Da Ponte, Lorenzo

Da Ponte, Lorenzo
orig. Emanuele Conegliano

born March 10, 1749, Céneda, near Treviso, Veneto
died Aug. 17, 1838, New York, N.Y., U.S.

Italian poet and librettist.

When his Jewish father converted to marry a Roman Catholic, he adopted the name of the local bishop. He took priestly orders in 1768, while teaching literature and publishing poetry. At odds with the authorities for his progressive views, he was expelled from the Venetian republic in 1779 for adultery. In 1783 he was appointed court poet for Vienna's Italian theatre. There he wrote a remarkable series of more than 40 opera librettos, including the masterpieces The Marriage of Figaro (1786), Don Giovanni (1787), and Così fan tutte (1790) for Wolfgang A. Mozart. Court intrigue forced him to leave Vienna in 1791. He settled in New York in 1805, taught at Columbia College, wrote his colourful memoirs, and helped establish Italian opera in the city.

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▪ Italian writer
original name  Emmanuele Conegliano  
born March 10, 1749, Céneda, near Treviso, Veneto [Italy]
died Aug. 17, 1838, New York, N.Y., U.S.

      Italian poet and librettist best known for his collaboration with Mozart.

      Jewish by birth, Da Ponte was baptized in 1763 and later became a priest; freethinking (expressing doubts about religious doctrine) and his pursuit of an adulterous relationship, however, eventually led, in 1779, to his expulsion from the Venetian state. Taking up residence in Vienna (probably in 1780), he became official poet to the court of Emperor Joseph II and in that capacity wrote successful librettos for numerous musicians. It was there in 1783 that Da Ponte made the acquaintance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus) and entered upon the finest period of his literary career. Three masterpieces appeared in rapid succession—Le nozze di Figaro (1786), Don Giovanni (1787), and Così fan tutte (1790). During the same period he achieved his greatest popular success with the libretto to Martín y Soler's Una cosa rara (1787). Da Ponte's enduring merit derived from his ability to infuse borrowed themes with new life and to interweave tragic and comic elements. His version of the Don Juan legend, in particular, exercised a lasting literary influence.

      Left without support after Joseph II's death in 1790, Da Ponte resumed his wanderings. After a period in London (1792–1805), he emigrated to the United States to escape his creditors, settling finally in New York, where he devoted himself to teaching Italian language and literature at Columbia College and promoting Italian cultural activities. His four-volume Memorie (1823–27; Memoirs of Lorenzo Da Ponte), although mainly concerned with portraying the author as a victim of fate and enemies, is valuable for its portrait of early 19th-century America.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • DA PONTE, LORENZO — (1749–1838), poet and librettist, best remembered for his work with Mozart. Born Emanuele Conegliano, Da Ponte was given the family name of his sponsor, the bishop of Ceneda, upon the family s baptism in 1763. He was educated for the priesthood… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Da Ponte, Lorenzo — • Poet, b. at Cenada, Italy, 1749; d. in New York, 17 Aug., 1838 Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006 …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Da Ponte, Lorenzo — altDa Ponte o Daponte, Lorenzo/alt ► (1749 1838) Aventurero y literato italiano. Autor de los libretos de las óperas de Mozart Las bodas de Fígaro, Don Juan, etc. * * * orig. Emanuele Conegliano (10 mar. 1749, Céneda, cerca de Treviso, Véneto–17… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Da Ponte,Lorenzo — Da Pon·te (də pŏnʹtē, dä pōnʹtĕ), Lorenzo. 1749 1838. Italian born American poet and educator who wrote librettos for Mozart s Marriage of Figaro (1786), Don Giovanni (1787), and Così fan Tutte (1790). * * * …   Universalium

  • Lorenzo da Ponte — Lorenzo da Ponte. Lorenzo da Ponte (Cèneda, Treviso, 10 de marzo de 1749 – Nueva York, 1 de agosto de 1838) fue un poeta y libretista italiano conocido sobre todo en cuanto autor de los libretos de tres grandes óperas de Moza …   Wikipedia Español

  • Lorenzo Da Ponte — Stich von Michele Pekenino nach Nathaniel Rogers Lorenzo da Ponte (* 10. März 1749 in Ceneda, heute Vittorio Veneto, Venetien; † 17. August 1838 in New York) war ein italienischer Dichter und …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Lorenzo Da Ponte — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Da Ponte. Lorenzo da Ponte, né Emmanuele Conegliano à Ceneda, près de Venise le 10 mars 1749 et mort à New York, le 17 août 1838 est un poète et librettiste italien qui eut une vie riche en… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Lorenzo da ponte — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Da Ponte. Lorenzo da Ponte, né Emmanuele Conegliano à Ceneda, près de Venise le 10 mars 1749 et mort à New York, le 17 août 1838 est un poète et librettiste italien qui eut une vie riche en… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Lorenzo Da Ponte —     Lorenzo Da Ponte     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► Lorenzo Da Ponte     Poet, b. at Cenada, Italy, 1749; d. in New York, 17 Aug., 1838. He was the son of a Jew and was at first named Emmanuel Conegliano. When he was fourteen years old his father… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Ponte [2] — Ponte, Lorenzo da, s. Daponte …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

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