August Enna

August Enna (13 May 1859 – 3 August 1939) was a Danish composer, known mainly for his operas. Biography Enna was born in Nakskov, Lolland, Denmark, but his ethnic origins lay in Sicily. His grandfather, an Italian by birth, had emigrated to Denmark with his German-born wife after the Napoleonic Wars (in which he served as a soldier). In 1870 the family moved to Copenhagen, where Enna became a shoemaker’s apprentice (his father was a shoemaker) and received music lessons. He became a violinist and performed in Finland and Sweden. In 1883 he returned to Denmark to become music director at Werner’s Theatre Company, a travelling touring theatre. In 1884, he composed his first opera, Agleia, some piano pieces and instrumental works, and in 1886 a symphony (in C minor) which attracted the interest of Niels Gade. In 1890/91 he was conductor at the Dagmar Theatre in Copenhagen. After that he lived from composing and short-term engagements. In 1908 he became an adjunct professor. In 1892, his groundbreaking work, the opera The Witch, was premiered. He then had great success with other operas, including Cleopatra (1894), The Little Match Girl (1897), Gloria Arsena (1917) and The Comedians (1