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Francesco Maria Piave (18 May 1810 – 5 March 1876) was an Italian opera librettist who was born in Murano in the lagoon of Venice, during the brief Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy. His career spanned over twenty years working with many of the significant composers of his day. In addition to Giuseppe Verdi, for whom he was to write 10 librettos, other composers include Giovanni Pacini (four librettos), Saverio Mercadante (at least one), Federico Ricci, even one for Michael Balfe.
Career Piave was not only a librettist, but a journalist and translator. He was resident poet and stage manager at La Fenice in Venice and later at La Scala in Milan. His expertise as a stage manager and tact as a negotiator served Verdi well over the years, although Verdi bullied him mercilessly. For example, during the efforts to have Rigoletto approved by the censors, Verdi goaded Piave to make every effort to get the subject approved: "Turn Venice upside down to make the censors permit this subject"
Later, Verdi wrote to him not to allow matters to drag on: If I were the poet, I would be very, very concerned, all the more because you would have a great deal of responsibility if by chance (may the Devil not make it happen) they should not allow this drama [to be given]" But the librettist became Verdi's life-long friend and collaborator - "someone Verdi loved", following Salvadore Cammarano as Verdi's main mid-career librettist and writing the libretti for Verdi's operas Ernani (1844), I due Foscari (1844), Attila (1846), Macbeth (1847), Il Corsaro (1848), Stiffelio (1850), Rigoletto (1851), La traviata (1853) Simon Boccanegra (1857), and La forza del destino (1862). Like Verdi, Piave was an ardent Italian patriot, and in 1848, during Milan's "Cinque Giornate," when Radetsky's Austrian troops retreated from the city, Verdi's letter to Piave in Venice was addressed to "Citizen Piave."
Piave would have also prepared the libretto for Aida, the commission for which Verdi accepted in 1870, had he not suffered a stroke, which left him paralyzed and unable to speak. Verdi helped to support his wife and daughter - by proposing that "an album of pieces by famous composers be compiled and sold for Piave's benefit" - and paid for his funeral when he died nine years later in Milan at age 65. Piave was interred there in the Cimitero Monumentale.
Librettos by Piave: 1842 Il duca d'Alba (Giovanni Pacini)
1844 Ernani (Giuseppe Verdi) I due Foscari (Verdi)
1845 Lorenzino de Medici (Pacinini) 1846 Estella di Murcia (Federico Ricci) Attila (Verdi)
1847 Tutti amanti (Felice Romani) Griselda (Federico Ricci) Macbeth (Verdi)
1848 Allan Cameron (Pacini) Il Corsaro (Verdi) Giovanna di Fiandre (Carlo Boniforti) La Schiava Saracena (Saverio Mercadante)
1850 Stiffelio (Verdi) Crispino e la comare (Luigi Ricci and Federico Ricci) Elisabetta di Valois (Antonio Buzzolla)
1851 Rigoletto (Verdi) La Sposa di Murcia (A. Casalini)
1853 La Baschina (F. De Liguoro) La Traviata (Verdi) La Prigioniera (C. Bonsoni)
1854 Pittore e Duca (Michael Balfe) Margherita di Borgogna (F. Petrocini)
1856 I Fidanzati (A. Peri)
1857 Simon Boccanegra (Verdi) Vittore Pisani (Peri)
1859 Margherita la Mendicante (Gaetano Braga)
1860 La Biscaglina (S. Levi)
1861 Guglielmo Shakspeare (Benvenuti)
1862 Mormile (Gaetano Braga) La Forza del Destino (Verdi) Rienzi (Peri)
1865 La Duchessa di Guisa (Serrao) Rebecca (B. Pisani)
1867 Berta di Varnol (Pacini) Don Diego de Mendoza (Pacini)
1868 La Trombola (Cagnoni)
1872 Olema (C. Pedrotti)
Francesco Maria Piave (18 May 1810 – 5 March 1876) was an Italian opera librettist who was born in Murano in the lagoon of Venice, during the brief Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy. His career spanned over twenty years working with many of the significant composers of his day. In addition to Giuseppe Verdi, for whom he was to write 10 librettos, other composers include Giovanni Pacini (four librettos), Saverio Mercadante (at least one), Federico Ricci, even one for Michael Balfe.
Career Piave was not only a librettist, but a journalist and translator. He was resident poet and stage manager at La Fenice in Venice and later at La Scala in Milan. His expertise as a stage manager and tact as a negotiator served Verdi well over the years, although Verdi bullied him mercilessly. For example, during the efforts to have Rigoletto approved by the censors, Verdi goaded Piave to make every effort to get the subject approved: "Turn Venice upside down to make the censors permit this subject"
Later, Verdi wrote to him not to allow matters to drag on: If I were the poet, I would be very, very concerned, all the more because you would have a great deal of responsibility if by chance (may the Devil not make it happen) they should not allow this drama [to be given]" But the librettist became Verdi's life-long friend and collaborator - "someone Verdi loved", following Salvadore Cammarano as Verdi's main mid-career librettist and writing the libretti for Verdi's operas Ernani (1844), I due Foscari (1844), Attila (1846), Macbeth (1847), Il Corsaro (1848), Stiffelio (1850), Rigoletto (1851), La traviata (1853) Simon Boccanegra (1857), and La forza del destino (1862). Like Verdi, Piave was an ardent Italian patriot, and in 1848, during Milan's "Cinque Giornate," when Radetsky's Austrian troops retreated from the city, Verdi's letter to Piave in Venice was addressed to "Citizen Piave."
Piave would have also prepared the libretto for Aida, the commission for which Verdi accepted in 1870, had he not suffered a stroke, which left him paralyzed and unable to speak. Verdi helped to support his wife and daughter - by proposing that "an album of pieces by famous composers be compiled and sold for Piave's benefit" - and paid for his funeral when he died nine years later in Milan at age 65. Piave was interred there in the Cimitero Monumentale.
Librettos by Piave: 1842 Il duca d'Alba (Giovanni Pacini)
1844 Ernani (Giuseppe Verdi) I due Foscari (Verdi)
1845 Lorenzino de Medici (Pacinini) 1846 Estella di Murcia (Federico Ricci) Attila (Verdi)
1847 Tutti amanti (Felice Romani) Griselda (Federico Ricci) Macbeth (Verdi)
1848 Allan Cameron (Pacini) Il Corsaro (Verdi) Giovanna di Fiandre (Carlo Boniforti) La Schiava Saracena (Saverio Mercadante)
1850 Stiffelio (Verdi) Crispino e la comare (Luigi Ricci and Federico Ricci) Elisabetta di Valois (Antonio Buzzolla)
1851 Rigoletto (Verdi) La Sposa di Murcia (A. Casalini)
1853 La Baschina (F. De Liguoro) La Traviata (Verdi) La Prigioniera (C. Bonsoni)
1854 Pittore e Duca (Michael Balfe) Margherita di Borgogna (F. Petrocini)
1856 I Fidanzati (A. Peri)
1857 Simon Boccanegra (Verdi) Vittore Pisani (Peri)
1859 Margherita la Mendicante (Gaetano Braga)
1860 La Biscaglina (S. Levi)
1861 Guglielmo Shakspeare (Benvenuti)
1862 Mormile (Gaetano Braga) La Forza del Destino (Verdi) Rienzi (Peri)
1865 La Duchessa di Guisa (Serrao) Rebecca (B. Pisani)
1867 Berta di Varnol (Pacini) Don Diego de Mendoza (Pacini)
1868 La Trombola (Cagnoni)
1872 Olema (C. Pedrotti)
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