music) Italian opera composers Italian male opera composers 1858 births 1941 deaths Pupils of Paolo Serrao Composers from Naples 19th-century Italian classical composers 20th-century Italian classical composers 20th-century male composers 20th-century Italian composers 20th-century Italian conductors (music) 20th-century Italian male musicians 19th-century Italian male musicians