Gaetano Donizetti
Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti was born on the 29th of November 1797 in the Borgo Canale quarter of Bergamo. His family lived in poverty and had no tradition of music within their lineage. His father Andrea worked as the caretaker of the town pawnshop to support the household. At age nine, Simon Mayr enrolled him into a school called Lezioni Caritatevoli with a full scholarship. This institution provided detailed musical training beyond what choirboys typically received before their voices broke. The young boy initially struggled during his first three trial months due to concerns about a throat defect known as difetto di gola. Mayr soon reported that Gaetano surpassed all other students in musical progress. He remained at the school for nine years until 1815 despite threats of expulsion when his voice changed in 1809. In 1811, Mayr cast him as "the little composer" in a student performance to argue for his continued studies. The piece included a waltz which Donizetti played and received credit for in the libretto. By 1816, he moved to Bologna to study under Padre Stanislao Mattei at the Liceo Musicale. There he composed his first one-act opera Il Pigmalione at age nineteen.
An offer from Domenico Barbaja arrived in 1822 following the composer's ninth opera. Barbaja was the impresario of the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples. This opportunity led to Donizetti moving to Naples where he resided until January 1844. During this period fifty-one of his operas were presented there. Before 1830 success came primarily with comic operas while serious works failed to attract significant audiences. His first notable success arrived with Zoraida di Granata in Rome on the 28th of January 1822. The tenor cast in the major role died days before opening night forcing a rewrite for a mezzo-soprano singing a male role. Opening night became a triumph reported by the weekly Notizie del giorno. In May 1827 he secured a contract to write twelve new operas over three years. He also accepted the position of Director of the Royal Theatres of Naples starting in 1829. That same year he announced his engagement to Virginia Vasselli who was eighteen years old. They married in July 1828 and settled into a new home in Naples. Within two months he wrote Gianni di Calais which became a success in both Naples and Rome.
Donizetti scored his most acclaimed international success with Anna Bolena given at the Teatro Carcano in Milan on the 26th of December 1830. Giuditta Pasta starred in the title role while Giovanni Battista Rubini appeared as Percy. This opera achieved instant fame throughout Europe with performances staged up and down the Italian peninsula between 1830 and 1834. London confirmed this status when it was given at the King's Theatre on the 8th of July 1831. His reputation solidified further after Lucia di Lammermoor premiered in Naples on the 26th of September 1835. It was set to a libretto by Salvadore Cammarano marking their first collaboration out of eight total. The work reached a stature similar to Bellini's Norma during a time when Rossini had retired and Bellini had died shortly before its premiere. He followed paths of historical drama including Maria Stuarda given at La Scala in December 1835. Roberto Devereux featuring Elizabeth and the Earl of Essex followed in October 1837 at San Carlo. These three operas formed what became known as the Three Donizetti Queens series.
In October 1838 Donizetti moved to Paris vowing never to have dealings with the San Carlo again. The King of Naples had banned Poliuto because such a sacred subject was deemed inappropriate for the stage. In Paris he offered Poliuto to the Opéra where it was revised into Les Martyrs. This French-language grand opera premiered in April 1840 and proved quite successful. Before leaving that city in June 1840 he oversaw the translation of Lucia di Lammermoor into Lucie de Lammermoor. He also wrote La fille du régiment his first opera written specifically to a French libretto which became another success. From 1838 onward he spent much of the following ten years in France setting several operas to French texts. He continued composing while moving between Naples Rome Paris and Vienna throughout the 1840s. His work included Dom Sébastien roi de Portugal planned for November 1843 in Paris. It was his longest opera and the one on which he spent the most time totaling five acts.
Donizetti composed about seventy-five operas alongside numerous other musical forms including symphonies string quartets songs and cantatas. Between 1830 and 1835 he produced a huge outpouring of work including L'elisir d'amore a comedy produced in 1832 deemed a masterpiece of 19th-century opera buffa. He collaborated extensively with librettists like Salvadore Cammarano who wrote eight librettos for him starting with Lucia di Lammermoor. Eugène Scribe provided French texts for works such as Les Martyrs and Dom Sébastien. Domenico Gilardoni wrote eleven librettos for him beginning with Otto mesi in due ore in 1827. Ashbrook notes that Donizetti had a far better sense of what would succeed on stage than his librettists often did. By 1843 he exhibited symptoms of syphilis yet continued working to compose as much as possible while still able. Letters reveal his preoccupation with work during the last months of 1842 and throughout 1843 suggesting recognition of his failing health.
By early 1846 Donizetti was obliged to be confined to an institution for the mentally ill due to neurosyphilis. In August 1845 doctors diagnosed him with cerebro-spinal syphilis and severe mental illness. Two physicians including Dr. Philippe Ricord recommended abandoning work altogether. His brother Giuseppe dispatched his son Andrea from Constantinople to Paris arriving on the 25th of December 1845. Doctors examined him in late January 1846 concluding he no longer could calculate decisions sanely. In February 1846 Andrea allowed his uncle to be taken to Maison Esquirol in Ivry-sur-Seine under false pretenses involving an accident. Within days Donizetti realized he was being confined and wrote urgent letters seeking help which were never delivered. By May 1846 outside physicians advised leaving for Italy but the Paris Prefect of Police forbade travel citing real dangers. On the 7th or the 8th of September 1846 Andrea left for Bergamo taking a partial score of Le duc d'Albe and personal effects. Attempts to move him back to Paris occurred in 1847 through legal battles involving Count Sturmer of the Austrian Embassy.
Donizetti set out from Paris on what became a seventeen-day trip to Bergamo after permission finally arrived. The party traveled by train to Amiens then Brussels crossing Belgium Germany and Switzerland via the St Gotthard Pass. They arrived in Bergamo on the evening of the 6th of October where they were welcomed by friends and the mayor. Based on accompanying doctor reports he did not appear to suffer from the journey though he spoke very rarely or only in occasional monosyllables. When tenor Rubini visited singing music from Lucia di Lammermoor Antonio Vasselli reported no sign of recognition at all. This condition continued well into 1848 until a serious bout of apoplexy occurred on the 1st of April followed by further decline. After an intense night on the 7th of April Gaetano Donizetti died on the afternoon of the 8th of April 1848. He was initially buried in the cemetery of Valtesse before his body transferred to Bergamo's Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore near Mayr's grave in 1875.
After Bellini's death Donizetti remained the most significant composer of Italian opera until Verdi emerged. His reputation fluctuated significantly over time but since the 1940s and 1950s his work has been increasingly performed. Today his best known operas include Lucia di Lammermoor La fille du régiment L'elisir d'amore and Don Pasquale. Giuseppe Mazzini praised Donizetti's operas for embodying the spirit of the Risorgimento viewing them as expressions of Italian identity and cultural pride. Ashbrook states that he was a probable influence on other composers such as Giuseppe Verdi. The bel canto tradition reached high points with works like Norma and Lucia di Lammermoor during his lifetime. Despite early struggles with comic operas failing to attract audiences his serious dramas achieved lasting success across Europe. His prolific output included about seventy-five operas plus symphonies quartets songs and cantatas demonstrating immense versatility. Modern revivals have restored his standing as a cornerstone of 19th-century Italian opera alongside Rossini and Bellini.
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Common questions
When and where was Gaetano Donizetti born?
Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti was born on the 29th of November 1797 in the Borgo Canale quarter of Bergamo. His family lived in poverty and his father Andrea worked as the caretaker of the town pawnshop to support the household.
What were the major operas that established Gaetano Donizetti's international reputation?
Anna Bolena given at the Teatro Carcano in Milan on the 26th of December 1830 achieved instant fame throughout Europe. Lucia di Lammermoor premiered in Naples on the 26th of September 1835 and reached a stature similar to Bellini's Norma during a time when Rossini had retired.
How did Gaetano Donizetti die and what was his final illness?
Gaetano Donizetti died on the afternoon of the 8th of April 1848 after a serious bout of apoplexy occurred on the 1st of April followed by further decline. He suffered from cerebro-spinal syphilis which led to severe mental illness and confinement in an institution for the mentally ill starting in early 1846.
Which librettists collaborated most frequently with Gaetano Donizetti?
Salvadore Cammarano wrote eight librettos for him starting with Lucia di Lammermoor while Eugène Scribe provided French texts for works such as Les Martyrs and Dom Sébastien. Domenico Gilardoni wrote eleven librettos for him beginning with Otto mesi in due ore in 1827.
When did Gaetano Donizetti move to Paris and why did he relocate there?
In October 1838 Donizetti moved to Paris vowing never to have dealings with the San Carlo again because the King of Naples had banned Poliuto due to its sacred subject matter. In Paris he offered Poliuto to the Opéra where it was revised into Les Martyrs and premiered successfully in April 1840.