MASCAGNI, mn-skiVnye, PIETRO ( 1863— ). An Italian composer. He was born at Leghorn, of humble parentage, and his father (who was a baker) planned for him a career as a lawyer. Unknown to his father, the boy began to study music with Soffredini, and subsequently his uncle furnished him with the means to continue his studies. He was an especially apt pupil in com position, and in 1879 wrote a symphony in C minor. A cantata, La Filanda (1881 ), and a set ting to Schiller's A a die Fronk (1881), both met with considerable success. It was an admirer of La Filanda, a rich Italian nobleman, who came forward and furnished the composer with the means to continue his studies at the Milan Con servatory. where he worked for a little while, under Ponchielli and Saladino, but suddenly broke off his studies to make a tour with an operatic troupe. For a few years he made a preca rious livelihood by teaching, until one day he read of the Milan publisher Sonzogno's announce ment that he would give three prizes for the three best one-act operas to be performed in Rome. lie immediately set to work, and taking the libretto furnished by two of his friends. Sig nori Targioni-Tozzetti and .Menasci, for his text, he submitted their joint effort in the form of the since famous Rusticana (1S90), a story based on a Sicilian tale by Giovanni Verge. Maseagni was awarded first prize, and the tre mendous success which greeted the public presen tation of his work raised him from utter obsenr ity to the height of fame. Taking advantage of
his success, he hurriedly and prematurely pre sented L'Antieo Fritz (1891), the text of which was based upon the popular Erckmann-Chatrian story; hut, like I Rantzau (1892), it met with indifferent success. His subsequent works met with varying degrees of favor, none of them ap proaching his first work, either in popularity or sustained merit. His entire career was so over shadowed by the extraordinary success of his first opera that critical opinion everywhere is divided as to whether his later works have received their just deserts. The libretto of Caralleria Rasa Cana undoubtedly contributed much to the opera's success, hut the music also is of a high order. In ' 1895 he was appointed director of the Rossini Conservatory at Pesaro. lie made several tours in European countries, and in 1902 was per suaded to make a tour of America: but his ig norance of conditions in the New World, together with the bad management of the tour. consider ably limited the success he was justified in ex pecting. His works are representative of the modern Italian school. They inelude: Gaglielmo Rateliff (1895) ; Zunello (1890) ; Iris (1898) ; and several smaller compositions.