Gaetano Donizetti was born in 1797 in a dark basement in Bergamo. The family of six children was poor, but Donizetti had to follow the luck free music education at the school of opera composer Simone Mayr. Mayr recognized Donizetti's talent, gave him lessons in composition and made sure he could continue his studies in Bologna. He also helped him to his first opera commission. Donizetti worked hard
… and composed for years about four operas a year. A large part of his career he was given in Naples, as well as an explanation why he was relatively conventional artistically. The opera audience in Naples had a conservative taste and censorship was extremely strict: no brute force or "indecent" romantic relationships on stage. If Donizetti however was challenged by an extraordinary libretto, he could break through proper conventions. He had the talent to compose rapidly to and wrote a total of eighty operas in both the serious and the comic genre. L'Elisir d'Amore and Don Pasquale are still popular with the gay and lively music, the upbeat rhythm and gentle melodies. His serious operas Lucia di Lammermoor with the famous madness aria favorite. Donizetti died after months in Bergamo in 1848 entered into an arrangement in Paris, dementia and paralyzed by the effects of syphilis. A sad end of a composer's was known to his colleagues as a warm and friendly personality. (CP)more
