Vigano, Salvatore

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Vigano, Salvatore

Vigano, Salvatore, Italian composer and choreographer, nephew of Luigi (Ridolfo) Boccherini; b.Naples, March 25,1769; d. Milan, Aug. 10,1821. He was the son and pupil of a dancer. He studied music with his uncle then began his career as a dancer at Rome in 1783, where he also produced an opera buffa, La Vedova scoperta. In 1789 he went to Madrid, where he married the celebrated ballerina Maria Medina; they subsequently toured as dancers, winning particular distinction in Vienna in 1793. After separating from his wife, he served as ballet-master in Vienna (1799-1803). Beethoven wrote the music for Vigano’s “heroic ballet” Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus (Vienna, March 28,1801), in which Vigaò danced the leading male role. After producing ballets in several Italian cities, he was active at Milan’s La Scala (1811-21)

Bibliography

C. von Ayrenhoff, Über die theatratischen Tänze und die Ballettmeister Novene, Muzzarelli, und V.(Vienna, 1794); C. Ritorni, Commentarii della vita e delle opere coreodrammatiche di S. V.(Milan, 1838); A. Levinson, Màster des Balletts: Stendhalund V.: Eine Seite aus der Geschichte der Romantik (Potsdam, 1923).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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