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Alberto MazzucatoItalian composer, music teacher and writer
Date of Birth: 28.07.1813
Country:  Italy |
Content:
Biography of Alberto Mazzucato
Alberto Mazzucato was an Italian composer, music teacher, and writer. He was born on July 28, 1913 in Udine, Italy. Mazzucato initially studied mathematics in Padua, but later decided to dedicate his life to music. He received his first music lessons from his mother and went on to study at the Padua Conservatory.
Operas
From 1834 to 1843, Mazzucato composed eight operas, with the most successful being "Esmeralda" in 1838. His first major work was "La fidanzata di Lammermoor" in 1834. The opera was first performed in Padua and later in Milan, and its significant success allowed the budding composer to work on his next opera, "Don Chisciotte" in 1836, though it did not receive much public acclaim. Mazzucato then traveled to Paris, where he refined his style under the influence of Ludwig van Beethoven, Giacomo Meyerbeer, and particularly Jacques Fromental Halévy's opera "La Juive". Upon his return to Italy, Mazzucato completed "Esmeralda", which was well-received in Mantua, Udine, and Milan.
Later Career
In addition to his operas, Mazzucato also composed music for the pastiche "La vergine di Kermo" in 1870, alongside other composers such as Carlo Pedrotti, Antonio Cagnoni, Federico Ricci, Amilcare Ponchielli, and Giovanni Pacini. In 1860, Mazzucato, along with Luigi Felice Rossi and Guglielmo Quarenghi, founded the Società di S Cecilia. After completing his final opera, "Hernani", which premiered on December 26, 1843 at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa, Mazzucato retired from composing and focused on his career as a music teacher. It is believed that the failure of "Hernani" played a role in his decision. In the same year, he joined the teaching staff of the Milan Conservatory and became its director almost 30 years later in 1872.
Among his students were renowned composers such as Arrigo Boito, Benedetto Junck, Isidore de Lara, and Antônio Carlos Gomes, as well as Croatian composer and conductor Ivan Zajc. Some of the notable singers who studied under Mazzucato were soprano Marcella Lotti della Santa, Marietta Gazzaniga, and English tenor Sims Reeves. Mazzucato also worked as a journalist, writing articles for the newspaper "Gazzetta musicale di Milano" from 1845 to 1858. In 1859, he was appointed chief conductor and concertmaster at La Scala, a position he held until 1868. Mazzucato passed away on December 31, 1877 in Milan at the age of 64.
