Forgotten Genius!: Giuseppe Gazzaniga

byFrankB-1

6.4K followers

Updated 21 hrs ago

(Title image by DALL-E 3)

Hi WA Friends!

Please help me celebrate the birthday of Giuseppe Gazzaniga, the Italian opera virtuoso and unsung hero behind the first Don Giovanni composition!

Giuseppe Gazzaniga

Giuseppe Gazzaniga was an Italian composer born on October 5th, 1743 in Verona. He became one of the most well-known composers of opera in the late 18th century. Though he didn’t reach the level of fame that Mozart or Rossini did, Gazzaniga made a big impact with his music during his lifetime.

I was introduced to select Gazzaniga operas as a small child by my uncle. My whole family loved opera, especially the Italian composers and singers, and it's also my favorite musical genre!

Gazzaniga's Early Life

Gazzaniga grew up in a time when opera was becoming a popular form of entertainment in Europe. His parents saw his musical talent early on, so they encouraged him to pursue a career in music. At a young age, he moved to Venice to study music, where he trained to develop his skills as a composer.

His Most Famous Work: Don Giovanni

Gazzaniga’s most significant contribution to music is his opera Don Giovanni Tenorio. While most people think of Mozart’s Don Giovanni when they hear the name, Gazzaniga actually composed his version first in 1787. His Don Giovanni Tenorio is a one-act opera, while Mozart’s Don Giovanni is a two-act opera. Both operas are based on the legend of Don Juan, a charming but immoral nobleman.

Mozart composed his version of Don Giovanni in the same year, 1787, and it premiered just months after Gazzaniga’s opera. Mozart’s Don Giovanni quickly gained widespread fame and overshadowed Gazzaniga’s version. Mozart’s adaptation, which includes more dramatic depth and complex characters, became one of the most celebrated operas of all time.

Other Operas And Works

Gazzaniga composed more than 50 operas during his lifetime. He specialized in a style of opera called opera buffa, which was a comedic form of opera. Opera buffa often had funny characters and light-hearted plots, making it very popular with audiences.

Though Don Giovanni Tenorio remains his best-known work, Gazzaniga also composed many other operas. Some of his works are lesser known but still showcase his talent as a composer.

List Of Composed Works

Here is a list of Gazzaniga’s known works, courtesy of Wikipedia. I highly recommend you listen to Don Giovanni Tenorio, which you can compare to Mozart's version.

Operas:

1. Il barone di Trocchia (1768, Naples)
2. La locanda (1771, Venice)
3. Il Calandrino (1771, Venice)
4. Ezio (1772, Venice)
5. La tomba di Merlino (1772, Venice)
6. L'isola di Alcina (1772, Venice)
7. Zon-Zon (1773, Milan)
8. Armida (1773, Rome)
9. Il matrimonio per inganno (1773, Pavia)
10. Il ciarlatano in fiera (1774, Venice)
11. Perseo ed Andromeda (1775, Florence)
12. L'isola di Calipso (1775, Verona)
13. Il re di Mamalucchi (1775, Prague)
14. Gli errori di Telemaco (1776, Pisa)
15. La bizzaria degli umori (1777, Bologna)
16. Il marchese di Verde Antico (1778, Rome)
17. La vendemmia (1778, Florence)
18. Il re dei pazzi (1778, Venice)
19. La finta folletto o Lo spirito folletto (1778, Rome)
20. Il disertore (Il disertor francese) (1779, Florence)
21. Antigono (1779, Rome)
22. Il ritorno di Ulisse e Penelope (1779, Rome)
23. La viaggiatrice (1780, Naples)
24. Antigona (1781, Naples)
25. La stravagante (1781, Naples)
26. Amor per oro (1782, Venice)
27. La creduta infedele (1783, Venice)
28. L'intrigo delle mogli (1783, Naples)
29. La dama contadina (1784, Rome)
30. Il serraglio di Osmano o le tre sultane (1784, Venice)
31. Tulio Ostilio (1784, Rome)
32. La moglie capricciosa (1785, Venice)
33. Il finto cieco (1786, Vienna)
34. Circe (1786, Venice)
35. La contessa di Novaluna (1786, Venice)
36. Le donne fanatiche (1786, Venice)
37. Don Giovanni Tenorio (1787, Venice)
38. La Didone (1787, Venice)
39. La cameriera di spirito (1787, Venice)
40. L'amore costante (1787, Venice)
41. Erifile (1789, Venice)
42. Gli Argonauti in Colco (1790, Venice)
43. Idomeneo (1790, Padua)
44. La disfatta dei Mori (1791, Turin)
45. La dama soldato (1792, Venice)
46. La pastorella nobile (1793, Fortezza di Palma)
47. La donna astuta (1793, Venice)
48. Il divorzio senza matrimonio ossia La donna che non parla (1794, Modena)
49. Fedeltà e amore alla pruova (1798, Venice)
50. Il marito migliore (1801, Milan)
51. Martino Carbonaro o sia Gli sposi fuggitivi (1801, Venice)

Selected Sacred Music:

1. San Mauro Abate (oratorio)
2. Sansone (oratorio)
3. I profeti al calvario (oratorio)
4. Missa pro defunctis
5. Te Deum laudamus
6. Requiem
7. Gloria in excelsis Deo
8. Kyrie breve
9. Credo
10. Two different Tamtum ergo
11. Stabat Mater (1800)

Selected Instrumental Music:

1. Three piano concertos
2. One symphony

Later Life And Legacy

Later in his life, Gazzaniga became a priest. He continued to compose music, focusing on religious works. While he never became as famous as some of his peers, Gazzaniga’s contribution to opera, especially his role in the early Don Giovanni tradition, is still remembered today. His operas and sacred works demonstrate his talent and influence in 18th-century music!

What We're Doing To Celebrate Giuseppe's Birthday

Tonight, we're having a small group of opera buffs over the house for an Italian dinner and drinks to celebrate Giuseppe's Birthday.

It'll be a pretty laid-back affair, as we are taking it easy this weekend. Sometimes, we have elegant seven-course dinners for our opera guests, but those have to be planned well in advance!

Of course, among the operas we will be listening to will be Don Giovanni Tenorio, which I have on vinyl as an original pressing! It will be glorious! Lol 😎

Still, I'm partial to Mozart's version, but we'll be sticking to Giuseppe's selected works to properly mark the occasion.

(From my opera collection on vinyl)

Tell Me What You Think!

Have you ever heard of Giuseppe Gazzaniga?

Did you know that there were two Don Giovanni operas?

Let me know in the comments, AND ...

Keep On Rockin' It! 🤘

(Pin by DALL-E 3)

Frank 🎸

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