Moses

Born in Florence, Angiolo Orvieto was brought up in a prominent family. In 1896, he and his brother Adolfo founded the literary journal Il Marzocco, a forum for the artistic and intellectual circles of Florence. He married his cousin Laura (née Cantoni) in 1899, and beginning in 1904, he collaborated with her on Il Marzocco. Committed to formalism, Orvieto sought to revive the Italian sonnet, and especially after World War I, he drew on biblical imagery and Jewish themes. His collaboration with composer Giacomo Orefice resulted in three libretti, among them Mosè (Moses).