Fabio Campana: Florentine opera composer and singing master

Life

Trained at the height of Romanticism, his long career led him to reach full maturity in the Late-Romantic phase, in a cultural climate that already heralded the new demands of Realism.

Fabio Campana was born in Livorno in 1819. He first studied in his native city with Bernardo Nucci, then at the Naples Conservatory, and finally at the Accademia Filarmonica in Bologna. He debuted very young with Caterina di Guisa (1838), performed in Livorno with Giuseppina Strepponi as the protagonist. In 1841, he staged Giulio d’Este, which was also greeted with enthusiasm.

In the 1840s, he conducted works by Mercadante, Donizetti, Meyerbeer, and Bellini at the Teatro degli Avvalorati in Livorno. In 1842, he presented Vannina d’Ornano in Florence, followed by Luisa di Francia (1844, Rome) and La Duchessa de La Vallière (1849, Livorno). In 1850, he debuted in Bologna with Mazeppa, on a libretto by De Lauzières, an opera that consolidated his reputation.

After a stay in Paris, he moved to London, where he opened a famous singing school and became a central figure in musical life. There, he staged Almina (1860) and Esmeralda (1869), designed for Adelina Patti and received with great acclaim in Saint Petersburg and then London. He was also the author of popular and patriotic songs, much loved at the time, including the Inno nazionale and La costituente italiana.

He died in London in 1882, leaving behind a rich heritage of lyric and vocal works, as well as fame as a passionate teacher and prolific composer of concert arias.

Works

Campana composed eight operas: Caterina di Guisa (1838, Livorno), Giulio d’Este (1841, Livorno), Vannina d’Ornano (1842, Florence), Luisa di Francia (1844, Rome), La Duchessa de La Vallière (1849, Livorno), Mazeppa (1850, Bologna), Almina (1860, London), and Esmeralda (1869, Saint Petersburg, later London with Adelina Patti). He also composed patriotic hymns and numerous songs, including the Inno nazionale and La costituente italiana, which were widespread during the Risorgimento.