Giuseppe Giacosa

• Period: Romantic (1820-1869)
• Country: Italy
• Born: October 21, 1847 in Colleretto Parella, Italy
• Died: September 02, 1906 in Colleretto Parella, Italy

Biography

Giuseppe Giacosa was a successful Italian dramatic poet whose fame chiefly rests on his operatic partnerships with Puccini. Along with Luigi Illica, Giacosa wrote the librettos of La bohème (1896), Tosca (1900), and Madama Butterfly (1904). He had a law degree from the University of Turin and was working in his father's law firm when his plays started to gain attention. With the success of his comedy Una partita a scacchi in 1873, he soon established himself as a popular playwright. In 1888, he moved to Milan, where he taught drama and recitation at the Milan Conservatory. Soon, however, his plays became successful enough that he was able to abandon teaching to write full time. In 1893, the publisher Giulio Ricordi arranged the collaboration between Puccini, Illica, and Giacosa . The three settled into a clear division of labor: Illica would draft the plot and dialogue, Giacosa would refine the poetry, and then Puccini would set the libretto to music. ~ Robert Adelson, All Music Guide