Antonio Tamburini (28 March 1800 – 8 November 1876) was an Italian operatic baritone.Randel (1996) p. 900.

Biography

Born in Faenza, then part of the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...

, Tamburini studied the orchestral horn with his father and voice with Aldobrando Rossi, before making his debut as a singer, aged 18, in ''La contessa di colle erbose'' (

Pietro Generali Pietro Generali (born Mercandetti Generali; 23 October 1773 – 3 November 1832) was an Italian composer primarily of operas and vocal music. Generali was born in Masserano. He studied counterpoint with Giovanni Masi in Rome and spent a few ...

). He went on to become one of the finest baritones of his age. He had a beautiful, smooth and flexible voice the quality of which is indicated by the bel canto music written for him. Castil-Blaze described his voice in ''

The Harmonicon ''The Harmonicon'' was an influential monthly journal of music published in London from 1823 to 1833. It was edited at one period by William Ayrton (1777–1858.) Issues contained articles on diverse topics, including reviews of musical composi ...

'' of May 1833: :His voice is a fine baritone, well defined, extending from A to F, occasionally reaching G#, and sometimes descending to Gb. I might have allotted to him the two full octaves without reserve, but I prefer to retrench the semitone, above and below, that I may give to his voice and tone the full praise it merits. It is round, rich, and clear, of wonderful flexibility, and such astonishing firmness, that it is impossible to suspect any note is passed over unperceived. He has the neatness and precision of execution that Ber and Barizel have acquired on the clarionet or bassoon. The tone is equal in its whole extent, taking and holding F# with as much ease as a tenor voice would do, or running over the notes with a vivacity unheard of till now. However, it is apparent from several comments in the English and Irish press that, certainly by 1847, he had acquired a vibrato. For example, the ''Hampshire Telegraph'' noted in April 1847 that "Tamburini’s voice exhibits some of the effects of time for his upper notes have lost power, and the tremulousness, which was always his defect, has increased". He was renowned also for his good looks and impressive stage presence, often working with the tenor

Giovanni Battista Rubini Giovanni Battista Rubini (7 April 1794 – 3 March 1854) was an Italian tenor, as famous in his time as Enrico Caruso in a later day. His ringing and expressive coloratura dexterity in the highest register of his voice, the ''tenorino'', insp ...

and soprano

Giulia Grisi Giulia Grisi (22 May 1811 – 29 November 1869) was an Italian opera singer. She performed widely in Europe, the United States and South America and was among the leading sopranos of the 19th century.Chisholm 1911, p. ? Her second husband was Gi ...

. Tamburini is famous for his association with the operas of Bellini such as ''

I Puritani ' (''The Puritans'') is an 1835 opera by Vincenzo Bellini. It was originally written in two acts and later changed to three acts on the advice of Gioachino Rossini, with whom the young composer had become friends. The music was set to a libretto ...

''. Indeed, he was one of the so-called "Puritani Quartet" of leading international singers, along with Grisi, Rubini and the bass

Luigi Lablache Luigi Lablache (6 December 1794 – 23 January 1858) was an Italian opera singer of French and Irish ancestry. He was most noted for his comic performances, possessing a powerful and agile bass voice, a wide range, and adroit acting skills: Lepo ...

. The quartet was reunited on stage, albeit with Giovanni

Mario is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his cre ...

replacing Rubini, in 1843 at the premiere of

Donizetti Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was an Italian composer, best known for his almost 70 operas. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, he was a leading composer of the ''bel canto'' opera style duri ...

's ''

Don Pasquale ''Don Pasquale'' () is an opera buffa, or comic opera, in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti with an Italian libretto completed largely by Giovanni Ruffini as well as the composer. It was based on a libretto by Angelo Anelli for Stefano Pavesi's ...

''. A particular favourite with London and Paris audiences, Tamburini was married to the

contralto A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typica ...

Marietta Gioia-Tamburini. They often sang together. He died at

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard dialect, Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department in France. The Nice urban unit, agg ...

in 1876, aged 76.

Roles created by Antonio Tamburini

Antonio Tamburini-as Ernesto in I puritani

*1820 Mercadante: ''Violenza e Costanza'' (Atlante) *1822 Mercadante: ''Adele ed Emerico'' (Generale Banner) *1822 Donizetti: ''

Chiara e Serafina ''Chiara e Serafina, o I pirati'' (''Chiara and Serafina, or The Pirates'') is an opera semiseria in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti to a libretto by Felice Romani, based on the melodrama ''La cisterne'' by René Charles Guilbert de Pixérécourt. ...

'' (Picaro) *1824 Donizetti: '' L'ajo nell'imbarazzo'' (Don Giulio) *1826 Donizetti: '' Alahor in Granata'' (title role) *1827 Bellini: ''

Il pirata ''Il pirata'' (''The Pirate'') is an opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini with an Italian libretto by Felice Romani which was based on a three-act '' mélodrame ''from 1826: ''Bertram, ou le Pirate'' (''Bertram, or The Pirate'') by Charles Nod ...

'' (Ernesto) *1828 Donizetti: '' Alina, regina di Golconda'' (Volmar) *1828 Donizetti: ''

Gianni di Calais ''Gianni di Calais'' is a ''melodramma semiserio'', a "semi-serious" opera in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti (1828), from a libretto by Domenico Gilardoni, based on ''Jean de Paris'' by Louis-Charles Caigniez. It was first performed on 2 Augus ...

'' (Rustano) *1828 Bellini: ''

Bianca e Fernando ''Bianca e Fernando'' (''Bianca and Fernando'') is an opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini. The original version of this opera was presented as ''Bianca e Gernando'' and was set to a libretto by Domenico Gilardoni, based on ''Bianca e Fernando ...

'' (Filippo) *1829 Pacini: ''Il talismano'' (Riccardo Cuor di Leone) *1829 Bellini: ''

La straniera ''La straniera'' (''The Foreign Woman'') is an opera in two acts with music by Vincenzo Bellini to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani, based on the novel ''L'Étrangère'' (2 vols, 1825) by Charles-Victor Prévot, vicomte d'Arlincourt, although ...

'' (Valdeburgo) *1830 Donizetti: ''

Imelda de' Lambertazzi ''Imelda de' Lambertazzi'' is a ''melodramma tragico'' or tragic opera in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti from a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola, based on the tragedy ''Imelda'' by Gabriele Sperduti. It received its first performance on 5 Septem ...

'' (Bonifacio) *1831 Mercadante: ''Zaira'' (Orosmane) *1831 Donizetti: '' Francesca di Foix'' (il Re) *1831 Donizetti: '' La romanzesca e l'uomo nero'' (Filidoro)Casaglia (2005). Note that Ashbrook (1983), p. 511 lists Tamburini as having created the small tenor role of Carlino instead. *1831 Coccia: ''Edoardo Stuart in Scozia'' (title role) *1832 Donizetti: '' Fausta'' (Costantino) *1835 Donizetti: ''

Marin Faliero ''Marino Faliero'' (or ''Marin Faliero'') is a ''tragedia lirica'', or tragic opera, in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Giovanni Emanuele Bidera wrote the Italian libretto, with revisions by , after Casimir Delavigne's play. It is inspired by ...

'' (Israele Bertucci) *1835 Bellini: ''

'' (Riccardo) *1836 Mercadante: ''I briganti'' (Hermann) *1843 Donizetti: ''

'' (Malatesta)

References

Notes Sources *Ashbrook, William
''Donizetti and His Operas''
Cambridge University Press, 1983. * * Castil-Blaze (1833)
"A Biographical Notice of Tamburini"
pp. 125–126.''

'' *Randel, Don Michael (ed.)
"Tamburini, Antonio
''The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music '', Harvard University Press, 1996. p. 900. *Rosselli, John
''Singers of Italian Opera: The History of a Profession''
Cambridge University Press, 1995, p. 152.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tamburini, Antonio 1800 births 1876 deaths People from the Province of Ravenna Italian operatic baritones 19th-century Italian male opera singers