{{Short description|Italian composer (1875–1952)}} thumb|right|Italo Montemezzi '''Italo Montemezzi''' (August 4,<ref>A number of sources say he was born May 31, 1875.</ref> 1875 – May 15, 1952) was an Italian composer. He is best known for his opera ''L'amore dei tre re'' (''The Love of the Three Kings''), once part of the standard repertoire. It is now seldom performed.
==Biography== Montemezzi was born in Vigasio, near Verona. He studied music at the Milan Conservatory and subsequently taught harmony there for one year.
His opera ''L’amore dei tre re'', written in 1913, launched his career and enabled him to devote himself to composition. His opera ''La nave'' had its world premiere in Milan in 1918. In 1919 he visited the United States, conducting the American premiere of ''La nave'' at the Chicago Opera Association on November 18. He lived in California<ref>Slominsky (''Baker's Concise'', 7th ed.) give the vague "mostly in California". [https://sfcm.edu/sites/default/files/Library-Archives-OralHistoryProject-AldenJenks.pdf San Francisco Conservatory of Music / Jonathan Elkus Oral History] places him on the [San Francisco] Peninsula</ref> from 1939 and commemorated Italy's surrender with ''Italia mia'' (1944), but later made frequent trips to Italy. He returned permanently in 1949 and died in Vigasio three years later.
Other non-operatic works include the symphonic poem ''Paolo e Virginia'' (after ''Paul et Virginie'') and the cantata ''The Song of Songs''.
As a composer, Montemezzi was admired for combining traditional Italian lyricism with a Wagnerian approach to the use of the orchestra in opera, with instrumental color influenced by the works of Debussy.<ref>the biographer Piergiorgio Rossetti seems to say something to this effect in the un-subtitled Sebastiano Montresor's 2002 documentary (on Youtube)</ref>
==Operas== *''Bianca'' 1901 (never performed) *''Giovanni Gallurese'' (Turin, 1905) *''Hellera'' (Turin, 1909) *''San Pantaleone'' (Milan, 1910) *''L'amore dei tre re'' (Milan, 1913; New York, 1914) *''La nave'' (Milan, 1918) [https://urresearch.rochester.edu/handle/1802/292/items-by-author?author=Montemezzi%2C+Italo%2C+1875-1952. Piano score at Sibley Music Library] *''La notte di Zoraima'' 1931 [https://web.archive.org/web/20081215023703/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,930066,00.html reviewed] in Time magazine *''L'incantesimo'' 1943 *''La Principessa Lontana'' (incomplete)
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMSLP|id=Montemezzi, Italo}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montemezzi}} Category:1875 births Category:1952 deaths Category:Italian classical composers Category:Italian opera composers Category:Italian male opera composers Category:Milan Conservatory alumni Category:People from the Province of Verona Category:Academic staff of Milan Conservatory Category:Italian expatriates in the United States
{{Italy-composer-stub}}