Life
Trained during a transitional era where Rococo, Enlightenment, and Neoclassicism coexisted, his artistic maturity was fully expressed in the Neoclassical taste and style of the late eighteenth century and the Napoleonic era.
Luigi Caruso was born in Naples in 1754 and trained at the Conservatory of the Pietà dei Turchini under the guidance of Nicola Sala. At just nineteen years old, he debuted with Il barone di Trocchia (1773, Naples). The following year, his Artaserse was performed in London, marking the beginning of an international career.
In 1788 he was appointed chapel master of the Cathedral of San Lorenzo in Perugia, a position he held almost until his death. He traveled frequently in Italy, Portugal, France, and Germany to present his operas. He composed more than sixty theatrical works, both serious and comic, some of which were reworkings of previous operas. His style remained linked to the Neapolitan tradition, without embracing Romantic innovations.
He died in Perugia in 1823, following a career that had made him a respected figure in Italian musical theater.
Aneddoto
Precocious debut
At just 19 years old, Caruso staged Il barone di Trocchia, immediately confirming his talent as an opera composer.Works
Caruso wrote 64 theatrical works. Among these: Il barone di Trocchia (1773, Naples), L’innocente fortunata (1774, Livorno, in collaboration with Paisiello), Artaserse (1774, London), La lavandaia astuta (1775, Livorno), Il padre della virtuosa (1776, Trieste), La caffettiera di spirito (1777, Brescia), Scipione in Cartagena (1779, Venice), L’albergatrice vivace (1780, Venice), Il fanatico per la musica (1781, Rome), Il marito geloso (1781, Venice), L’inganno (1782, Naples), Giunio Bruto (1785, Rome), Amleto (1790, Florence), and Demetrio (1790, Venice). His production includes both drammi giocosi and drammi per musica, as well as intermezzos and farsettas.
Briciole di storia
The woman journalist
Elisabetta Caminer took over the direction of the "Giornale Enciclopedico" in 1778, a periodical distributed throughout Europe founded by her father. When she moved to Vicenza, which she described as idle, malicious, and full of prejudice in contrast to the free Venice, she had to face increasingly pressing censorship. Her modern and provocative editorial line, pushed by her collaborator Scola, was considered too bold; thus, to continue publishing after several local printing shops had withdrawn for fear of inspections, Elisabetta, with her husband's support, decided to perform an extreme and courageous act for the time. By opening her own personal printing press in 1779, she successfully and independently handled the trade of printer as well, just to guarantee freedom for her journal.
Pubblico dominio (CC0)
