LEONCAVALLO

leoncavallo, ruggiero (1858- ), italian operatic composer, was born at naples and educated for music at the conservatoire. after some years spent in teaching and in ineffectual attempts to obtain the production of more than one opera, his _pagliacci_ was performed at milan in 1892 with immediate success; and next year his _medici_ was also produced there. but neither the latter nor _chatterton_ (1896)--both early works--obtained any favour; and it was not till _la boheme_ was performed in 1897 at venice that his talent obtained public confirmation. subsequent operas by leoncavallo were _zaza_ (1900), and _der roland_ (1904). in all these operas he was his own librettist.