Giovanni Battista Verger (1796 – after 1844) was an Italian

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

tic

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

and

impresario An impresario (from the Italian ''impresa'', "an enterprise or undertaking") is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays, or operas, performing a role in stage arts that is similar to that of a film or television producer. Hist ...

. He particularly excelled in the operas of

Gioachino Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards f ...

and

Gaetano 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 dur ...

Biography

Born in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, Verger studied singing in his native city before making his professional opera debut at the

Royal Opera House, Valletta The Royal Opera House, also known as the Royal Theatre ( mt, It-Teatru Rjal, it, Teatro Reale), was an opera house and performing arts venue in Valletta, Malta. It was designed by the English architect Edward Middleton Barry and was erected in 1 ...

in 1817. At his debut a critic wrote, "Verger tenori sarà uno dei primi d'Italia". He came back to Italy in 1819 to sing at the

Teatro San Samuele Teatro San Samuele was an opera house and theatre located at the Rio del Duca, between Campo San Samuele and Campo Santo Stefano, in Venice. One of several important theatres built in that city by the Grimani family, the theatre opened in 1656 and ...

as Carlo in the premiere of Donizetti's '' Pietro il grande''. From this point on he arose at the great stages of the Italian peninsula, having tremendous success throughout the 1820s and 1830s in roles from both the lyrical and dramatic repertoire. He became known as one of the greatest Rossini interpreters of his day, and Rossini himself greatly valued his voice. Verger was committed to

La Scala La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...

from 1824–1826, giving lauded performances there in such Rossini roles as Argirio in ''

Tancredi ''Tancredi'' is a ''melodramma eroico'' ('' opera seria'' or heroic opera) in two acts by composer Gioachino Rossini and librettist Gaetano Rossi (who was also to write ''Semiramide'' ten years later), based on Voltaire's play ''Tancrède'' (176 ...

'', Torvaldo in ''

Torvaldo e Dorliska ''Torvaldo e Dorliska'' is an operatic dramma semiserio in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini, based on the novel/memoir ' (1787–1790) by the revolutionary Jean-Baptiste Louvet de Couvrai, whose work was th ...

'', Rodrigo in ''

La donna del lago ''La donna del lago'' (English: ''The Lady of the Lake'') is an opera composed by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola (whose verses are described as "limpid" by one critic) based on the French translationOsborne, Charles 19 ...

'', and Idreno in ''

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 Assyria. The opera was first performed at La Fenice ...

''. Other roles he portrayed at that house included Carlo in

Giovanni Pacini Giovanni Pacini (11 February 17966 December 1867) 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. The fami ...

's '' Il barone di Dolsheim'', Zepiro in

Peter von Winter Peter Winter, later Peter von Winter, (baptised 28 August 1754 – 17 October 1825) was a German violinist, conductor and composer, especially of operas. He began his career as a player at the Mannheim court, and advanced to conductor. When the ...

's ''

Maometto II ''Maometto II'' (or ') is an 1820 opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Cesare della Valle. Set in the 1470s during a time of war between the Turks and Venetians, the work was commissioned by the Teatro di San Carlo i ...

'', Duca di Lavarenne in

Giacomo Meyerbeer Giacomo Meyerbeer (born Jakob Liebmann Beer; 5 September 1791 – 2 May 1864) was a German opera composer, "the most frequently performed opera composer during the nineteenth century, linking Mozart and Wagner". With his 1831 opera ''Robert le di ...

's '' Margherita di Anjou'', Capellio in

Nicola Vaccai Nicola Vaccai (15 March 1790 – 5 or 6 August 1848) was an Italian composer, particularly of operas, and a singing teacher. Life and career as a composer Born at Tolentino, he grew up in Pesaro, and studied music there until his parents sent him ...

's ''

Giulietta e Romeo ''Giulietta e Romeo'' is a dramma per musica by composer Niccolò Antonio Zingarelli with an Italian libretto by Giuseppe Maria Foppa after the 1530 novella of the same name by Luigi Da Porto and Shakespeare's ''Romeo and Juliet''. The opera pr ...

'', and a role in

Ferdinando Paër Ferdinando Paer (1 July 1771 – 3 May 1839) was an Italian composer known for his operas. He was of Austrian descent and used the German spelling Pär in application for printing in Venice, and later in France the spelling Paër. Life and career ...

's '' Camilla''. He also participated in the world premieres of

Giuseppe Nicolini Giuseppe Nicolini may refer to: * Giuseppe Nicolini (composer) (1762–1842), Italian composer * Giuseppe Placido Nicolini (1877–1973), Roman Catholic bishop * Giuseppe Nicolini (writer) Giuseppe Nicolini (28 October 1788 – 26 August 1855) was ...

's ''Aspasia ed Argide'' (1824, Diamante),

Carlo Evasio Soliva Carlo Evasio Soliva (27 November 1791 – 20 December 1853) was a Swiss-Italian composer of opera, chamber music, and sacred choral works. Soliva was born in Casale Monferrato, Piedmont to a family of Swiss chocolatiers who had emigrated from the ...

's ''Elena e Malvina'' (1824, Enrico), and

Michele Carafa Michele Enrico Francesco Vincenzo Aloisio Paolo Carafa di Colobrano (17 November 1787 – 26 July 1872) was an Italian opera composer. He was born in Naples and studied in Paris with Luigi Cherubini. He was Professor of counterpoint at the Par ...

's ''Il Sonnambulo'' (1824, Ruggiero). In 1827 Verger sang the title role in the world premiere of Donizetti's '' Olivo e Pasquale'' at the

Teatro Valle Teatro may refer to: * Theatre * Teatro (band) Teatro, Italian for "theatre", is a vocal group signed to the Sony BMG music label. The members of Teatro are Jeremiah James, Andrew Alexander, Simon Bailey and Stephen Rahman-Hughes. Band members ...

in Rome. In 1828 he was committed to the

Teatro Comunale di Bologna The Teatro Comunale di Bologna is an opera house in Bologna, Italy. Typically, it presents eight operas with six performances during its November to April season. While there had been various theatres presenting opera in Bologna since the early 1 ...

where he was heard as Cleomenes in Rossini's '' Assedio di Corinto'' and Antenore in Rossini's ''

Zelmira ''Zelmira'' () is an opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola. Based on the French play, ''Zelmire'' by de Belloy, it was the last of the composer's Neapolitan operas. Stendhal called its music Teutonic, compa ...

''. He also appeared that year as Seide in the world premiere of Donizetti's ''

Alina, regina di Golconda ''Alina, regina di Golconda'' (''Alina, Queen of Golconda'') is an opera in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti. The Italian libretto was written by Felice Romani after Michel-Jean Sedaine's French libretto for Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny's ballet-hero ...

'' at the

Teatro Carlo Felice The Teatro Carlo Felice is the principal opera house of Genoa, Italy, used for performances of opera, ballet, orchestral music, and recitals. It is located on the side of Piazza De Ferrari. The hall is named for King Carlo Felice, and dates fr ...

in Genoa. In 1829 he sang in the world premieres of

Carlo Coccia Carlo Coccia (14 April 1782 – 13 April 1873) was an Italian opera composer. He was known for the genre of opera semiseria. Life and career Coccia was born in Naples, and studied in his native city with Pietro Casella, Fedele Fenaroli, an ...

's '' Rosmonda''" and

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 m ...

's ''Francesca da Rimini'', both at

La Fenice Teatro La Fenice (, "The Phoenix") is an opera house in Venice, Italy. It is one of "the most famous and renowned landmarks in the history of Italian theatre" and in the history of opera as a whole. Especially in the 19th century, La Fenice beca ...

. In 1832 he portrayed the role of Odone in the premiere of

Saverio Mercadante Giuseppe Saverio Raffaele Mercadante (baptised 17 September 179517 December 1870) was an Italian composer, particularly of operas. While Mercadante may not have retained the international celebrity of Gaetano Donizetti or Gioachino Rossini beyond ...

's ''I normanni a Parigi'' at the

Teatro Regio di Torino The Teatro Regio (Royal Theatre) is a prominent opera house and opera company in Turin, Piedmont, Italy. Its season runs from October to June with the presentation of eight or nine operas given from five to twelve performances of each. Several bu ...

. Verger's stage career began to slow down in the mid-1830s as he became more involved with work as an

. He was particularly active in organizing opera performances in Barcelona at the Teatro Principal. His last known stage performance was at that house in 1844 in the title role of the premiere of Josep Piqué i Cerveró's ''Ernesto, duca di Sicilia''. Verger's second wife was the contralto Amalia Brambilla (1811–80), who came from a famous Italian family of opera singers. From this marriage several children were produced, including the baritone Napoleone Verger and mezzo-soprano

Maria Verger Maria Verger Ventayol (1892–1983) was a Spanish archivist, librarian, and poet in Catalan and Spanish. Biography Born in Alcúdia in 1892, Maria Verger trained as a librarian and archivist at the Barcelona School of Librarians. From 1921 to 1934 ...

, both of whom had significant careers on the stage. He spent his retirement in Palermo.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Verger, Giovanni 1796 births 19th-century deaths Italian operatic tenors Singers from Rome 19th-century Italian male opera singers