Memoirs Of Lorenzo Da Ponte

by Lorenzo Da Ponte

1929. Edited and annotated by Arthur Livingston. The fascinating memoirs of the Italian poet, librettist, and pioneer in spreading Italian culture in the United States. Forced to leave Venice and Vienna due to scandals, he wandered through Europe, lived in London and then came to the US where he spent the rest of his life as a celebrated teacher of Italian language and culture (except for an unsuccessful period spent in Pennsylvania selling medicines). He taught nearly 2,000 private pupils and was appointed professor of Italian language and literature at Columbia in 1830.

Genres: Music, Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography, History, Italian Literature, Italy

Paperback

First published January 1, 1823

About the author

Lorenzo Da Ponte (10 March 1749 – 17 August 1838) was a Venetian opera librettist and poet. He wrote the librettos for 28 operas by 11 composers, including three of Mozart's greatest operas, Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro and Così fan tutte.

Reviews

[Carlo Mascellani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Splendida e avvicente autobiografia, che ripercorre la vita inquieta del Da Ponte, conosciuto principallmente per esser stato l'autore di molti dei libretti per Mozart. Dall'istruzione autodidatta, alle prime segnalazioni, alle velate raccomandazioni, si passa dalla corte Viennese, a Londra e all'America, in un susseguirsi di trionfi e cadute, di battaglie vinte o perse. Comun denlminatore l'amore per la poesia e la cultura, costantenente perseguito. Degne di nota le descrizioni degli intrighi di corte, dell'invidia imperante, della vista travagliata degli artisti: sempre bisognosi di mecenati, spessso costretti a mercificare la propria stessa arte per poter vivere.

[Philippe Malzieu · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is an exceptional destiny. The life of the young Jew of the Venetian ghetto is incredible. And is it his love for the young girls which makes he flees each time. He was the librettist of Mozart for his three better operas and especially the supreme opera of the operas Don Giovanni.
Da Ponte had the genius to detect the geniuses. For him in Vienna, the best musicians are Mozart and Martini. Well considering.
His life is a perpetual escape driven out by problems of money and love.
He finished his life in New York by opening a Bookstore of Italian book. He died in 95 years.
His memories were found by a French poëte, Alfred de Vigny. Impressed by the importance of this work, He brought back them to France to publish them.
His memories are capital. He has style and it is a pleasure of reading it. It is a testimony of the intellectual life in Europe. He is clever and he shown perspicacity in his analyses
Da ponte's life is an incredible novel. Read this book while listening "Catalog arie"
"In Spania, in Spania mille et treis"

[Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don Giovanni

[Yann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lorenzo Da Ponte, dont voici les mémoires, est surtout connu pour avoir été le librettiste de Mozart, pour trois de ses plus fameux opéras : "Cosi Fan Tutte", "Don Juan" et "Le mariage de Figaro". Il eu effectivement le bonheur de devenir le directeur du théâtre de Vienne pendant les années qui précédèrent la révolution. Mais pour son malheur, notre Lorenzo est une antithèse de son compatriote Casanova - qui a droit à un portrait équivoque, aussi flatteur que circonspect - : autant ce dernier s'ingéniait à monter toute sorte d'imposture lucrative, autant notre bon poète se trouve toujours la dupe de quelque cabale montée contre lui, en particulier celle des acteurs dont les caprices et les jalousies engendrent toutes sortes de dissension. Toute sa vie sera marquée par des malheurs, qui en auraient abattu d'autres s'il n'avaient eu sa persévérance et son enthousiasme. Chassé de son théâtre, il se réfugie en Angleterre, où il subit derechef les mêmes déboires. La révolution, les poursuites des créanciers, tout le pousse à fuir aux Amériques, où il commence une nouvelle vie de négociant, vendant des remèdes de pharmacie aux colons. A force de persévérance, il parvient, en enseignant, à faire apprécier à quelques Américaines le goût de la langue de Dante, laquelle était parvenue, faute d'être cultivée, à un grand degré de mépris dans le nouveau monde. Ces mémoires sont très agréables à lire, du fait de la personnalité très attachante du narrateur, faite de simplicité, d'alacrité et de piété filiale, mais l'admiration et le plaisir que suscitent les œuvres dont il est l'auteur doivent aussi participer à l'intérêt qu'on leur porte.

[Emmanuelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pas très facile à suivre pour les non-initiés mais quelques passages très comiques.

[Jaime Robles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the Elisabeth Abbot translation from 1929. A fascinating person who influenced culture in the 18th century and through the mid 19th century. The man whose lyrics endure in Mozart's most famous operas.

[Flâneuse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly entertaining

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

These memoirs of the famous librettist who worked with Mozart (Don Giovanni, Nozze de Figaro) are a lot of fun and read like a picaresque novel. The joie de vivre and capacity for reinvention of this remarkable man come through on nearly every page. He seems like a lovable, slightly naughty, financially irresponsible literary fellow who appears to do no one any real harm; basically, he's Italian. The guy's wanderings are amazing, from Italy to Vienna to Paris to London to New York to Philadelphia to New York - each time reinventing himself and more or less prospering till the next crisis erupts. Here's an excerpt from his time at the end of the Viennese phase: "The effect of this blow on my enemies need not be described. I lingered three weeks in that city. More than a hundred Italians came to visit me, but I received few of them. On the faces of these I could clearly see consternation, envy, displeasure, and, above all, a devouring curiosity to know just how such a metamorphosis had occurred. I amused myself hugely at their expense, telling one thing to one, and another to another, and to no one the truth." And of his actual departure: "I departed for Paris, but not alone. If anyone cares to know with whom I went, he must read the third part of these Memoirs." I recommend that you do!

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some parts were certainly enjoyable, but in rather typical 18th-century fashion, he gets carried away -- especially toward the end -- with tedious details. I admit to skimming after he gets old, quits music, and becomes a petty merchant of medical products, continually specifying how much money he has, or owes, or is owed by others.

I chose the book partly because of his reputation as a ladies' man -- I was hoping for a little scandal -- but he elides those events and you're lucky if you get a footnote explaining that the real reason he had to leave a city was that he seduced some important guy's wife.

Overall not without interest, but a bit disappointing.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing book by an amazing man who is, sadly, neglected by the world. For someone who was so famous in his day, I feel so bad that Lorenzo da Ponte is ignored by the world. He worked with Mozart, Salieri, et al, then moved to England, then became the first professor of Italian literature in America! And nobody really notices him. There are too many ignored poets named Lorenzo.

[Antonio Santoyo · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stelle per queste bellissime memorie. Che genio! Che scrittore, Che intelligentissimo personaggio. Leggere la sua vita è come ascoltare per ore la illuminata conversazione di un buon amico con perfetto buonumore. Sono davvero gradito per questo libro che diventerà senza dubbio uno dei miei preferiti.

[Christophe Vincent · Rating 3 out of 5]

Les mémoires rocambolesques du célèbre et sulfureux librettiste. Imbu de lui-même au plus haut degré, grand mythomane pathologique, maniaco- obsédé par ses comptes financiers et sévèrement atteint du délire de la persécution, Da Ponte était une sympathique canaille qui s'est offert de par sa courte collaboration avec Mozart une postérité éternelle.

[laurèns · Rating 4 out of 5]

un peu long mais sympa à lire