A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Donzelli, Domenico

by Julian Marshall

DONZELLI, Domenico, was born at Bergamo about 1790, and studied in his native place. In 1816 he was singing at the Valle Theatre in Rome. Rossini wrote for him the part of Torvaldo, in which he distinguished himself. At the carnival of the next year he sang at the Scala in Milan, and was engaged for two seasons. From thence he went to Venice and Naples, returning to Milan, where 'Elisa e Claudio' was written for him by Mercadante. He was very successful in 1822 at Vienna, and obtained an engagement at Paris for 1824. There he remained, at the Théâtre Italien, until the spring of 31. As early as 1822 efforts had been made, unsuccessfully, to get him engaged at the King's Theatre in London. At length, in 28, he was announced; but did not actually come until 29—making his first visit to England at the same time with Mendelssohn. When he did appear, Lord Mount-Edgcumbe thought him 'a tenor, with a powerful voice, which he did not modulate well.' Another critic, in 1830, says of him, 'He had one of the most mellifluous, robust, low tenor voices ever heard, a voice which had never by practice been made sufficiently flexible to execute Rossini's operas as they are written, but even in this respect he was accomplished and finished, if compared with the violent persons who have succeeded him in Italy. The volume of his rich and sonorous voice was real, not forced. He had an open countenance and a manly bearing on the stage, but no great dramatic power.' He was re-engaged in 1832 and 33. In 34 his place was taken by Rubini. Returning to Italy, he sang at various theatres; and in 41 at Verona and Vienna. About the end of that year he retired to Bologna. He was an associate member of the Accademia Filarmonica at Bologna, and of that of Santa Cecilia at Rome. He published a set of 'Esercizi giornalieri, basati sull'esperienza di molti anni' (Ricordi, Milan). He died at Bologna, March 31, 1873.

[ J. M. ]