Americo Sbigoli
Encyclopedia
Americo Sbigoli (died January 1822) was an Italian tenor
.
He is best known for the unusual manner of his death, as documented by the composer Giovanni Pacini
. Singing the second tenor part in a performance of Pacini's opera Cesare in Egitto, Sbigoli took part in a vocal quintet with first tenor Domenico Donzelli
. In the course of the quintet, Sbigoli's character was to sing a phrase "closely resembling one sung just previously by Donzelli". Attempting to match Donzelli's powerful voice, Sbigoli overstrained himself, burst a blood vessel in his neck, and died shortly thereafter.
While tragic in and of itself, this incident also had a small but significant impact on the course of music history, as Sbigoli was scheduled to sing the role of Abenamet in the premiere of Gaetano Donizetti
's opera Zoraida di Granata
at the Teatro Argentina
. No other tenors were available to replace Sbigoli, and the premiere was no more than a week or two thereafter, on January 28; thus, Donizetti had to hurriedly revise the opera, transforming the tenor Abenamet —a military general— into a newly created role for female contralto
. Despite this last-minute revision, the opera was hugely acclaimed upon its premiere, and marked Donizetti's first major success, boosting his career immeasurably.
According to the diary of Prince Agostino Chigi, the Teatro Argentina held a benefit on Feb. 15, 1822 for the widow and children of Americo Sbigoli, raising six thousand lire.
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
.
He is best known for the unusual manner of his death, as documented by the composer Giovanni Pacini
Giovanni Pacini
Giovanni Pacini was an Italian composer, best known for his operas. Pacini was born in Catania, Sicily, the son of the buffo Luigi Pacini, who was to appear in the premieres of many of Giovanni's operas...
. Singing the second tenor part in a performance of Pacini's opera Cesare in Egitto, Sbigoli took part in a vocal quintet with first tenor Domenico Donzelli
Domenico Donzelli
Domenico Donzelli was an Italian tenor with a robust voice who enjoyed an important career in Paris, London and his native country during the 1808-1841 period.-Biography:...
. In the course of the quintet, Sbigoli's character was to sing a phrase "closely resembling one sung just previously by Donzelli". Attempting to match Donzelli's powerful voice, Sbigoli overstrained himself, burst a blood vessel in his neck, and died shortly thereafter.
While tragic in and of itself, this incident also had a small but significant impact on the course of music history, as Sbigoli was scheduled to sing the role of Abenamet in the premiere of Gaetano Donizetti
Gaetano Donizetti
Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti was an Italian composer from Bergamo, Lombardy. His best-known works are the operas L'elisir d'amore , Lucia di Lammermoor , and Don Pasquale , all in Italian, and the French operas La favorite and La fille du régiment...
's opera Zoraida di Granata
Zoraida di Granata
Zoraida di Granata is a melodramma eroico , in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti...
at the Teatro Argentina
Teatro Argentina
The Teatro Argentina is an opera house and theatre located in the Largo di Torre Argentina, a square in Rome, Italy. It is one of the oldest theatres in Rome, and was inaugurated on January 31, 1732 with Berenice by Domenico Sarro....
. No other tenors were available to replace Sbigoli, and the premiere was no more than a week or two thereafter, on January 28; thus, Donizetti had to hurriedly revise the opera, transforming the tenor Abenamet —a military general— into a newly created role for female contralto
Contralto
Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...
. Despite this last-minute revision, the opera was hugely acclaimed upon its premiere, and marked Donizetti's first major success, boosting his career immeasurably.
According to the diary of Prince Agostino Chigi, the Teatro Argentina held a benefit on Feb. 15, 1822 for the widow and children of Americo Sbigoli, raising six thousand lire.