Novaro, Michele |
| COMPOSER, PATRIOT (ITALY) |
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BORN 23 Dec 1818, Genova, Liguria - DIED 21 Oct 1885, Genova, Liguria GRAVE LOCATION Genova, Liguria: Cimitero monumentale di Staglieno, Piazzale Resasco (Boschetto Irregolare) |
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Michele Novaro was the composer of "Il Canto degli Italiani" on a text by Goffredo Mameli. This was the unofficial national anthem of the Italian republic since 1946. In 2012 it became the official national anthem. He composed it during the Risorgimento when he was only 29 years old. He studied composition and singing at the Scuola Gratuita di Canto. In 1847 he worked in Turin as second tenor and as choirmaster at the Teatro Regio and the Teatro Carignano. He set many patriotic songs to music and organised fundraisers to support Garibaldi. In 1865 in Genoa he founded a Choral School that gave free lessons. Suffering from healt problems and financial problems, he died poor and alone in Genoa. His former students erected a tomb for him at the Cimitero monumentale di Staglieno. |
| Images |
 The grave of Michele Novaro at the Cimitero monumentale di Staglieno, Genoa. Picture by androom (03 Mar 2014) |
