- Angermüller, Rudolph. “Il periodo viennese di Donizetti.” In Atti(#764), v.2,
619–698.
Describes Vienna’s opera seasons in 1842 and 1843 and Donizetti’s activities
there as Kammerkapellmeister (an appointment once held by Mozart). Linda
di Chamounixand Maria di Rohanpremiered at the Kärntnerthor and were
well received. Critical notices are quoted extensively (p.647–695). - Croccolo, Enrico. Donizetti a Lucca: Storia delle opere di Donizetti rappresen-
tate a Lucca dal 1827 al 1858.Lucca: G. Biagini, 1985. 118p. No ISBN.
ML410 .D68 C93.
Reception of Maria de Rohan, La favorita,andRoberto Devereux,with much
quotation from contemporary reviews. Also useful for the history of operatic
life in Lucca. No notes, bibliography, or index.
777.Donizetti e i teatri napoletani nell’ottocento.Ed. Franco Mancini and Sergio
Ragni. Naples: Electa, 1997. 256p. No ISBN. ML410 .D68 D665.
An exhibition catalogue with 20 essays. Topics include the first interpreters of
Donizetti in Naples, the use of ballet, scenography, holdings of the Archivio
Storico del Banco di Napoli, and Donizetti’s letters regarding Naples. The
most useful contribution is “Cronologia degli spettacoli (1822–1860),” by
Monica Brindicci and Franco Mancini, 239–246. It complements Black’s
chronological approach (#774), being in title order. It also includes more of the
smaller theaters. The book’s bibliography, by Tiziana Grande, is also impor-
tant, with full data given on some 600 titles. - Cronin, Charles. “The Comic Operas of Gaetano Donizetti and the End of the
opera buffaTradition.” Ph.D. diss., Stanford U., 1993. 276p. - Jennings, Norman Lyle. “Gaetano Donizetti (1797–1848): The Evolution of
His Style Leading to the Production of Anna Bolenain 1830.” Ph.D. diss.,
Michigan State U., 1987. 343p. - Celletti, Rodolfo. “La vocalità di Donizetti.” In Atti(#764), v.1, 107–147.
Vocalism in the bel canto period, and to some extent with Verdi, has two
opposite modes: one goes with passionate/lyrical moments of the drama, and
the other goes with moments of gravità. There is also an intermediate zone,
where Donizetti had his best results. Celletti traces the composer’s evolution as
a writer for male and female voices, showing relationships to Rossini and
Bellini. He gives attention to the mezzo-soprano, baritone, and bass voices as
well as to the soprano and tenor. A thorough study by the leading authority on
vocalism; with 69 musical examples. - Lippmann, Friedrich. “Die Melodien Donizettis.” Analecta musicologica 3
(1966): 80–113.
Many musical examples are used to show similarities to Rossini, Bellini, and
Verdi: cabalettas, expression of text emotion, rhythmic factors, harmonic
background, chromaticism, and romantic tendencies. By 1835 Donizetti and
Bellini had nearly identical melodic styles—one could hardly know who had
written a given aria.
158 Opera