author
Luigi Illica
1857–1919
Best known as one of the great librettists of Italian opera, he helped shape the stories behind some of Puccini’s most beloved works, including La bohème, Tosca, and Madama Butterfly. His writing brought drama, pace, and vivid theatrical life to the opera stage at the turn of the twentieth century.
1 Audiobook
Libretto: La Bohème
by Giuseppe Giacosa, Luigi Illica
About the author
Born in Castell'Arquato near Piacenza on May 9, 1857, Luigi Illica became one of Italy’s most important opera librettists. Before settling into literary and theatrical work, he led a restless, adventurous early life, and that energy would later show in the strong dramatic sense of his writing.
Illica is most often remembered for his collaborations with Giuseppe Giacosa and Giacomo Puccini. In that partnership, Illica was known for building the dramatic structure and drafting the libretto, while Giacosa refined the text into verse. Together they created the libretti for La bohème, Tosca, and Madama Butterfly, and Illica also wrote for other major composers including Umberto Giordano, Pietro Mascagni, Alfredo Catalani, and Alberto Franchetti.
His gift was for turning stories into clear, compelling stage drama, which helped make several operas of his era enduring favorites. He died on December 16, 1919, in Colombarone near Pesaro, but his work still reaches audiences wherever the great Italian operas are performed.