DONIZETTI
Gaetano Donizetti was born at Bergamo, Italy, 25th September, 1798; died there 8th April, 1848. His musical education was conducted at Bologna and Naples; and at first, at his father's wish, he devoted himself to church music, for which, however, he had no taste, and to evade which he entered the army. Whilst thus away from home, he wrote his first two operas, Enrico di Borgogna and Il Falegname de Livonia, the latter of which was so successful that he left the army and devoted himself entirely to opera-writing. He wrote with great rapidity and ease, and produced no less than sixty operas. His style was founded on that of Rossini, and his flowing melodies have attained great popularity. After 1844, Donizetti's talent seemed to have utterly exhausted itself, and he began to suffer from melancholia, which finally developed into insanity. Donizetti's chief operas were: The Daughter of the Regiment (1840), La Favorita (1840), Don Pasquale (1843), Lucia di Lammermoor (1835), L'Elisir d'Amore (1832), Lucrezia Borgia (1834), Linda de Chamouni (1842), etc.