Giovanni David (15 September 1790 in

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adm ...

– 1864 in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

) was an Italian

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing 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 low extreme for tenors is wide ...

particularly known for his roles in

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 ...

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 libr ...

Overview

David (also known as Davide) was the son of the tenor Giacomo David, with whom he studied. He made his

tic début in

Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centur ...

in 1808 in ''Adelaide de Guesclino'' by Johann Simon Mayr. He is notable for the principal roles written for him by

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 ...

, mostly for Domenico Barbaia's theatres in

: *Narciso in '' Il turco in Italia'' (1814) *Rodrigo in ''

Otello ''Otello'' () is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play '' Othello''. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on 5 February 1887. ...

'' (1816) *Ricciardo in '' Ricciardo e Zoraide'' (1818) *Oreste in ''

Ermione ''Ermione'' (1819) is a tragic opera (azione tragica) in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola, based on the play ''Andromaque'' by Jean Racine. Performance history 19th century ''Ermione'' was first ...

'' (1819) *Uberto (

James IV of Scotland James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James III, at the Battle of Sau ...

) in '' La donna del lago'' (1819) *Ilo in '' Zelmira'' (1822) He also created the roles of Fernando in the revised version of Bellini's '' Bianca e Fernando'' (1828) and Leicester in Donizetti's '' Il castello di Kenilworth'' (1829). David was noted for his vocal range of almost 3 octaves in performance (up to b′&prime). However, according to Italian sources, David was certainly able to reach up ''only'' to F₅ (and possibly to G₅ or even to A₅), but not higher.Caruselli, p. 334 He was also famous for his ability to sing extremely florid music, although compared with his contemporary,

Andrea Nozzari Andrea Nozzari (27 February 1776 – 12 December 1832) was an Italian tenor. Nozzari was born in Vertova and studied in Bergamo and Rome. He is notable for the principal roles written for him by Gioachino Rossini and mostly premiered in Dom ...

, his acting ability was limited. He retired from the stage in 1839, and subsequently managed an opera company in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

References

Notes Sources * * *Caruselli, Salvatore (ed), ''Grande enciclopedia della musica lirica'', Rome: Longanesi & C. Periodici S.p.A., Vol. II, ''ad nomen'' * Forbes, Elizabeth (1997), "Davide avid Giovanni", in

Stanley Sadie Stanley John Sadie (; 30 October 1930 – 21 March 2005) was an influential and prolific British musicologist, music critic, and editor. He was editor of the sixth edition of the '' Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' (1980), which was pub ...

, ''

The New Grove Dictionary of Opera ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' is an encyclopedia of opera, considered to be one of the best general reference sources on the subject. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volu ...

'', New York: Oxford University Press * * 1790 births 1864 deaths Musicians from Naples Italian operatic tenors 19th-century Italian male opera singers {{italy-opera-singer-stub