Happy Birthday Puccini! Giacomo Puccini is considered the most important composer of Italian opera after Verdi. He was born December 22, 1858 in Lucca, Italy. At ten, Puccini sang in local church choirs and by age 14 was freelancing as an organist at religious services. At 18 Puccini decided he would study composition with the aim to writing opera. His first opera, Le villi, was well received. While his first opera is not as well known, many of his later operas are regarded as standards and are regularly performed. Turandot was Puccinis last opera and was unfinished at his death, the last two scenes were completed by Franco Alfano based on the Puccinis sketches.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 15:30:01 +0000