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Giacomo David

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Giacomo David (born Giacomo Davide, Presezzo, 1750 – Bergamo, 1830), was a leading Italian tenor of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.[1]

Biography

Probably self-taught as a singer, he studied composition in Naples with Nicola Sala,[2] and began his career in the early 1770s appearing on the stages of major Italian theatres such as the Teatro Regio in Turin, the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, and the Teatro San Benedetto in Venice. Here he participated in the inauguration of the newly erected theatre La Fenice, in 1792, performing the role of Eraclide in Paisiello's I giochi di Agrigento. After having made his debut at Milan's Teatro alla Scala in 1782, he became a regular performer there at the beginning of the new century.

In 1791 Davide travelled to London, where the -e in his surname seems to have been dropped, and where he appeared at the King's Theatre as the protagonist of Paisiello's Pirro, one of his favourite roles. On 17 May 1791, he took part in a charity concert in the Hannover Square Rooms, where he executed the tenor aria "Cara deh torna", specially composed for the occasion by Joseph Haydn.[3]

In 1801, he took part in the inauguration of Trieste's Regio Teatro Nuovo, performing two premières on 20 and 21 April: Antonio Salieri's Annibale in Capua (Scipione) and Simon Mayr's Ginevra di Scozia (Polinesso).

His career was very long, continuing into the early twenty years of the 19th century, with a repertoire based upon such composers as Paisiello, Mayr, Ferdinando Bertoni, Domenico Cimarosa, Pietro Alessandro Guglielmi, Giuseppe Sarti, Niccolò Antonio Zingarelli, and Francesco Bianchi. In many operas he worked alongside the castrati Girolamo Crescentini and Gaspare Pacchierotti, and the soprano Brigida Banti, who shared common artistic trends with him.[4]

In France, where he appeared opposite Isabella Colbran in Otello, David came to be known as Giacomo le père ("Giacomo the father"), because his son Giovanni David was also pursuing a successful career in opera.

David can be considered [5] as the initiator of the Bergamo tenor school which was going to produce such notable singers as Andrea Nozzari and Giacomo's aforesaid son, Giovanni (who were also actual pupils of his), Domenico Donzelli, Giovanni Battista Rubini, and Marco Bordogni.[6]

David died in 1830.

Artistic features

Giacomo David represents the typical baritonal tenor of the late 18th century, gifted with remarkable voice volume, but not lacking in high-pitching capability, though singing sharp notes in falsettone.[6] He had mastery of coloratura for which he was famous: "he was able to compete with the castratos in the florid music and far exceed them in his dramatic intensity",[7] and, by 1786 he was the first tenor in the history of Turin's Teatro Regio that was paid more than the primo uomo[8] during the carnival season. "Here was a sign that, with the castrati in decline, the tenor voice was beginning to engage the audience's interest as more than the stereotype utterance of kings and old men ...".[9] In fact, David's popularity was enormous and, along with his contemporaries, Matteo Babini and Giovanni Ansani, he contributed "[to lay] the foundation of the forthcoming myth of the tenor" which would be established during the Romantic era.[6]

Operatic roles

The list below is not exhaustive, but includes his most significant performances.[10]

role opera genre composer theatre date of performance
Lucindo La cameriera astuta opera buffa Alessandro Felici Bergamo, Teatro di Bergamo carnival, 1770
Conte Lelio La sposa fedele opera buffa uncertain Vicenza, Teatro delle Grazie "fiera dell'anno", 1771
Conte Ernesto L'incognita perseguitata opera buffa Pasquale Anfossi Milan, Regio-Ducal Teatro summer, 1773
Rodomonte Le pazzie d'Orlando dramma per musica (opera seria) Pietro Guglielmi Milan, Regio-Ducal Teatro autumn, 1773
Trasimede Merope dramma per musica (opera seria) Pietro Guglielmi Turin, Teatro Regio 26 December 1774
Idreno L'isola di Alcina ossia Alcina e Ruggiero dramma per musica (opera seria) Felice Alessandri Turin, Nuovo Teatro Regio 26 January 1775
Artabano Artaserse dramma per musica (opera seria) Giovanni Battista Borghi Venice, Teatro San Benedetto 26 December 1775
Alceo Aristo e Temira cantata pastorale (dramma per musica) Ferdinando Bertoni Venice, Teatro San Benedetto 3 January 1776
Creonte Antigona dramma per musica (opera seria) Michele Mortellari Venice, Teatro San Benedetto 11 May 1776
Arsace Calliroe dramma per musica (opera seria) Giacomo Rust Padua, Teatro di Padua June, 1776
Dario La disfatta di Dario dramma per musica (opera seria) Giovanni Paisiello Bologna, Teatro Zagnoni spring, 1777
Pompeo Farnace dramma per musica (opera seria) Giuseppe Sarti Bologna, Teatro Zagnoni spring, 1777
Cavaliere Aquilanto Il zotico incivilito opera buffa Pasquale Anfossi Bologna, Teatro Zagnoni autumn, 1777
Artabano Artaserse dramma per musica (opera seria) Ferdinando Bertoni Lucca, Teatro di Lucca autumn, 1777
Massimo Ezio dramma per musica (opera seria) Ferdinando Bertoni Lucca, Teatro di Lucca autumn, 1777
Antigone Eumene dramma per musica (opera seria) Giovanni Battista Borghi Venice, Teatro San Benedetto 26 December 1777
Medonte Medonte, re di Epiro dramma per musica (opera seria) Giuseppe Radicchi Venice, Teatro San Benedetto 3 January 1778
Dario La disfatta di Dario dramma per musica (opera seria) Tommaso Traetta Venice, Teatro San Benedetto carnival, 1778
Alessandro Alessandro nell'Indie dramma per musica (opera seria) Luigi Marescalchi Venice, Teatro San Benedetto 27 May 1778
Papirio Quinto Fabio dramma per musica (opera seria) Ferdinando Bertoni Padua, Teatro Nuovo June, 1778
Cefeo Andromeda dramma per musica (opera seria) Giuseppe Colla Florence, Teatro della Pergola autumn, 1778
Jarba Didone abbandonata dramma per musica (opera seria) "diversi" Florence, Teatro della Pergola autumn, 1778
Osroa Adriano in Siria dramma per musica (opera seria) Giuseppe Sarti Rome, Teatro Argentina carnival, 1779
Antigono Antigono dramma per musica (opera seria) Giuseppe Gazzaniga Rome, Teatro Argentina carnival, 1779
Amasi La Nitteti dramma per musica (opera seria) Luigi Gatti Mantua, Teatro Regio-Ducal spring, 1779
Medonte Medonte, re di Epiro dramma per musica (opera seria) Giuseppe Sarti Florence, Teatro Cocomero summer, 1779
Tito Manlio Tito Manlio dramma per musica (opera seria) Giovanni Battista Borghi Rome, Teatro Argentina carnival, 1780
Medonte Medonte dramma per musica (opera seria) Josef Mysliveček Rome, Teatro Argentina 26 January 1780
Cajo Mario Cajo Mario dramma per musica (opera seria) Domenico Cimarosa Mantua, Regio-Ducal spring, 1780
Alessandro Alessandro nell'Indie dramma per musica (opera seria) Domenico Cimarosa Rome, Teatro Argentina 11 February 1781
Cajo Mario Il Cajo Mario dramma per musica (opera seria) Ferdinando Bertoni Venice, Teatro San Benedetto 24 May 1781
Learco Reifile dramma per musica (opera seria) Felice Alessandri Padua, Teatro Nuovo June, 1781
Giunio Bruto Giunio Bruto dramma per musica (opera seria) Domenico Cimarosa Verona, Accademia Filarmonica autumn, 1781
Dario La disfatta di Dario dramma per musica (opera seria) Giovanni Paisiello Genoa, Teatro Sant'Agostino carnival, 1782
Alessandro Alessandro e Timoteo dramma per musica (opera seria) Giuseppe Sarti Parma, Teatrino di Corte 6 April 1782
Mitridate Tigrane dramma per musica (opera seria) anonymous Genoa, Teatro Sant'Agostino summer, 1782
Prisco La Circe dramma per musica (opera seria) Domenico Cimarosa Milan, La Scala 26 December 1782
Palmoro L'Idalide o sia La vergine del sole dramma per musica (opera seria) Giuseppe Sarti Milan, La Scala 8 January 1783
Sabino Epponia dramma per musica (opera seria) Giuseppe Giordani Novara, Teatro Nuovo spring, 1783
Medonte Medonte, re di Epiro dramma per musica (opera seria) Gaetano Andreozzi Alessandria, Teatro d'Alessandria October, 1783
Agamennone Briseide dramma per musica (opera seria) Francesco Bianchi Turin, Teatro Regio 27 December 1783
Ircano Amaionne dramma per musica (opera seria) Bernardino Ottani Turin, Teatro Regio 24 January 1784
Cajo Mario Cajo Mario dramma per musica (opera seria) Francesco Bianchi Naples, Teatro San Carlo 30 May 1784
Ariodante Artenice dramma per musica (opera seria) Giacomo Tritto Naples, Teatro San Carlo 13 August 1784
Catone Catone in Utica tragedia per musica Francesco Antonelli Torre Naples, Teatro San Carlo 4 November 1784
Antigono Antigono dramma per musica (opera seria) Giovanni Paisiello Naples, Teatro San Carlo 12 January 1785
Rodoaldo Ricimero dramma per musica (opera seria) Nicola Antonio Zingarelli Venice, Teatro San Benedetto 5 May 1785
Agamennone Ifigenia in Aulde dramma per musica (opera seria) Angelo Tarchi Padua, Teatro Nuovo June, 1785
Artabano Artaserse dramma per musica (opera seria) Ferdinando Bertoni Brescia, Accademia degli Erranti summer, 1785
Ormodno Il disertore dramma per musica (opera seria) Francesco Bianchi Verona, Accademia Filarmonica autumn, 1785
Learco Erifile dramma per musica (opera seria) Carlo Monza Turin, Teatro Regio 26 December 1785
Palmoro Idalide dramma per musica (opera seria) Salvatore Rispoli Turin, Teatro Regio 28 January 1786
Clistene Olimpia dramma per musica (opera seria) Alessio Prati Naples, Teatro San Carlo 6 June 1786
Tito Giulio Sabino dramma per musica (opera seria) Giuseppe Sarti Naples, Teatro San Carlo 13 August 1786
Mesenzio Mesenzio, re d'Etruria dramma per musica (opera seria) Francesco Bianchi Naples, Teatro San Carlo 4 November 1786
Pirro Pirro dramma per musica (opera seria) Giovanni Paisiello Naples, Teatro San Carlo 12 January 1787
Adrasto Laocoonte dramma per musica (opera seria) Pietro Guglielmi Naples, Teatro San Carlo 30 May 1787
Asdrubale Scipione Africano dramma per musica (opera seria) Francesco Bianchi Naples, Teatro San Carlo 13 August 1787
Attalo Ariarate dramma per musica (opera seria) Angelo Tarchi Naples, Teatro San Carlo 4 November 1787
Teseo Fedra dramma per musica (opera seria) Domenico Cimarosa Naples, Teatro San Carlo January, 1788
Artabano Artaserse dramma per musica (opera seria) Ferdinando Bertoni Cremona, Teatro della Niblie Società 30 May 1788
Araspe Didone abbandonata dramma per musica (opera seria) Pasquale Anfossi Naples, Teatro San Carlo 30 May 1788
Latino Enea e Lavinia dramma per musica (opera seria) Pietro Guglielmo Naples, Teatro San Carlo August, 1788
Adrasto Il Rinaldo dramma per musica Pëtr Alekseevič Skokov Naples, Teatro San Carlo 4 November 1788
Catone Catone in Utica dramma per musica (opera seria) Giovanni Paisiello Naples, Teatro San Carlo 1 January 1789
Flavio Valente Ademira dramma per musica (opera seria) Pietro Guglielmi Naples, Teatro San Carlo 30 May 1789
Rodoaldo Ricimero opera seria Giacomo Siri Naples, Teatro San Carlo 13 August 1789
Alessandro Alessandro nell'Indie dramma per musica (opera seria) Pietro Guglielmi Naples, Teatro San Carlo 4 November 1789
Pirro Pirro dramma per musica (opera seria) Giovanni Paisiello Naples, Teatro San Carlo January, 1790
Lindoro Nina opera buffa Giovanni Paisiello Naples, Teatro Fiorentini 1790
Aminta Aminta dramma per musica (opera seria) Pietro Guglielmi Naples, unknown venue 1790
Ormondo Il disertore dramma per musica (opera seria) "vari" Genoa, Teatro Sant'Agostino spring, 1790
Pirro Pirro dramma per musica (opera seria) Giovanni Paisiello Genoa, Teatro Sant'Agostino spring, 1790
Dario La disfatta di Dario dramma per musica (opera seria) Giuseppe Giordani Naples, Teatro San Carlo 13 August 1790
Pirro Pirro dramma per musica (opera seria) Giovanni Paisiello Bologna, Teatro Zagnoni autumn, 1790
Arsace La morte di Semiramide tragedia in musica Giuseppe Prati Venice, Teatro San Benedetto 16 November 1791
Seleuco Seleuco, re di Siria dramma per musica (opera seria) Francesco Bianchi Venice, Teatro San Benedetto 26 December 1791
Teseo Il sacrifizi di Creta ossia Arianna e Teseo dramma giocoso per musica Peter Winter Venice, Teatro San Benedetto 13 February 1792
Pirro Pirro dramma per musica (opera seria) Giovanni Paisiello Venice, Teatro San Benedetto carnival, 1792
Seleuco Seleuco re di Siria dramma per musica (opera seria) Francesco Bianchi Venice, Teatro San Benedetto carnival, 1792
Eraclide I giuochi di Agrigento dramma per musica Giovanni Paisiello Venice, Teatro La Fenice (inauguration) 16 May 1792
Valentiniano III Ezio dramma per musica (opera seria) Angelo Tarchi Vicenza, Teatro Nuovo summer, 1792
Alessandro Alessandro nell'Indie dramma per musica (opera seria) Francesco Bianchi Venice, Teatro La Fenice autumn, 1792
Atar Tarara o sia La virtù premiata dramma per musica (opera seria) Francesco Bianchi Venice, Teatro La Fenice 26 December 1792
Alfonso IV Ines de Castro dramma per musica Giuseppe Giordani Venice, Teatro La Fenice 28 January 1793
Pirro Pirro dramma per musica (opera seria) Giovanni Paisiello Florence, Teatro della Pergola spring, 1793
Teseo I sacrifizi di Creta dramma per musica (opera seria) Peter Winter Florence, Teatro della Pergola spring, 1793
Cajo Mario Cajo Mario dramma per musica (opera seria) anonymous Livorno, Accademia degli Avvalorati autumn, 1793
Medonte Medonte, re di Epiro dramma per musica (opera seria) anonymous Livorno, Accademia degli Avvalorati autumn, 1793
Valentiniano III Ezio dramma per musica (opera seria) Angelo Tarchi Livorno, Accademia degli Avvalorati autumn, 1793
Artabano Artaserse dramma per musica (opera seria) anonymous Genoa, Teatro Sant'Agostino carnival, 1794
Cajo Mario Cajo Mario dramma per musica (opera seria) anonymous Reggio Emilia, Teatro Pubblico spring, 1794
Sabino Epponia dramma per musica (opera seria) Sebastiano Nasolini Bergamo, Teatro Ricciardi August, 1794
Cajo Mario Cajo Mario dramma per musica (opera seria) anonymous Trieste, Teatro della Città e Porto-Franco autumn, 1794
Pirro Pirro dramma per musica (opera seria) Giovanni Paisiello Trieste, Teatro della Città e Porto-Franco autumn, 1794
Seleuco Seleuco re di Siria dramma per musica (opera seria) Francesco Bianchi Brescia, Accademia degl'Erranti carnival, 1795
Latino Il trionfo di Camilla dramma per musica (opera seria) Pietro Guglielmi Naples, Teatro San Carlo 30 May 1795
Surena Arsinoe dramma per musica (opera seria) Gaetano Andreozzi Naples, Teatro San Carlo 13 August 1795
Publio Orazio Gli Orazi e i Curiazi azione tragica (opera seria) Nicola Antonio Zingarelli Naples, Teatro San Carlo 4 November 1795
Lucio Papirio Lucio Papirio dramma per musica (opera seria) Gaetano Marinelli Naples, Teatro San Carlo January, 1796
Ottaviano La morte di Cleopatra dramma per musica (opera seria) Pietro Guglielmi Naples, San Carlo June, 1796
Eggardo Elfrida dramma per musica (opera seria) Giovanni Paisiello Venice, Teatro La Fenice May, 1796
Neleo Artemisia regina di Caria dramma serio per musica Domenico Cimarosa Naples, Teatro San Carlo 12 June 1797
Zulema Consalvo di Cordova opera seria Giuseppe Maria Curcio Naples, Teatro San Carlo 13 August 1797
Ulisse Andromaca dramma per musica Giovanni Paisiello Naples, Teatro San Carlo 4 November 1797
Antigono Antigono dramma per musica Antonio De Santis Naples, Teatro San Carlo 12 January 1798
Ulisse Andromaca dramma per musica (opera seria) Giovanni Paisiello Venice, Teatro La Fenice May, 1798
Sesostri Le feste d'Iside dramma per musica (opera seria) Sebastiano Nasolini Trieste, Teatro Regio autumn, 1798
Don Rodrigo Ines de Castro opera seria Nicola Antonio Zingarelli Milan, Teatro alla Canobbiana 11 October 1798
Bruto Bruto dramma per musica (opera seria) Giuseppe Nicolini Genoa, Teatro Sant'Agostino carnival, 1799
Ormondo Il disertore dramma per musica (opera seria) Angelo Tarchi Genoa, Teatro Sant'Agostino carnival, 1799
Ulisse Andromaca dramma per musica (opera seria) Giovanni Paisiello Padua, Teatro Nuovo June, 1799
Kaibar Idante dramma per musica (opera seria) Marcos Portugal Milan, La Scala carnival, 1800
Boleslao La Lodoiska dramma per musica (opera seria) Simon Mayr Milan, La Scala carnival, 1800
Mitridate La morte di Mitridate dramma per musica (opera seria) Sebastiano Nasolini Brescia, Teatro Nazionale summer, 1800
Scipione Annibale in Capua dramma serio per musica Antonio Salieri Trieste, Regio Teatro Nuovo(inauguration) 20 April 1801
Polinesso Ginevra di Scozia dramma eroico-serio per musica Simon Mayr Trieste, Regio Teatro Nuovo (inauguration) 21 April 1801
Nerestano Zaira ossia Il trionfo della religione dramma tragico-serio per musica Vincenzo Federici Milan, Teatro Carcano(inauguration) 3 September 1803
Ottone Adelasia e Aleramo melodramma serio Giovanni Simone Mayr Milan, Teatro alla Scala 26 December 1806
Marco Albino I Gauri melodramma eroico Carlo Mellara Venice, Teatro alla Fenice 22 February 1810
Genio della Francia Il pegno di pace cantata a 3 voci Francesco Caffi Venice, Teatro La Fenice 11 March 1810
Eacide Il salto di Leucade opera seria Luigi Mosca Naples, Teatro San Carlo 15 January 1812

References

Notes

  1. ^ biographical data are drawn from the articles about David on Caruselli's Grande enciclopedia della musica lirica and The New Grove Dictionary of Opera (cf. "Sources" below)
  2. ^ Green, Janet (1904), Musical Biographies, London: I. Squire, p. 163.
  3. ^ to the "celebrated Davide" (as the composer himself wrote), Haydn had also enthusiastically allotted the leading role of Orpheus in his last opera L'anima del filosofo which was scheduled in London in 1791; it was not however to be performed until 1951 when it was finally staged at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino starring Maria Callas as Eurydice [cf. Eve Barsham, "Orpheus in England", in Patricia Howard (ed), C.W. von Gluck: Orfeo, Cambridge University Press (paperback), Cambridge/London etc., 2010, p. 65, ISBN 0-521-29664-1 (first published 1981)]
  4. ^ cf. Celletti, p. 107: "It was only towards the end of the [eighteenth] century and during the first years of the nineteenth century that passion and vigour reappeared— in a number of exponents of the last generation of castrati, like Girolamo Crescentini and Gaspare Pacchiarotti, tenors like ... Giacomo David; in a few prima donnas like Brigida Banti ...".
  5. ^ along with his contemporaries Giuseppe Viganoni and Adamo Bianchi
  6. ^ a b c Caruselli, II, article: David, Giacomo, p. 334
  7. ^ Forbes
  8. ^ the leading castrato in the company
  9. ^ John Rosselli, Singers of Italian opera. The history of a profession, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1995, ISBN 0-521-42697-9, pp. 129-130
  10. ^ for a wider list see Giacomo David/Ruoli creati in the Italian Wikipedia

Sources

  • This article is a substantial translation from Giacomo David in the Italian Wikipedia.
  • Casaglia, Gherardo (2005). "Giacomo David". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).
  • Template:It icon Salvatore Caruselli (ed.), Grande enciclopedia della musica lirica, Longanesi &C. Periodici S.p.A., Roma, ad nomen
  • Rodolfo Celletti, A history of Bel Canto, Oxford University Press (Clarendon Paperbacks), U.K., 1996, ISBN 0-19-816641-9
  • Elizabeth Forbes, "Davide [David], Giacomo", in Stanley Sadie (ed.), The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, Grove (Oxford University Press), New York, 1997, I, p. 1088, ISBN 978-0-19-522186-2
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