librettist Ranieri de' Calzabigi

Ranieri de' Calzabigi was an 18th-century Italian poet and librettist known for writing the texts (librettos) for operas, particularly those composed by Christoph Willibald Gluck. His work emphasized clarity, emotional expression, and natural storytelling, helping to reform Italian opera by moving away from overly ornamented singing and theatrical spectacle toward more sincere and dramatic integrity. Calzabigi's ideas influenced the development of opera as a more unified and expressive art form, making the storytelling more directly connected to music and human emotions.