Ferdinando Fontana

An Italian poetBudden, J. (1992) 'Fontana, Ferdinando', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 2, p. 252.Wikipedia (2026) Ferdinando Fontana. (Accessed: 22 September 2026)., journalistWikipedia (2026) Ferdinando Fontana. (Accessed: 22 September 2026). and librettistBudden, J. (1992) 'Fontana, Ferdinando', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 2, p. 252.Wikipedia (2026) Ferdinando Fontana. (Accessed: 22 September 2026)., and the writer of Puccini's first two operasBudden, J. (1992) 'Fontana, Ferdinando', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 2, p. 252.Wikipedia (2026) Ferdinando Fontana. (Accessed: 22 September 2026).. A political radical and a member of the ScapigliaturaBudden, J. (1992) 'Fontana, Ferdinando', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 2, p. 252.Wikipedia (2026) Ferdinando Fontana. (Accessed: 22 September 2026)., he made his name in Milan as a poet and dramatistBudden, J. (1992) 'Fontana, Ferdinando', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 2, p. 252.Wikipedia (2026) Ferdinando Fontana. (Accessed: 22 September 2026)., wrote comedies in Milanese dialectWikipedia (2026) Ferdinando Fontana. (Accessed: 22 September 2026)., and as a journalist reported from Berlin and travelled across the United StatesWikipedia (2026) Ferdinando Fontana. (Accessed: 22 September 2026).. Ponchielli introduced him to the young PucciniBudden, J. (1992) 'Fontana, Ferdinando', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 2, p. 252., for whom he wrote Le villi and EdgarBudden, J. (1992) 'Fontana, Ferdinando', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 2, p. 252.Wikipedia (2026) Ferdinando Fontana. (Accessed: 22 September 2026)., and he also wrote Asrael for Alberto FranchettiBudden, J. (1992) 'Fontana, Ferdinando', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 2, p. 252.Wikipedia (2026) Ferdinando Fontana. (Accessed: 22 September 2026). and translated Lehár's Die lustige WitweBudden, J. (1992) 'Fontana, Ferdinando', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 2, p. 252.Wikipedia (2026) Ferdinando Fontana. (Accessed: 22 September 2026).. Exiled for his part in the Milan uprising of 1898, he spent the rest of his life in SwitzerlandBudden, J. (1992) 'Fontana, Ferdinando', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 2, p. 252.Wikipedia (2026) Ferdinando Fontana. (Accessed: 22 September 2026)..