Domenico Cosselli
Encyclopedia
Domenico Cosselli was an Italian operatic bass-baritone
, particularly associated with Rossini operas.
He began his vocal studies in his native city in 1814 and made his stage debut there in 1821. He quickly made a specialty of Rossini roles, singing in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Tancredi
, La cenerentola
, La gazza ladra
, Semiramide
, etc. He created for Donizetti the roles of Olivo in Olivo e Pasquale
in 1827, and of Azzo in Parisina
in 1833, also creating the role of Arnoldo in Pacini
's Carlo di Borgogna
, in 1835.
Cosselli was one of the first singers to make the transition between the old conception of the bass vocal range to what we know today as the baritone, a voice type
that was still in its infancy. For Donizetti again, he created the role of Enrico in the highly successful Lucia di Lammermoor
, at the San Carlo
in Naples, in 1835, giving to the role a new dramatic dimension, looking forward to what was to become known as the Verdi-baritone; the standard published score of Lucia contains several downward transpositions which mask the consistently high tessitura of the role as written for Cosselli.
He went on singing the florid bass roles of Rossini such as Mosè
, Maometto
, Assur
, etc.
Bass-baritone
A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three Wagnerian roles: the Dutchman in Der fliegende...
, particularly associated with Rossini operas.
He began his vocal studies in his native city in 1814 and made his stage debut there in 1821. He quickly made a specialty of Rossini roles, singing in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Tancredi
Tancredi
Tancredi is a melodramma eroico in two acts by composer Gioachino Rossini and librettist Gaetano Rossi, based on Voltaire's play Tancrède...
, La cenerentola
La Cenerentola
La Cenerentola, ossia La bontà in trionfo is an operatic dramma giocoso in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The libretto was written by Jacopo Ferretti, based on the fairy tale Cinderella...
, La gazza ladra
La gazza ladra
La gazza ladra is a melodramma or opera semiseria in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The libretto was by Giovanni Gherardini after La pie voleuse by JMT Badouin d'Aubigny and Louis-Charles Caigniez....
, Semiramide
Semiramide
Semiramide is an opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini.The libretto by Gaetano Rossi is based on Voltaire's tragedy Semiramis, which in turn was based on the legend of Semiramis of Babylon...
, etc. He created for Donizetti the roles of Olivo in Olivo e Pasquale
Olivo e Pasquale
Olivo e Pasquale is a melodramma giocoso, a romantic comedy opera, in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Jacopo Ferretti wrote the Italian libretto after Simeone Antonio Sografi's play.- Roles :...
in 1827, and of Azzo in Parisina
Parisina (opera)
Parisina is an opera , in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Felice Romani wrote the Italian libretto after Byron's 1816 poem Parisina...
in 1833, also creating the role of Arnoldo in 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...
's Carlo di Borgogna
Carlo di Borgogna
Carlo di Borgogna is an Italian opera in three parts composed by Giovanni Pacini to a libretto by Gaetano Rossi. It was first performed at the Teatro la Fenice, Venice on February 21, 1835.- Roles:- Synopsis :Part One...
, in 1835.
Cosselli was one of the first singers to make the transition between the old conception of the bass vocal range to what we know today as the baritone, a voice type
Voice type
A voice type is a particular kind of human singing voice perceived as having certain identifying qualities or characteristics. Voice classification is the process by which human voices are evaluated and are thereby designated into voice types...
that was still in its infancy. For Donizetti again, he created the role of Enrico in the highly successful Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor is a dramma tragico in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's historical novel The Bride of Lammermoor....
, at the San Carlo
Teatro di San Carlo
The Real Teatro di San Carlo is an opera house in Naples, Italy. It is the oldest continuously active such venue in Europe.Founded by the Bourbon Charles VII of Naples of the Spanish branch of the dynasty, the theatre was inaugurated on 4 November 1737 — the king's name day — with a performance...
in Naples, in 1835, giving to the role a new dramatic dimension, looking forward to what was to become known as the Verdi-baritone; the standard published score of Lucia contains several downward transpositions which mask the consistently high tessitura of the role as written for Cosselli.
He went on singing the florid bass roles of Rossini such as Mosè
Mosè in Egitto
Mosè in Egitto is a three-act opera written by Gioachino Rossini to a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola, which was based on a play by Francesco Ringhieri, L'Osiride, of 1760....
, Maometto
Maometto II
Maometto II is an opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini, to an Italian libretto by Cesare della Valle, set in the 1470s during the time of the war between the Turks and Venetians. Della Valle based his libretto on his earlier play Anna Erizo...
, Assur
Semiramide
Semiramide is an opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini.The libretto by Gaetano Rossi is based on Voltaire's tragedy Semiramis, which in turn was based on the legend of Semiramis of Babylon...
, etc.
Sources
- Le guide de l'opéra, Roland Mancini & Jean-Jacques Rouveroux, (Fayard, 1986) ISBN 2-213-01563-6
- Ashbrook, WilliamWilliam AshbrookWilliam Ashbrook was an American musicologist, writer, journalist, and academic.Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Ashbrook earned a BA in English literature from the University of Pennsylvania in 1946 and a MA in the same field from Harvard University in 1947...
, Donizetti and His Operas, Cambridge University Press, 1983, pp.376. ISBN 0521276632