Luigi Illica
Luigi Illica (9 May 1857 – 16 December 1919) was an Italian librettist who wrote for Giacomo Puccini (usually with Giuseppe Giacosa), Pietro Mascagni, Alfredo Catalani, Umberto Giordano, Baron Alberto Franchetti and other important Italian composers. His most famous opera libretti are those for La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly and Andrea Chénier. Illica was born in Castell'Arquato.
Luigi Illica
Tiesse · Public domain
- Born
- 1857. · Castell'Arquato.
- Died
- 1919. · Castell'Arquato.
- Nationality
- Kingdom of Italy.
- Occupation
- librettist, playwright, journalist, poet and writer.
- Languages
- Italian.
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Documentary summary
Luigi Illica (9 May 1857 – 16 December 1919) was an Italian librettist who wrote for Giacomo Puccini (usually with Giuseppe Giacosa), Pietro Mascagni, Alfredo Catalani, Umberto Giordano, Baron Alberto Franchetti and other important Italian composers. His most famous opera libretti are those for La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly and Andrea Chénier. Illica was born in Castell'Arquato.
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wikidata · Q441843 · wikipedia · Luigi Illica
In this article
Libretti
Libretti
His personal life sometimes imitated his libretti. The reason he is always photographed with his head slightly turned is because he lost his right ear in a duel over a woman. When silent films based on Illica's operas were made, his name appeared in large letters on advertisements because distributors could only guarantee that his stories would be used, and not that they would be accompanied by the music of the appropriate composer. The prize is now awarded every two years and alternates with the Illica Opera Stage International Competition, which offers prizes and debut opportunities to young singers.
The dates given are those of publication.
Filmography
Filmography
La Wally, directed by Guido Brignone (Italy, 1932) Tosca, directed by Carl Koch and Jean Renoir (Italy, 1941) Madame Butterfly, directed by Carmine Gallone (Italy, 1954) Andrea Chénier, directed by Clemente Fracassi (Italy, 1955) Tosca, directed by Carmine Gallone (Italy, 1956) La Bohème, directed by Franco Zeffirelli (West Germany, 1965) La Bohème, directed by Luigi Comencini (Italy, 1988) Madame Butterfly, directed by Frédéric Mitterrand (France, 1995) Tosca, directed by Benoît Jacquot (France, 2001) La Bohème, directed by Robert Dornhelm (Austria, 2008)
Portrait of Luigi Illica, librettist (1857-1919). Photo by Guigoni Bossi, Milano, before 1919.
Guigoni Bossi · Archivio Storico Ricordi · Archivio Storico Ricordi, Collezione Digitale Ricordi
Fontana - Antologia Meneghina, Colombi, 1900 (page 438 crop - Luigi Illica)
Ferdinando Fontana · Internet Archive identifier: antologiameneghi00font
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1857
Luigi Illica was born in 1857 at Castell'Arquato.
1919
Luigi Illica died in 1919 at Castell'Arquato.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Luigi Illica: Librettist Profile. The Atlanta Opera.
- 2.Traldi, Laura. Premio Illica 2023 a Castell'Arquato, ecco i vincitori. Interni Magazine. 2023-07-08.
- 3.with Francesco Pozza
- 4.with Ruggero Leoncavallo, Marco Praga, Giuseppe Giacosa and Domenico Oliva
- 5.with Giuseppe Giacosa
- 6.with Ettore Romagnoli
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q441843: Luigi IllicaWikimedia Foundation
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
People, houses and institutions
Knowledge graph
People, houses and institutions
Teachers, collaborators, publishers and institutions recorded against this person, each on a stated basis.
Born at
1- Castell'ArquatoPlace
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
Died at
1- Castell'ArquatoPlace
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
39,285 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
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