RUGGIERO

LEONCAVALLO (1858– )  , Italian operatic composer, was born at Naples and educated for music at the conservatoire . After some years spent in teaching and in ineffectual attempts to obtain the production of more than one opera, his Pagliacci was performed at Milan in 1892 with immediate success; and next year his Medici was also produced there . But neither the latter nor Chatterton (1896)—both early works—obtained any favour; and it was not till La Boheme was performed in 1897 at Venice that his talent obtained public confirmation . Subsequent operas by Leoncavallo were Zaza (1900), and Der Roland (1904) . In all these operas he was his own librettist .