Born in Bergamo, 1797 and died in Bergamo, 1848. He was a contemporary of Bellini and sometimes also his rival. His flowing melodies are the finest examples of "bel canto". His parents opposed his musical career and he joined the Austrian Army, composing in his free time. In 1822, he was released from the army and in the next 8 years, he wrote nearly 30 operas which were performed all over Italy.
Donizetti's ability to write at great speed has prejudiced attitudes to the quality of his works; so has the fact that he wrote specifically for a generation of great singers such as Grisi, Mario, Lablache and Tamburini. Recently, some of his lesser known operas have been revived and found to have unsuspected merits.
Operas:
Enrico di Borgogna(1818)
Il falegname di Livonia(1819)
Le Nezze in Villa(1820)
Zoroaide di Granata, La Zingara, La Lettera anonima, Chiara e
Serafina(1822)
Il Fortunato Inganno, Aristea, Alfredo ilGrande, Una Follia(1823)
L'ajo nell'imbarazzo, Emilia di Liverpool(1824)
Olivio e Pasquale, Il Borgomastro di Saardam, Le convenienzi Teatrali,
Otto mese in due ore(1827)
Elizabetta a Kinilworth, La Regina di Colconda, Gianni di Calais, Il Giovedi
Grasso, L'esule de Roma(1828)
Il Pirata, Il Castello di Kenilworth(1829)
Il diluvio Universale, I Pazzi per Progetto, Francesca di Foix, Ismelda
di Lambertazzi, La Romanziera, Anna Bolena(1830)
Fausta, Ugo Conte di Parigi, l'Elisir d'amore, Sancia di Castiglia, Il
nuovo Pourceaugnac(1832)
Il Fuioso, Parisina, Torquato Tasso, Lucrezia Borgia(1833)
Rosamunda d'Inghilterra, Maria Stuarda, Gemma di Vergy(1834)
Marino Faliero, Lucia di Lamermoor(1835)
Belisario, Il Campanello di notte, Betly(1836)
Roberto Devereux, Pia di Tolomei(1837)
Maria di Rudenz(1838)
Gianni di Parigi, Gabriella di Vergy(1839)
Polinto, La Fille Du Regiment, Le Duc d'Albe, La Favorita(1840)
Adelasia, Rita, ou le mari battu, Maria Padilla(1841)
Linda di Chamounix(1842)
Maria di Rohan, Don Pasquale, Dom Sebastien(1843)
Caterina Cornaro(1844)
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