On This Day

Ruggero Leoncavallo's opera "I Pagliacci" premieres at the Teatro Dal Verme in Milan

Pagliacci is an Italian opera in a prologue and two acts, with music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo.

Pagliacci is an Italian opera in a prologue and two acts, with music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo. The opera tells the tale of Canio, actor and leader of a commedia dell'arte theatrical company, who murders his wife Nedda and her lover Silvio on stage during a performance. Canio portrays on stage the character of Pagliaccio (Pierrot), while Nedda portays Pierrot's unfaithful lover Columbina. Pagliacci premiered at the Teatro Dal Verme in Milan on 21 May 1892, conducted by Arturo Toscanini, with Adelina Stehle as Nedda, Fiorello Giraud as Canio, Victor Maurel as Tonio, and Mario Ancona as Silvio. Soon after its Italian premiere, the opera played in London (with Nellie Melba as Nedda) and in New York (on 15 June 1893, with Agostino Montegriffo as Canio).

Historical Significance

Pagliacci is an Italian opera in a prologue and two acts, with music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo.

Events Before

  1. French troops occupy Nioro, West Sudan, and 3,000 people are killed

    French troops occupy Nioro, West Sudan, and 3,000 people are killed

  2. A Hatfield marries a McCoy, ends long feud in West Virginia it started with an accusation of pig-stealing & lasted 20 ye

    A Hatfield marries a McCoy, ends long feud in West Virginia it started with an accusation of pig-stealing & lasted 20 years

  3. 56th UK Prime Minister Bonar Law (32) weds Annie Robley at West Free Church in Helensburgh, Scotland

    56th UK Prime Minister Bonar Law (32) weds Annie Robley at West Free Church in Helensburgh, Scotland

  4. 1st World Weightlifting Championship is won by Edward Lawrence in London

    1st World Weightlifting Championship is won by Edward Lawrence in London

  5. Music Hall (now Carnegie Hall) opens in New York City, with Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky as guest conductor of the New York

    Music Hall (now Carnegie Hall) opens in New York City, with Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky as guest conductor of the New York Music Society Orchestra

Events After

  1. First U.S. college extension courses for credit are offered at the University of Chicago

    The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, UChi, or U of C) is a private research university in the Hyde Park community area of Chicago, Illinois, United States. The university is composed of an...

  2. British poet and writer Rudyard Kipling (26) weds Carrie Balestier (29) at All Souls Church in Langham Place, London, En

    British poet and writer Rudyard Kipling (26) weds Carrie Balestier (29) at All Souls Church in Langham Place, London, England; writer. Henry James gave away the bride

  3. Thomas Edison completes the world's first movie studio in West Orange, New Jersey

    Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman.

  4. Panic of 1893 causes a large crash on the NY Stock Exchange

    Panic of 1893 causes a large crash on the NY Stock Exchange

  5. Henri Desgrange establishes world's 1st bicycle world record, travelling 35.325 km (21.95 miles) an hour

    Henri Desgrange establishes world's 1st bicycle world record, travelling 35.325 km (21.95 miles) an hour

More from the 1890s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on May 21, 1892?
Pagliacci is an Italian opera in a prologue and two acts, with music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo. The opera tells the tale of Canio, actor and leader of a commedia dell'arte theatrical company, who murders his wife Nedda and her lover Silvio on stage during a performance. Canio portrays on stage the character of Pagliaccio (Pierrot), while Nedda portays Pierrot's unfaithful lover Columbina.
Why is Ruggero Leoncavallo's opera "I Pagliacci" premieres at the Teatro Dal Verme i... significant?
Pagliacci is an Italian opera in a prologue and two acts, with music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo.

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