Giuseppe Donizetti

Giuseppe, who had become, in 1828, Instructor General of the Imperial Ottoman Music at the court of Sultan Mahmud II (1808?39). After his native Italy, Constantinople had indeed become a second home for the elder Donizetti, for he lived there for the rest of his life, some twenty-eight years, until his death in 1856. Today he is buried in the vaults of the historic St Esprit Cathedral, near the Beyoglu district of Istanbul, on the European side of the city, in what was once the epicentre of a thriving Christian community, better known as Pera. Yet many contemporary visitors to Istanbul, including enthusiasts of Italian opera, would pass that very spot completely oblivious of this fact.

Related Topics:
1828 - Ottoman - Mahmud II - Italy - Constantinople - 1856 - Beyoglu - Istanbul - Pera

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Giuseppe Donizetti Pasha, as he was called in the Levant, played a significant role in the introduction of European music to the Ottoman military. His achievements, however, were by no means limited to military circles. 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, composed the first national anthem of the Ottoman Empire, supported the annual Italian opera season in Pera, organised concerts and operatic performances at court, and played host to a number of eminent virtuosi who visited Constantinople at the time, such as Franz Liszt, Parish Alvars and Leopold de Meyer.

Related Topics:
Pasha - Ottoman military - National anthem of the Ottoman Empire - Italian opera - Franz Liszt - Parish Alvars - Leopold de Meyer

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