Antonio Ghislanzoni facts for kids
Antonio Ghislanzoni (born November 25, 1824 – died July 16, 1893) was a talented Italian writer. He was a journalist, a poet, and a novelist. He is most famous for writing librettos, which are the stories and words for operas. He wrote many librettos for the famous composer Giuseppe Verdi, including the well-known opera Aida. He also worked on a revised version of Verdi's opera La forza del destino.
Life and Work
Antonio Ghislanzoni was born in a town called Lecco in Lombardy, Italy. When he was young, he briefly studied to become a priest, but he was asked to leave in 1841. After that, he tried studying medicine, but he soon left that too. He was more interested in singing and writing. He even tried a career as a singer, known as a baritone.
In 1848, Antonio became very interested in politics and the idea of a united Italy. He started several newspapers in Milan that supported these ideas. Because of his political views, he had to leave Italy for a short time and went to Switzerland. Later, he was arrested by the French and held in Corsica while traveling to Rome.
In the mid-1850s, Antonio stopped singing professionally. He focused on journalism in Milan, which was a lively city for artists and writers. He became the director of a music newspaper called Italia musicale. He also edited another paper, Gazzetta musicale di Milano. He even started his own magazines, L'uomo di pietra and Rivista minima, working with other writers like Arrigo Boito.
Around 1869, Antonio left journalism and moved back to his home region of Lombardy. There, he spent his time writing books and librettos for operas. He wrote many short stories and several novels. Some of his novels include Un suicidio a fior d'acqua (1864) and Gli artisti da teatro (1865), which was about life in the theater. He also wrote essays about music.
Antonio Ghislanzoni wrote about 85 librettos in total. Besides Aida for Verdi, he wrote Edmea for Alfredo Catalani in 1866. He also wrote Fosca (1873) and Salvator Rosa (1874) for the composer Antônio Carlos Gomes. For Amilcare Ponchielli, he wrote I Lituani in 1874. He also added some verses to the Italian translation of Verdi's opera Don Carlos.
Antonio Ghislanzoni passed away in Caprino Bergamasco, near Bergamo, in 1893. He was 68 years old.
Film Adaptations
- Aida, a movie directed by Clemente Fracassi (1953)
- Aida, a movie directed by Claes Fellbom (1987)
See Also
In Spanish: Antonio Ghislanzoni para niños
- Scapigliatura
Images for kids
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Antonio Ghislanzoni
