Domenico Ronconi was an Italian opera

Opera

Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...

tic tenor

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...

 who had an active international career in leading opera house

Opera house

An opera house is a theatre building used for opera performances that consists of a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and set building...

s from 1796-1829. He then embarked on a second career as a voice teacher

Voice teacher

A voice teacher or singing teacher is a musical instructor who trains adults and children in the art of singing. This generally involves training in breath control and support, proper tone production, pitch control and musical intonation, proper formation of vowels and consonants as well as...

 in Milan which lasted until his death in that city in 1839.

Life and career

Born in Lendinara

Lendinara

Lendinara is a town and comune in the province of Rovigo, Veneto, northern Italy. It is part of the historical and geographical region of Polesine.It is the birthplace of Domenico Montagnana , one of the world's finest violin and cello makers....

, he studied singing with Abbot Cervellini in Rovigo

Province of Rovigo

The Province of Rovigo is a province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Rovigo.It borders on the north with the provinces of Verona, Padua and Venice, on the south with the province of Ferrara, on the west with the province of Mantua, and on the eastwith the Adriatic Sea.-...

. He made his debut at the Teatro San Benedetto

Teatro San Benedetto

The Teatro San Benedetto was a theatre in Venice, particularly prominent in the operatic life of the city in the 18th and early 19th centuries. It saw the premieres of over 140 operas, including Rossini's L'italiana in Algeri, and was the theatre of choice for the presentation of opera seria until...

 in Venice in 1796. From 1802-1805 he was committed to the Mariinsky Theatre

Mariinsky Theatre

The Mariinsky Theatre is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces of Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov received their premieres. The...

 in St. Petersburg. In 1808 he was heard in the premiere of Giuseppe Maria Orlandini

Giuseppe Maria Orlandini

Giuseppe Maria Orlandini was an Italian baroque composer particularly known for his more than 40 operas and intermezzos...

's La Dama Soldato at La Scala

La Scala

La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...

.

Ronconi performed at the Vienna Court Opera

Vienna State Opera

The Vienna State Opera is an opera house – and opera company – with a history dating back to the mid-19th century. It is located in the centre of Vienna, Austria. It was originally called the Vienna Court Opera . In 1920, with the replacement of the Habsburg Monarchy by the First Austrian...

 in 1809-1810. In Vienna he sang before Napolean who later acquired his talents for his marriage celebration to Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma

Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma

Marie Louise of Austria was the second wife of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French and later Duchess of Parma...

 in Paris in 1810. He made appearances at the Paris Opera

Paris Opera

The Paris Opera is the primary opera company of Paris, France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the Académie d'Opéra and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and renamed the Académie Royale de Musique...

 in 1810-1811, and was thereafter active in Italy's leading opera houses for most of that decade. From 1819-1829, he was committed to the Munich Hofoper

Bavarian State Opera

The Bavarian State Opera is an opera company based in Munich, Germany.Its orchestra is the Bavarian State Orchestra.- History:The opera company which was founded under Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy has been in existence since 1653...

.

After his retirement from the stage in 1829, Ronconi founded a music school in Milan which became widely known. He became a famous teacher of singing, with his notable pupils including soprano Erminia Frezzolini

Erminia Frezzolini

Erminia Frezzolini was an Italian operatic soprano. Along with Henriette Sontag, she was one of the leading operatic sopranos of her generation. She excelled in the coloratura soprano repertoire, drawing particular acclaim in the bel canto operas of Gaetano Donizetti and Vincenzo Bellini...

 and contralto Caroline Unger

Caroline Unger

Caroline Unger was an Austro-Hungarian contralto.Born in Vienna, she studied in Italy; among her teachers were Aloysia Weber Lange and Domenico Ronconi. Her stage debut, in her native city, came in 1821, when she performed in Mozart's Così fan tutte, a performance for which Franz Schubert had...

. He was also the teacher of three of his sons, Giorgio Ronconi

Giorgio Ronconi

Giorgio Ronconi was an Italian operatic baritone celebrated for his brilliant acting and compelling stage presence. In 1842, he created the title-role in Giuseppe Verdi's Nabucco at La Scala, Milan.-Career:...

, Sebastiano Ronconi, and Felice Ronconi, all of whom had successful singing careers.