Nationality:
Italian
Born:
Bergamo,
November 29th
1797
Died:
Bergamo,
April 8th
1848
Type
of music: Bel Canto
Opera, songs, symphonies
Main
works: L'elisir
d'amore (1832), Lucrezia Borgia (1833), Don Pasquale (1843)
Although
Donizetti was born into a poor family, he was able to gain a musical
education thanks to another operatic composer, Johann Mayr, who
founded a free music school in Bergamo. He studied for two further
years in Bologna and after which, he began his compositional career.
By
1822 he had already written the opera 'Zoraida di Granata' for a
theatre in Rome, and in next few years after he moved to Naples, he
was completing up to 5 operas a year. It was in 1830 when he achieved
success on the international stage with his opera 'Anna Bolena',
After which he began writing for numerous theatres. In 1833, he
completed 'Lucrezia Borgia' for the La Scala opera house in Milan.
In
1838, Donizetti moved to Paris where his work was very well received.
Works which he completed in this period of his life include 'La
fille du regiment', 'Les martyrs' and 'La favorite'.
In
1842, during the period in which he was in ill health, he was
appointed as the Kapellmeister to an Austrian court. His last opera,
'Don Pasquale' has it's premiere at the Italian theatre in Paris in
1843.
“My
heyday is over, and another must take my place. The world wants
something new. Others have ceded their places to us and we must cede
ours to still others.. I am more than happy to give mine to people of
talent like Verdi. ” - Donizetti, 1844.
Spotify
link for the Classical Cafe playlist:
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