Gaetano Donizetti

Opera could not easily have moved from the delicious comedies of Gioachino Rossini to the intensely passionate dramas of Giuseppe Verdi without a period of transition. Despite the fact that he died two decades before Rossini, Gaetano Donizetti supplied that bridge between musical eras with a series of stylish and influential "bel canto" compositions that married the musical ambitions of opera with the great dramas of the 19th century stage.

Born in Bergamo, Italy, in 1797, Donizetti acquired the reputation of being even more prolific than Rossini (if that was humanly possible), although often at the expense of his compositions. In addition to the nearly seventy operas Donizetti composed over the course of his career, he also gave us a dozen string quartets, masses, cantatas, and much more. He was particularly admired for his "mad scenes," in which the great divas of the day could trill and over-act to their hearts' content, and French opera composers quickly mimicked Donizetti's dramatic flair and adapted it for their audiences.

Like many an Italian composer of his day, Donizetti was nearly constantly on the move from opera house to opera house, staging productions of his works and occasionally, being called upon to save the day. In one instance, he was approached by the desperate manager of the Teatro della Canobbiana in Milan who needed a new opera in two weeks. Sending for librettist Felice Romani, Donizetti reportedly gave Romani one week to come up with the libretto, which he would then set to music and, "We'll see which one of us has more guts!" The piece in question, L'elisir d'amore (The Elixir of Love) is today a staple of the operatic repertoire.

Anna Bolena, widely acclaimed a masterpiece, put Donizetti on the map, once and for all, in 1830, and established him as a distinct "voice" in opera. He followed this success with L'elisir d'amore in 1832, Lucia di Lammermoor (1835, one of the most popular operas of the century), Maria Stuarda or, Mary, Queen of Scots (1835), La fille du régiment and La Favorite in 1840, as well as his brilliant comic opera, Don Pasquale, in 1843.

Despite his artistic success, Donizetti's life contained a full measure of heartache. His much adored wife died in 1837 (all three of his children died in epidemics) and the composer is said never to have recovered from the shock of that loss. He moved to Paris the following year and wrote most of his remaining operas in French. Health problems also took a heavy toll. Donizetti suffered a debilitating stroke in 1845 and gradually lost his mind (due to syphilis, contracted as a young man). Donizetti was committed to an insane asylum near Paris before being taken home to Bergamo to die. When the talented composer passed away, barely into his fifties, in 1848, the music world mourned the loss of a great talent and a man universally acknowledged for his sincere, gentle, generous, and friendly personality. It was said of Donizetti that he was incapable of jealousy, vulgarity or vindictiveness and was always ready to provide encouragement and support to the other artists and composers who surrounded him.

Donizetti's influence far outlived him, especially in the works of the Italian titan, Giuseppe Verdi, who - despite the towering talent of Rossini and later, Bellini - is more Donizetti's musical "descendant" in every way.