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Gian Carlo Menotti

Italian-American composer and librettist (1911-2007) · Italy · On the map · Musicians · Died at 95

Gian Carlo Menotti was an Italian composer, librettist, director, and playwright who is primarily known for his output of 25 operas. Although he often referred to himself as an American composer, he kept his Italian citizenship and never officially became an American citizen.

Gian Carlo Menotti is read about 222 times a day, in 37 languages.

A typical day, 30 days to 6 November 2026

The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 400 days, one point a day.

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A life in dates

2007Died1 February 20071997Commandeur des Arts et des LettresAward1987George Peabody MedalAward1984Kennedy Center HonorsAward1981Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian RepublicAward1955Pulitzer Prize for MusicAward1951Peabody AwardsAward1950Pulitzer Prize for MusicAward1949Donaldson AwardsAward1946Guggenheim FellowshipAward1945Arts and Letters Award in MusicAward1911Born7 July 1911

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Awards

Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres1997
George Peabody Medal1987
Kennedy Center Honors1984
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic1981
Pulitzer Prize for Music1955
Peabody Awards1951
Pulitzer Prize for Music1950
Donaldson Awards1949
Guggenheim Fellowship1946
Arts and Letters Award in Music1945

About this person

One of the most frequently performed opera composers of the 20th century, he wrote his most successful works in the 1940s and 1950s. Highly influenced by Giacomo Puccini and Modest Mussorgsky, Menotti further developed the verismo tradition of opera in the post-World War II era. Rejecting atonality and the aesthetic of the Second Viennese School, Menotti's music is characterized by expressive lyricism which carefully sets language to natural rhythms in ways that highlight textual meaning and underscore dramatic intent.

Country
Italy
Category
Musicians
Type
Singer / Musician
Status
Deceased
Dates
Lived 1911 to 2007 · aged 95

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