- Giuseppe Donizetti
Giuseppe Donizetti (6 November 1788,
Bergamo - 12 February 1856,Istanbul ) was, from 1828, Instructor General of the Imperial Ottoman Music at the court of SultanMahmud II (1808—39).His younger brother
Gaetano Donizetti was a famous Italianopera composer. Born inItaly ,Istanbul became a second home for the elder Donizetti, where he lived until his death in 1856. Giuseppe DonizettiPasha , as he was called in the Levant, played a significant role in the introduction of European music to the Ottoman military. Apart from overseeing the training of the European-style military bands of Mahmud’s modern army, he taught music at the palace to the members of the Ottoman royal family, the princes and the ladies of the harem, is believed to have composed the first national anthem of the Ottoman Empire, supported the annualItalian opera season in Pera, organised concerts and operatic performances at court, and played host to a number of eminent virtuosi who visited Istanbul at the time, such asFranz Liszt , Parish Alvars and Leopold de Meyer.He is buried in the vaults of the St. Esprit Cathedral, near the
Beyoğlu district ofIstanbul , inPera .Emre Araci published a comprehensive biography of Giuseppe Donizetti in Turkish in 2007, (See: "Osmanli Sarayi'nin Italyan Maestrosu", YKY Istanbul, 2007)Media
* (believed to be composed by Giuseppe Donizetti)
References
* [http://www.musicaltimes.co.uk/archive/0203/arac.html The Musical Times: A Levantine life: Giuseppe Donizetti at the Ottoman court]
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