Famous Calabrian People

Francesco Cilea

The charming town of Palmi was F. Cilea's birthplace in July 2 nd 1866. He was a versatile musician and a composer whose poems belonged to the Decadentism that pervaded the end of 1800 both in Italy and in France. Since he was a child, he showed a deep talent for music and his parents let him study in Naples , where he had Cesi and Serrao as teachers. His precocity induced him to compose still a student remarkable works as a "trio" and a "suite". He devoted himself to musical compositions that were more and more appreciated: from "Tilda" (1892) to "Arlesiana" (1897), to "Adriana Lecouvreur", a drammatic commedy in four parts represented in Milan with great success in 1902. It was followed by "Gloria" (1907), a symphonic poem and also by other works. He was Director of the Conservatory of Palermo and that of Naples. He Died at Varazze in 1950.


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