Gian Carlo Menotti

Menotti in 2000 Gian Carlo Menotti (, ; July 7, 1911 – February 1, 2007) was an Italian-American composer, librettist, director, and playwright who is primarily known for his output of 25 operas. Although he often referred to himself as an American composer, he kept his Italian citizenship. One of the most frequently performed opera composers of the 20th century, his most successful works were written in the 1940s and 1950s. Highly influenced by Giacomo Puccini and Modest Mussorgsky, Menotti further developed the verismo tradition of opera in the post-World War II era. Rejecting atonality and the aesthetic of the Second Viennese School, Menotti's music is characterized by expressive lyricism which carefully sets language to natural rhythms in ways that highlight textual meaning and underscore dramatic intent.

Like Wagner, Menotti wrote the libretti of all his operas. He wrote the classic Christmas opera ''Amahl and the Night Visitors'' (1951), along with over two dozen other operas intended to appeal to popular taste. Many of Menotti's operas enjoyed successful runs on Broadway, including two Pulitzer Prize winning works, ''The Consul'' (1950) and ''The Saint of Bleecker Street'' (1955). While all of his works used English language libretti, three of his operas also had Italian language libretti penned by the composer: ''Amelia Goes to the Ball'' (1937), ''The Island God'' (1942), and ''The Last Savage'' (1963). He founded the ''Festival dei Due Mondi'' (Festival of the Two Worlds) in Spoleto in 1958 and its American counterpart, Spoleto Festival USA, in 1977. In 1986 he commenced a Melbourne Spoleto Festival in Australia, but he withdrew after three years.

Menotti also wrote music for several ballets, numerous choral works, chamber music, orchestral music of varying kinds including a symphony, and stage plays. Notable among these is his cantata ''The Death of the Bishop of Brindisi'', written in 1963, and the cantata ''Landscapes and Remembrances'' in 1976 – a descriptive work of Menotti's memories of America written for the United States Bicentennial. Also worthy of note is a small Mass commissioned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore, entitled ''Mass for the Contemporary English Liturgy''.

Menotti taught music composition on the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music from 1948 to 1955. He also served as the artistic director of the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma from 1992 to 1994, and directed operas periodically for notable organizations such as the Salzburg Festival and the Vienna State Opera. Provided by Wikipedia
Showing 1 - 20 results of 26 for search 'Menotti, Gian Carlo, 1911-2007', query time: 0.13s Refine Results
  1. 1
    by Menotti, Gian Carlo, 1911-2007
    Published 1986
    Book
  2. 2
    by Menotti, Gian Carlo, 1911-2007
    Published 1954
    Musical Score Book
  3. 3
    by Menotti, Gian Carlo, 1911-2007
    Published 1997
    Musical Score Book
  4. 4
    by Menotti, Gian Carlo, 1911-2007
    Published 1947
    Other Authors: ...Menotti, Gian Carlo, 1911-2007...
    Musical Score Book
  5. 5
    by Menotti, Gian Carlo, 1911-2007
    Published 1997
    CD Audio
  6. 6
    by Menotti, Gian Carlo, 1911-2007
    Published 1955
    Other Authors: ...Menotti, Gian Carlo, 1911-2007...
    Musical Score Book
  7. 7
    by Menotti, Gian Carlo, 1911-2007
    Published 1997
    Musical Score Book
  8. 8
    by Menotti, Gian Carlo, 1911-2007
    Published 1998
    Other Authors: ...Menotti, Gian Carlo, 1911-2007...
    CD Audio
  9. 9
    by Menotti, Gian Carlo, 1911-2007
    Published 1952
    Musical Score Book
  10. 10
    by Menotti, Gian Carlo, 1911-2007
    Published 2007
    Other Authors: ...Menotti, Gian Carlo, 1911-2007...
    Video DVD
  11. 11
    by Menotti, Gian Carlo, 1911-2007
    Published 2007
    Video DVD
  12. 12
    by Menotti, Gian Carlo, 1911-2007
    Published 2006
    CD Audio
  13. 13
    by Menotti, Gian Carlo, 1911-2007
    Published 2004
    Video DVD
  14. 14
    by Menotti, Gian Carlo, 1911-2007
    Published 2002
    CD Audio
  15. 15
    by Menotti, Gian Carlo, 1911-2007
    Published 2010
    Video DVD
  16. 16
    by Dean, Leigh
    Published 1970
    Other Authors: ...Menotti, Gian Carlo, 1911-2007...
    Book
  17. 17
    by Copland, Aaron, 1900-1990
    Published 1995
    Other Authors: ...Menotti, Gian Carlo, 1911-2007...
    CD Audio
  18. 18
    by Barber, Samuel, 1910-1981
    Published 1990
    Other Authors: ...Menotti, Gian Carlo, 1911-2007...
    Musical Score Book
  19. 19
    Published 1991
    Other Authors: ...Menotti, Gian Carlo, 1911-2007...
    CD Audio
  20. 20
    by Barber, Samuel, 1910-1981
    Published 1984
    Other Authors: ...Menotti, Gian Carlo, 1911-2007...
    CD Audio
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