Edoardo Sonzogno
Encyclopedia
Edoardo Sonzogno was an Italian
publisher.
A native of Milan
, Sonzogno was the son of a businessman who owned a printing plant and bookstore; when he inherited the business upon his father's death he set about turning it into a publishing house, Casa Sonzogno, which opened in 1874. The company specialized in producing cheap editions of early Italian music
, and became celebrated for its one-act opera
contest, which began in 1883; Pietro Mascagni
's Cavalleria Rusticana
, submitted in 1889 and premiering in 1890, was by far the most famous opera to win the prize.
Sonzogno owned and directed the newspaper
Il Secolo from 1861 until 1909; for much of that time, its editor was Ernesto Teodoro Moneta
.
In 1894 he established a theater, the Lirico Internazionale, in Milan. He was also one of the first publishers in Italy to launch pocket-book editions of a huge range of Classical authors from all over the world, a collection he called Biblioteca Universale; the price of these minibooks (cm 11,5 x 17,5) was so low, from 1 to 3,5 liras, that anybody could easily afford to set up a vast personal library of Classics, both in fiction and human sciences.
Sonzogno died in Milan in 1920.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
publisher.
A native of Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Sonzogno was the son of a businessman who owned a printing plant and bookstore; when he inherited the business upon his father's death he set about turning it into a publishing house, Casa Sonzogno, which opened in 1874. The company specialized in producing cheap editions of early Italian music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, and became celebrated for its one-act opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
contest, which began in 1883; Pietro Mascagni
Pietro Mascagni
Pietro Antonio Stefano Mascagni was an Italian composer most noted for his operas. His 1890 masterpiece Cavalleria rusticana caused one of the greatest sensations in opera history and single-handedly ushered in the Verismo movement in Italian dramatic music...
's Cavalleria Rusticana
Cavalleria rusticana
Cavalleria rusticana is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, adapted from a play written by Giovanni Verga based on his short story. Considered one of the classic verismo operas, it premiered on May 17, 1890 at the Teatro...
, submitted in 1889 and premiering in 1890, was by far the most famous opera to win the prize.
Sonzogno owned and directed the newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
Il Secolo from 1861 until 1909; for much of that time, its editor was Ernesto Teodoro Moneta
Ernesto Teodoro Moneta
Ernesto Teodoro Moneta was an Italian journalist, nationalist, revolutionary soldier and later a pacifist and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. He was a native of Milan...
.
In 1894 he established a theater, the Lirico Internazionale, in Milan. He was also one of the first publishers in Italy to launch pocket-book editions of a huge range of Classical authors from all over the world, a collection he called Biblioteca Universale; the price of these minibooks (cm 11,5 x 17,5) was so low, from 1 to 3,5 liras, that anybody could easily afford to set up a vast personal library of Classics, both in fiction and human sciences.
Sonzogno died in Milan in 1920.