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Giacomo PucciniIhee-ah'-coh-mon Poo-chee'mee

born December 22,1858, Lucca, Italy,died November.zs, 1924,Brussels, Belgium

A Composer of the Romantic EraGiacomo Puccini's father was a composer who died whenGiacomo was five. Giacomo then began taking musiclessons from his uncle, but showed little interest or talent.His mother, however,was determined to develop Giacomo'smusical skills, so she sent him to a local institute of music.Here, Giacomo became a fine student. By the time hewas fourteen he was a talented pianist and organist, goodenough to serve as a church organist.

When he was eighteen, Giacomo saw a performance of theopera Aida by Giuseppe Verdi. He was so impressed by theperformance that he decided to become an opera composer.However, Giocomo knew he would have to continue hismusical studies in order to develop his skills. In 1880 (agetwenty-two), he applied for and received a s olarship tostudy composition at the Milan Conservatory of music. Bythe time he completed his studies at the conservatory, threeyears later, he was writing music which was praised by histeachers as well as concert audiences in Milan.

Puccini's firstopera, a short work entitled Le Villi, came to theattention of Giuseppe Verdi'spublisher, who commissionedPuccini to write a full-length opera. This opera, entitledEdgar, was a failure (Puccini called it "a mistake"), butthe publisher continued to support and encourage him.

Finally, in 1893 (age thirty-five), Puccini completed his firstsuccessful opera, Manon Lescaut. His next opera, La Boheme,was not successful when it was first produced in 1896, buthas since become one of the most popular and belovedoperas everwritten.

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La Boheme was followed by another opera, Tosca, a hugesuccess. By 1900 (age forty-two), Puccini had become afamous and wealthy man. He built a huge villa in the townof Torre del Lago in the Italian province of Tuscany. His1904 opera, Madama Butterfly, was unsuccessful when it wasfirst produced. But Puccini revised the opera and producedit again, this time to great success. Today both Tasca andMadama Butterfly are among the most widely performedoperas in the world. Puccini traveled to the United States in1907 (age forty-nine) for the firstAmerican performance ofMadama Butterfly.

By this time, Puccini was recognized as the greatest livingopera composer. When he wasn't composing, he spent hisdays at his Tuscan villa, often duck hunting. He was alwayson the lookout for a good libretto (the dialog of an opera)which he could set to music. Many of his operas had femaleheroines whose flawed character resulted in an early death.

Although he never married, Puccini enjoyed the companyof beautiful women. In his later life, he enjoyed riding infast cars and fast motorboats. He became a wealthy manbecause of his success as an opera composer; when he died,his estatewasworth four million dollars. Puccini's musicwasrather conservative for its time, and he did not embrace themusical changes of the early twentieth century. His operas,however, are widely performed and remain popular.

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Famous Works:Manon Lescaut - an opera.La Boheme - an operaTasca - an operaMadama Butterfly - an operaTurandot - an opera

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Read Madam butterflyWrite a summary of the story (2-3 paragraphs)

Complete "butterfly" fill in the blankRead one page bio of Puccini and write a summary.(2-3 paragraphs)

About This ActivityReady,Set,Go! interval speed test wi!! challenge students to develop speed and accuracy in their intervalidentification skills. With the clock ticking, students should identify 10 intervals as fast as they can. Assigna U to unison intervals, an 0 to octaves, and a numeric value (2nd, 3rd, etc.) to all other intervals. When thestudent completes the line, record their time (incorrect answers add 5 seconds to their score). Challengethem to beat their score. Beg: 60 sec/10 intervals - lnt: 40 sec/10 intervals - Adv: 20 sec/1 0 intervals.

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About This ActivityThis activity worksheet is designed for the first year piano student. It continues to drill and practice notenaming skills as it introduces the musical interval. This activity worksheet is most effective if used insequence, following the introduction of basic symbols (staff, treble clef and bass clef) and note names.

Intervals! Piano Theory Worksheet One/2nds

Intervals!An interval measures the distance between two notes. To know the exact size of aninterval you must count the number of notes from the first to the last. Seconds alwaysmove from a line note to a space note, or a space note to a line note.

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