Antonio Somma [SEP] place of death
Antonio Somma
Antonio Somma (28 August 1809, Udine – 8 August 1864, Venice) was an Italian playwright who is most well known for writing the libretto of an opera which ultimately became Giuseppe Verdi's "Un ballo in maschera" in 1859. While a student, his tragedy, "Parisina", gave him quite a success.
Initially, his contact with Verdi came about when the composer was seeking to continue work on his proposed "Re Lear", an adaptation of the Shakespeare play, "King
. However, Verdi sent an outline of 11 scenes (the same as in "I Lombardi", he notes.)
In his last letter to Cammarano, on 19 June 1852, Verdi wrote: "Cheer up, Cammarano, we have to make this "Re Lear" which will be our masterpiece."
After the librettist's death, the detailed sketch was handed over to Verdi; it still survives.
Development of a libretto Working with Somma.
Following Cammarano's death, Antonio Somma, who