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Donizetti: Works
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Donizetti studied composition with Johann Simon Mayr (Mendorf, 1763 - Bergamo, 1845), a german composer which settled in Bergamo in 1789 [2]. Mayr was the founder of a musical association which aimed to publicize the works by the most important Viennese composers, namely Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. He ... wrote musical essays about these subjects, like "Brevi notizie istoriche della vita e delle opere di G. Haydn" ("Brief historical facts about life and works by J. Haydn"). The "Angelo Maj" Library in Bergamo keep a collection of manuscripts owned by Mayr which casts some light on his musical taste: among the others, symphonies nn. 1,2,3,4,8 by Beethoven, Médée by Cherubini, Haydn's string quartets op. 64, Mozart's string quintets KV. 515, 516, 593 and 614.
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Donizetti became widely known only after his 33rd opera, Anna Bolena, was produced in Milan in 1830. The following year it became the first of his works to be performed in Paris, France, and London, England. This work marked a turning point in Donizetti’s musical style: Rossini’s influence lessened, Donizetti’s melodies became more lyrical, and his music more closely followed the action on stage.
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Donizetti's musical talents were apparent at an early age, and he was admitted to the Lezioni Caritatevoli school on full scholarship when he was nine years old. The school was founded by Simon Mayr, who had a significant influence upon Donizetti's musical development and helped the young composer launch his professional career. Mayr sent Donizetti to Padre Stanislao Mattei, the teacher of Rossini, for further compositional instruction. Mayr ... partially paid for the lessons with Mattei and arranged for Bartolomeo Merelli to write the librettos for Donizetti's early stage works.
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Donizetti's years in Vienna were troubled with illness, and by 1845 he was no longer able to work. Suffering from syphilis, he lost the ability to speak. An invalid, unable to walk, Donizetti became the prey of his own mind and suffered now from mental disorders - ironic, considering his lifelong fascination with depictions of madness on the dramatic stage. He was moved back to Paris, under the care of his nephew, Andrea.
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Donizetti composed the first sixteen quartets between 1817 and 1821, when he returned to Bergamo after his studies in Bologna. Donizetti wrote these works with no aim to publish them; they were used for domestic soirées whom Mayr often joined too. These quartets are generally considered to be scholastic works, and clearly show the influence of Haydn and Mozart. Only the fifth string quartet in E minor has gained some popularity, since today it is Donizetti's most performed quartet. The seventeenth and eighteenth string quartets were composed in 1825 and 1836 respectively.
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Acting as a bridge between the great Italian composers Rossini, who retired in 1829, and Verdi, whose works became known after 1851, Donizetti carried Italian opera with his development of comedy and the morality of his characters. In 1843, Donizetti's health began to deteriorate. He was institutionalized for a time and in 1848 he returned to Bergamo where his death was mourned by friends and colleagues.
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