Tosca_Composer: Giacomo Puccini, b. Dec. 22, 1858 in Lucca, Italy – d. Nov. 29, 1924 in Brussels, Belgium. Puccini was the leading Italian composer of his generation and one of the foremost proponents of the verismo (realism) musical genre. His popularity today remains unmatched, and his operas remain among the most frequently performed throughout the world.

•Librettist: Luigi Illica, b. May 1857 in castell’Arquato, d. Dec.1919 in Colombarone. Italy. Illica was a sailor, World War I veteran, author, playwright, and librettist for many prominent composers, including Pietro Mascagni, Umberto Giordano, Alfredo Catalani, and of course, Puccini. He wrote or co-wrote the libretti for Manon Lescaut, La bohème, Madama Butterfly, and Tosca, which helped cement his reputation. However, Illica was much put-upon by Puccini’s demands. Eventually they had a permanent falling out over Puccini’s refusal to set Illica’s Marie Antoinette.
. •Librettist: Giuseppe Giacosa, b. October 1847 in Colleretto Parella (now Colleretto Giacosa); d. September 1906 in the same place. A successful playwright and librettist, he partnered with Illica on all four Puccini libretti, concentrating on polishing the lyrics while Illica managed the plot and dialogue. •Source material: La Tosca, written in 1887 by French playwright Victorien Sardou, a star vehicle for the famed actress Sarah Bernhardt. (Fun fact: Bernhardt was also known for her portrayal of another great opera heroine --- Camille in La dame aux camelias, aka Violetta in La traviata). •Premiere: January 14, 1900 in Rome. Plot: Rome, 1800, a period of great political unrest. The royalists have regained control of the city from the Bonapartist republicans and installed the brutal Baron Scarpia as Chief of Police to control the unrest. Scarpia lusts after the great diva Floria Tosca, so when her lover, the artist Mario Cavaradossi, is suspected of harboring an escaped political prisoner, he takes advantage. Scarpia hauls