Baltimore Opera Company

Study Guide

La Bohème
The Bohemians

About the Librettists – Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa

An extremely adventuresome and daring personality, Luigi Illica was born on May 9, 1857 in the hamlet of Castel'Arquato near Piacenza . A rift with his father led to his running away from home to fight against the Turks. In 1881, he returned to Italy to establish a radical literary review in Bologna . Having found his literary voice, he began to try his hand at poetry and plays. Illica began to move in the artistic circles of Milan and met the influential composers of the day, with whom be began to collaborate.

Illica's first important libretto was for Alfredo Catalani's La Wally (1892), although he did some work for some of the lesser known operatic composers of the day, such as Antonio Smareglia, Gaetano Luporino and Spiro Samara (it sounds like the rear guard of the Italian World Cup team!). His work in these circles brought him to the attention of Giacomo Puccini, who invited him to join the troubled Manon Lescaut team. Their collaboration was so successful that Illica went on (with his partner Giuseppe Giacosa, the music critic) to provide Puccini with the texts for La Bohème , Tosca and Madama Butterfly . Other important texts for which Illica is responsible are Umberto Giordano's Andrea Chénier (1896), Pietro Mascagni's beautiful Oriental-inspired Iris (1898), and Mascagni's Pre-Raphaelite Isabeau (1911). Illica's own personal penchant for adventure and high drama, as well as his delight in documenting historical accuracy, perfectly complemented the lyric works of the verismo period in which he lived and worked.

Born in Colleretto Parella (near Turin ) on October 21, 1847, Giuseppe Giacosa was brought up in a well-to-do family; his father was a respected Piedmontese lawyer. The young scion was expected to follow in his father's footsteps, taking a degree in law at the University of Turin and opening a practice there. However, after having fulfilled his family obligation, he soon turned to his real love, playwriting, and after achieving a modicum of theatrical success, he was given a teaching position at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Turin .

Primarily known as a dramatist and critic, Giacosa's career as an opera librettist was short but significant. Through his friendship with the music publisher Giulio Ricordi, he made acquaintance with Puccini, who asked him to help with the writing of the text for Manon Lescaut . He demurred, but suggested Luigi Illica, who had a tremendous success. Illica, ever mindful of this assistance from the older and more cerebral Giacosa, asked him to collaborate on the next Puccini opera, La Bohème , and they continued to collaborate on Tosca and Madama Butterfly . Their modus operandi was to have Illica write the structure and first draft of the libretto, and then Giacosa would work on refining the tone and versification. This system suited both of their personalities—Illica the more rash, histrionic character, and Giacosa the more refined, academic persona. Certainly, their extremes of character frequently led to artistic clashes, but both Ricordi and Puccini served as moderators for any feuds that would come along. The legendary team of Illica and Giacosa would undoubtedly have continued were it not for Giacosa's death on September 2, 1906 in his hometown of Collereto Parella.

James Harp

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