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Real Opera: Verismo Style

What was happening in Naples, Lucca, and Livorno in the 1890s? Why did Italian opera composers turn from Verdi’s dynasty and put gritty struggles of common people on stage? When Mascagni composed Cavalleria rusticana in 1890, the opera caused one of the greatest sensations in opera history, ushering in the verismo movement. In 1892, Leoncavallo created Pagliacci, a tale of jealousy in a circus troupe. By 1900, Puccini reigned over the realistic style with his opera Tosca. In this course, we will discover how these composers—friends and rivals— revolutionized Italian opera.

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