Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Biella byĕlˈlä [key], city, Piedmont, NW Italy. It is a major cotton and wool textile manu...

(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...

(Encyclopedia) Filarete fēˈlärĕˈtā [key], c.1400–c.1465, Italian architect and sculptor, whose real name was Antonio Averlino, b. Florence. In the 1430s he went to Rome, where he studied the monuments of ant...

(Encyclopedia) Bergognone bôr– [key], fl. 1450–1523, Italian painter, known also as Ambrogio Stefani da Fossano. His most important works are the frescoes in the Certosa of Pavia. His luminous and often charmin...

(Encyclopedia) Abbado, Claudio, 1933–2014, Italian conductor, b. Milan. He debuted (1960) in his native city, conducting the orchestra at La Scala, where he subsequently served (1968–86) as musical director. He ...

(Encyclopedia) Muti, Riccardo rēk-kärˈdō mo͞oˈtē [key], 1941–, Italian conductor. Principal conductor of the Maggio Musicale (1969–81) in Florence and of the Philharmonia Orchestra (1973–82) in London, ...

(Encyclopedia) Bach, Johann Christian bäkh [key], 1735–82, German musician and composer; son of J. S. Bach. He went to Italy in 1754, became a Roman Catholic, and composed church music and operas. In 1760 he bec...

(Encyclopedia) Maderna, Bruno bro͞oˈnō mädĕrˈnä [key], 1920–73, Italian composer and conductor, b. Venice. Maderna studied composing with Gian Francesco Malipiero and conducting with Hermann Scherchen. As a...

(Encyclopedia) Pinza, Ezio ātsˈyō pēnˈtsä [key], 1892–1957, Italian bass, b. Rome, studied at the Bologna Conservatory. After military service (1915–19), he resumed his operatic career in Rome, later singi...

(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...