Salvadore Cammarano (19 March 1801 – 17 July 1852) was an Italian

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 ...

and playwright perhaps best known for writing the text of ''

Lucia di Lammermoor ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' () is a (tragic opera) in three acts by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian-language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's 1819 historical novel '' The Bride of Lammermoor''. ...

'' (1835) for

Gaetano Donizetti Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was an Italian Romantic music, Romantic composer, best known for his almost 70 operas. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, he was a leading composer of the ''be ...

. For Donizetti he also contributed the libretti for ''

L'assedio di Calais ''L'assedio di Calais'' (''The siege of Calais'') is an 1836 ''melodramma lirico'', or opera, in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti, his 49th opera. Salvatore Cammarano wrote the Italian libretto, which has been described as "...a remarkable libr ...

'' (1836), '' Belisario'' (1836), '' Pia de' Tolomei'' (1837), ''

Roberto Devereux ''Roberto Devereux'' (in full , ; "Robert Devereux, or the Earl of Essex") is an 1837 (tragic opera) in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. The opera is loosely based on the life of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, an influential member of the ...

'' (1837), '' Maria de Rudenz'' (1838), '' Poliuto'' (1838), and '' Maria di Rohan'' (1843), while for Giuseppe Persiani he was the author of '' Ines de Castro''. For

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 ...

he wrote '' Alzira'' (1845), '' La battaglia di Legnano'' (1849) and ''

Luisa Miller ''Luisa Miller'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play '' Kabale und Liebe'' (''Intrigue and Love'') by the German dramatist Friedrich von Schiller. Verdi's initial idea f ...

'' (1849), but after he died in July 1852, Verdi worked with Leone Emanuele Bardare to complete the libretto for '' Il trovatore'' (1853).Budden, Vol. 2, p.65 Cammarano also started work on libretto for a proposed adaptation of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 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 play ''

King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...

'', named '' Re Lear'', but he died before completing it; a detailed scenario survives. His father, Giuseppe, was a painter and set-designer. His son,

Michele Michele () is an Italian male given name, akin to the English male name Michael. Michele (usually pronounced ), is also an English female given name that is derived from the French Michèle. It is a variant spelling of the more common (and iden ...

, was also a painter.

Libretti by Cammarano

*1834: ''La sposa'' ( Egisto Vignozzi) *1835: ''Ines de Castro'' ( Giuseppe Persiani), in collaboration with Giovanni Emanuele Bidera *1835: ''Un matrimonio per ragione'' ( Giuseppe Staffa) *1835: ''

'' (

) *1836: '' Belisario'' (Gaetano Donizetti) *1836: ''

'' (Gaetano Donizetti) *1836: ''Eufemio di Messina'' (Giuseppe Persiani), from an original 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 ...

*1837: '' Pia de' Tolomei'' (Gaetano Donizetti) *1837: ''

'' (Gaetano Donizetti) *1838: '' Maria de Rudenz'' (Gaetano Donizetti) *1838: '' Poliuto'' (Gaetano Donizetti), first performance 1848 *1838: ''Elena da Feltre'' (

Saverio Mercadante Giuseppe Saverio Raffaele Mercadante (baptised 17 September 179517 December 1870) was an Italian composer, particularly of operas. While Mercadante may not have retained the international celebrity of Vincenzo Bellini, Gaetano Donizetti or Gioa ...

) *1839: ''I ciarlatani'' ( Luigi Cammarano) *1839: ''Il Conte di Chalais'' ( Giuseppe Lillo) *1840: ''Cristina di Svezia'' (

Alessandro Nini Alessandro Nini (born in Fano near Pesaro, 1 November 1808 – died in Bergamo, 27 December 1880) was an Italian composer of operas and church music, also chamber music and symphonies. Of the eight operas he composed, '' La marescialla d'Ancr ...

) *1840: '' Saffo'' (

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 ...

) *1840: '' La vestale'' (Saverio Mercadante) *1841: ''Luigi Rolla'' (

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 ...

) *1842: ''Il proscritto'' (Saverio Mercadante) *1842: ''La fidanzata corsa'' (

) *1843: '' Maria di Rohan'' (Gaetano Donizetti) *1843: ''Il reggente'' (Saverio Mercadante) *1843: ''Ester d'Engaddi'' ( Achille Peri) *1843: ''Il ravvedimento'' (Luigi Cammarano) *1845: ''Bondelmonte'' (Giovanni Pacini) *1845: '' Alzira'' (Giuseppe Verdi) *1845: ''Il vascello de Gama'' (Saverio Mercadante) *1845: ''Stella di Napoli'' (Giovanni Pacini) *1846: ''

Orazi e Curiazi ''Orazi e Curiazi'' (''The Horatii and the Curiatii'') is an opera by the Italian composer Saverio Mercadante. It takes the form of a ''tragedia lirica'' in three acts. The libretto, by Salvadore Cammarano, is based on the Ancient Rome, Roman le ...

'' (Saverio Mercadante) *1847: '' Merope'' (Giovanni Pacini) *1847: ''Eleonora Dori'' ( Vincenzo Battista) *1849: '' La battaglia di Legnano'' (Giuseppe Verdi) *1849: ''

'' (Giuseppe Verdi) *1850: ''

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

'' (Saverio Mercadante), first performance 1866 *1850: ''Non v'è fumo senza fuoco'' (Luigi Cammarano) *1851: ''Malvina di Scozia'' (Giovanni Pacini) *1851: ''Folco d'Arles'' ( Nicola De Giosa) *1851: ' (Saverio Mercadante), from an original libretto by Felice Romani *1853: '' Il trovatore'' (Giuseppe Verdi)

References

Notes Sources *Black, John (1982), ''Donizetti's Operas in Naples, 1822 to 1848'', London: Donizetti Society, 1982 *Black, John (1984), ''The Italian Romantic Libretto: A Study of Salvadore Cammarano'', Edinburgh University Press, 1984 * Budden, Julian, ''The Operas of Verdi, 2, From'' Il Trovatore ''to'' La Forza del destino'' ''. London: Cassell, 1984. (hardcover); (paperback). *Warrack, John and Ewan West, ''The Oxford Dictionary of Opera'', Oxford University Press, 1992

External links

Opera at Stanford University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cammarano, Salvatore 1801 births 1852 deaths Italian opera librettists 19th-century Neapolitan people Italian male dramatists and playwrights 19th-century Italian dramatists and playwrights 19th-century Italian male writers Writers from the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies