Luigi Mancinelli
Encyclopedia
Luigi Mancinelli was a leading Italian
orchestral conductor. He also composed music for the stage and concert hall and played the cello.
As a conductor he was active both at home (especially in the cities of Bologna
and Rome) and abroad (in Madrid
, London
, New York
and Buenos Aires
). He was especially associated with the music of Richard Wagner
as well as that of major Italian opera
composers such as Verdi
and Puccini
.
He was succeeded as pianoforte professor at the Bologna Conservatory in 1886 by Giuseppe Martucci
.
Mancinelli was on the conductors' roster of the New York Metropolitan Opera
for 10 years, ending in 1903. In that capacity he conducted 531 performances of a variety of mainstream operas by Italian, French and German composers; but, in 1899, he led a performance of his own opera, Ero e Leandro, which had a libretto by Arrigo Boito
. He wrote a number of other operas as well, and also composed orchestra
l music and even some film music.
The main theater in his birthplace of Orvieto was renamed the Teatro Mancinelli in his honor.
Brief examples of his artistry as a conductor can be heard on the Mapleson Cylinders
, which were recorded during actual Metropolitan Opera performances at the beginning of the 20th century. One of the clearest of these primitive-sounding cylinders consists of a brief extract from the "Torture Scene" in Tosca
, recorded in 1903. On it, the Italian tenor Emilio De Marchi
appears as Mario Cavaradossi, the role which he had created at the opera's world premiere in Rome three years earlier.
Mancinelli died in Rome three days shy of his 73rd birthday.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
orchestral conductor. He also composed music for the stage and concert hall and played the cello.
As a conductor he was active both at home (especially in the cities of Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
and Rome) and abroad (in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
). He was especially associated with the music of Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
as well as that of major Italian opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
composers such as Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
and Puccini
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
.
He was succeeded as pianoforte professor at the Bologna Conservatory in 1886 by Giuseppe Martucci
Giuseppe Martucci
Giuseppe Martucci was an Italian composer, conductor, pianist and teacher. As a composer and teacher he was influential in reviving Italian interest in non-operatic music. As a conductor he helped to introduce Richard Wagner's operas to Italy and also gave important early concerts of English music...
.
Mancinelli was on the conductors' roster of the New York Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
for 10 years, ending in 1903. In that capacity he conducted 531 performances of a variety of mainstream operas by Italian, French and German composers; but, in 1899, he led a performance of his own opera, Ero e Leandro, which had a libretto by Arrigo Boito
Arrigo Boito
Arrigo Boito , aka Enrico Giuseppe Giovanni Boito, pseudonym Tobia Gorrio, was an Italian poet, journalist, novelist and composer, best known today for his libretti, especially those for Giuseppe Verdi's operas Otello and Falstaff, and his own opera Mefistofele...
. He wrote a number of other operas as well, and also composed orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
l music and even some film music.
The main theater in his birthplace of Orvieto was renamed the Teatro Mancinelli in his honor.
Brief examples of his artistry as a conductor can be heard on the Mapleson Cylinders
Mapleson Cylinders
The Mapleson Cylinders are a group of more than 100 phonograph cylinders recorded live at the Metropolitan Opera, primarily in the years 1901–1903, by the Met librarian Lionel Mapleson ....
, which were recorded during actual Metropolitan Opera performances at the beginning of the 20th century. One of the clearest of these primitive-sounding cylinders consists of a brief extract from the "Torture Scene" in Tosca
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 Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900...
, recorded in 1903. On it, the Italian tenor Emilio De Marchi
Emilio de Marchi
Emilio De Marchi was an Italian operatic tenor. He had a significant career during the late 19th century and early 20th century, appearing at major theatres on both sides of the Atlantic. In 1900, he entered the annals of musical history as the creator of the role of Cavaradossi in Giacomo...
appears as Mario Cavaradossi, the role which he had created at the opera's world premiere in Rome three years earlier.
Mancinelli died in Rome three days shy of his 73rd birthday.
Operas
- Isora di Provenza (3 acts, A. Zanardini; Bologna, 1884)
- Ero e LeandroEro e LeandroEro e Leandro, also known after its first line as Qual ti reveggio, oh Dio , is a 1707 Italian-language cantata by George Frideric Handel, composed during his stay in Rome to a libretto believed to be written by Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni. It is a reworking of the Greek myth of Hero and Leander, with...
(3 acts, Arrigo BoitoArrigo BoitoArrigo Boito , aka Enrico Giuseppe Giovanni Boito, pseudonym Tobia Gorrio, was an Italian poet, journalist, novelist and composer, best known today for his libretti, especially those for Giuseppe Verdi's operas Otello and Falstaff, and his own opera Mefistofele...
; Madrid, 1897) - Paolo e Francesca (1 act, Arturo Colautti; Bologna, 1907)
- Sogno di una Notte d'Estate (3 acts, Fausto Salvatori; 1919)
Other Stage Works
- Messalina (Prelude and Intermezzo for the drama by Pietro CossaPietro CossaPietro Cossa , Italian dramatist, was born at Rome, and claimed descent from the family of John XXIII, deposed by the council of Constance....
, 1876) - Cleopatra (Symphonic Intermezzi for the drama by Pietro CossaPietro CossaPietro Cossa , Italian dramatist, was born at Rome, and claimed descent from the family of John XXIII, deposed by the council of Constance....
, 1877) - Tizianello (Five pieces for the comedy by E. Lombroso, 1880)
- Isaia (Cantata, words by Giuseppe Albini, 1887)
Film Scores
- Frate Sole (Scored for chorus and orchestra from the tale by Mario Corsi, Tespi-films, Rome; 1918)
- Giuliano L'Apostata (Scored for chorus and orchestra from the tale by Ugo FalenaUgo FalenaUgo Falena , was an Italian silent film director and occasional opera librettist. His films include Otello , Beatrice Cenci , William Tell , Romeo & Juliet , and a notable adaptation of Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana featuring the soprano who sang at the premiere of the opera, itself, Gemma...
, Bernini-films, Rome; 1920)
Sources
- Metropolitan Opera, http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/gisrch2k.r?Term=Mancinelli,%20Luigi%20%5BConductor%5D&limit=5000&vsrchtype=no&xBranch=ALL&xmtype=&Start=&End=&theterm=Mancin%65lli,%20L%75igi%20%5BCond%75c%74o%72%5D&srt=&x=0&xHome=http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/bibpro.htm&xHomePath=http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/Mancinelli, Luigi (Conductor)], performance record on the MetOpera Database The following sources were given:
- Antonio Mariani, Luigi Mancinelli. La vita, LIM, Lucca 1998 - 88-7096-136-2
- Antonio Mariani, Luigi Mancinelli. Epistolario, LIM, Lucca 2000 - ISBN 88-7096-264-4
- Andrea Sessa, Il melodramma italiano 1861-1900, FirenzeFirenzeFirenze is the Italian name for the city of Florence.Firenze may also refer to:* Andrea da Firenze, an Italian composer* Lorenzo da Firenze, an Italian composer and music teacher of the trecento...
, Olschki 2003, pp. 290-1 - ISBN 88-222-5213-6