Gaetano Donizetti

Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti was an Italian composer renowned for his almost 70 operas. A leading figure of the bel canto opera style alongside Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, he influenced the likes of Giuseppe Verdi. Born in Bergamo, Lombardy, Donizetti was a musical prodigy, enrolled with a scholarship in a school by Simon Mayr. At 19, he composed his first opera. His move to Naples was pivotal, producing 51 operas there. Successes include comedic operas and serious historical dramas like 'Lucia di Lammermoor'. Chafing against censorship, by 1836 Donizetti found appeal in Paris' freedom. Health issues from 1843 led to his institutionalization and eventual demise back in Bergamo due to neurosyphilis.