DA PONTE, LORENZO

born March 10, 1749, Cneda, near Treviso, Veneto died Aug. 17, 1838, New York, N.Y., U.S. original name Emanuele Conegliano Italian poet and librettist. Though Jewish by birth, Da Ponte was baptized in 1763 and later became a priest; his youthful libertinism and freethinking, however, eventually led, in 1779, to his expulsion from the Venetian state. Taking up residence in Vienna, he became official poet to the court of Emperor Joseph II and in that capacity wrote successful libretti for numerous musicians. It was there in 1783 that Da Ponte made the acquaintance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and entered upon the finest period of his literary career. Three masterpieces appeared in rapid successionLe nozze di Figaro (1786), Don Giovanni (1787), and Cos fan tutte (1790). Da Ponte's enduring merit derived from his ability to infuse borrowed themes with new life and to interweave tragic and comic elements. His version of the Don Juan legend, in particular, exercised a lasting literary influence. On Joseph II's death Da Ponte resumed his wanderings. After a period in London (17921805), he emigrated to the United States, settling finally in New York, where he devoted himself to teaching Italian language and literature at Columbia College and promoting Italian cultural activities. His four-volume Memorie (182327; Memoirs of Lorenzo Da Ponte), although mainly concerned with portraying the author as a victim of fate and enemies, is valuable for its portrait of early 19th-century America.