Michele Enrico Carafa

Michele Enrico Carafa , prince de Colobrano, born with Naples the November 28th 1787 and died in Paris the July 26th 1872, was a type-setter Italy N.

Presentation

He is the second wire of Giovanni Carafa, prince de Colobrano and duke of Alvito, and accepted a solid musical education. He composed its first opera He Fantasma in 1802, which was given in 1805 in the theater of his/her father-in-law, prince de Caramanico. He came to Paris in 1806, where he took lessons of composition of Luigi Cherubini and piano of Friedrich Kalkbrenner.

It nevertheless was put in residence by his father to give up the music for the military career, and became lieutenant hussards in the French Army. Prisoner with Campotenese (1806), it was released and took part in the forwarding of Sicily where he became captain.

Returned in 1808 in Naples, he married Antoniette d' Aubertan and resumed his musical studies under the direction of Fenaroli. Always under the paternal pressure, it followed Joachim Murat in the Campagne of Russia and was decorated with the Légion of honor by Napoleon I {{er}} itself, after the Bataille of Ostrovno, and was made baron Royaume of Italy.

The restoration of the Bourbons of Naples involved the confiscation of the goods of Carafa and the end of the military career of Michele Enrico. It gave to Teatro del Fondo in 1814 It Vascello of occidente , then in 1816 Gabriella di Vergy on a booklet of Andrea Leone Tottola. Work had a success equal to the Otello of Rossini, given the same year in the same theater.

Its music was characterized by a certain facility in the melodies and a not very brilliant orchestration, at one time dominated by Rossini, Bellini, Auber, Halévy, of which he was in addition the friend.

Devoted from now on as type-setter of opera, it went back to Paris in 1821 when it triumphed with Jeanne d' Arc in Orleans , then the Manservant (1823).

It completed with Venice its Italian career, with It Parìa , and left to settle definitively in Paris where malgé of the failures, it was success with Masaniello (booklet of Moreau and Lafortelle), taken again 136 times at the Op3era Comique.

It was there the top of its career: confrontation with works of Rossini and Donizetti was not done in its favor. It obtained in 1834 the French citizenship, and became member of the Académie of the Art schools, and director of the military Gymnasium of Music in 1838. From 1840 to 1858, he taught the counterpoint and the composition with the Conservatoire of Paris, and its last work represented was Therese in 1838, whereas he devoted himself already exclusively to teaching. One of its last appearances to the Opera was the French adaptation of the Semiramide of Rossini, for which Rossini gave up to him its royalties because of their long friendship.

He was reached of paralysis in 1867 and died on July 26th, 1872.

Selection of operas

Gabriella di Vergy (1816)
Jeanne d' Arc in Orleans (1821)
the recluse (1822)
the manservant (1823)
Sleeping Beauty (1825)
the prison of Edinburgh (1833)

Source

Two-monthly Fenice , 6th year, - N° January 1st - February 2000

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