Carlo Zangarini

He lived his entire life in the city of Bologna, and is best remembered today for penning the libretti for the operas La fanciulla del West (1910) by composer Giacomo Puccini, I gioielli della Madonna (1911) by composer Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, and Conchita (1911) by Riccardo Zandonai.

His mixed heritage made him an ideal choice to serve as Giacomo Puccini's librettist for his 1910 opera La fanciulla del West; a work which he co-authored with the poet Guelfo Civinini.

[1] Set in the Western United States and adapted from David Belasco's 1905 play The Girl of the Golden West, the opera tells the story of a Californian mining camp during the 1849 Gold Rush.

[2] In addition to La fanciulla del West, Zangarini also wrote the libretti for the operas I gioielli della Madonna (1911) by composer Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari and Conchita (1911) by Riccardo Zandonai.

[1] The composer Ottorino Respighi set several of his Zangarini's poems to music, including "Scherzo", "Stornellatrice", and "Invito alla danza".