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Bibiena, Galli da

(Encyclopedia)Bibiena or Bibbiena, Galli da gälˈlē dä bēbyāˈnä [key], family of Italian artists of the 17th and 18th cent. Giovanni Maria Galli da Bibiena, 1625–65, studied with Francesco Albani and paint...

Corelli, Franco

(Encyclopedia)Corelli, Franco kōrĕlˈlē [key], 1921–2003, Italian tenor. He made his operatic debut at Spoleto in 1952 as Don José in Bizet's Carmen and debuted with the Metropolitan Opera in 1961, singing M...

Boito, Arrigo

(Encyclopedia)Boito, Arrigo ärrēˈgo bôˈētō [key], 1842–1918, Italian composer and librettist. His opera Mefistofele (1868, rev. 1875), influenced by Wagner's music-drama, helped to bring about a new dramat...

McCracken, James Eugene

(Encyclopedia)McCracken, James Eugene, 1926–88, American dramatic tenor, b. Gary, Ind. He was noted for his robust voice, his intense singing style, and his prominent vibrato. McCracken made his debut (1952) at t...

Dies irae

(Encyclopedia)Dies irae dēˈās ēˈrā [key] [Lat.,=day of wrath], hymn of the Roman Catholic Church. A part of the Requiem Mass, it is a powerful description of the Judgment and a prayer to Jesus for mercy. Sugg...

Milnes, Sherrill Eustace

(Encyclopedia)Milnes, Sherrill Eustace, 1935–, American operatic baritone, b. Downers Grove, Ill., stud. with Boris Goldovsky and Rosa Ponselle. Famous for his powerful yet lyrical voice and his large, seemingly ...

Failly, Pierre Louis Charles de

(Encyclopedia)Failly, Pierre Louis Charles de pyĕr lwē shärl də fāyēˈ [key], 1810–92, French general. He fought in Algeria, in the Crimean War, and at Magenta and Solferino (1859) in the Italian War. Headi...

Gavazzi, Alessandro

(Encyclopedia)Gavazzi, Alessandro älĕs-sänˈdrō gävätˈtsē [key], 1809–89, Italian preacher and patriot. A Barnabite monk, he left the order in 1848. His liberal ideas and disillusionment with the social o...

Cernuschi, Henri

(Encyclopedia)Cernuschi, Henri chārno͞oˈskē [key], 1821–96, Italian politician and economist. A strong republican, he was a leader in the Milan revolt of 1848 in support of Giuseppe Garibaldi. In 1850 he went...

Melchior, Lauritz

(Encyclopedia)Melchior, Lauritz mĕlˈkēôr [key], 1890–1973, Danish heroic tenor. He made his debut in Copenhagen in 1913, singing a baritone role in I Pagliacci, and sang regularly at the Bayreuth Festivals f...