CAMMARANO, SALVATORE ( b. Naples, Italy, 19 Mar 1801; d. Naples, 17 July 1852 )
Cammarano began his professional life as a playwright. His first libretto was La Sposa, premièred in 1834, for the composer Vignozzi. From 1835 he as attached to the Teatro San Carlo at Naples. In all he wrote about 50 libretti, though he's best remembered for his associations with the composers Donizetti and Verdi.
Cammarano was very aware of the requirements of audiences and composers of his time. As a result of these requirements and those of the censor, the original works upon which he based his libretti were often substantially changed.
For Donizetti he wrote the libretti of Lucia di Lammermoor,(1835) Belisario (1836), Pia de' Tolomei, (1837), Roberto Devereux (1837) and Maria di Rudenz (1838). For Verdi he wrote Alzira (1845), La battaglia di Legnano (1849), Luisa Miller (1849) and Il trovatore (1853).
