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Nicola Vaccai (15 March 1790 – 5 or 6 August 1848) was an Italian
composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...
, particularly of
opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
s, and a singing teacher.


Life and career as a composer

Born at
Tolentino Tolentino ( Maceratese: ''Tulindì'') is a town and ''comune'' of about 19,000 inhabitants, in the province of Macerata in the Marche region of central Italy. It is located in the middle of the valley of the Chienti. History Signs of the firs ...
, he grew up in
Pesaro Pesaro (; ) is a (municipality) in the Italy, Italian region of Marche, capital of the province of Pesaro and Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the ...
, and studied music there until his parents sent him to
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
to study law. Having no intention of becoming a lawyer, he took voice lessons and eventually studied
counterpoint In music theory, counterpoint is the relationship of two or more simultaneous musical lines (also called voices) that are harmonically dependent on each other, yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. The term originates from the Latin ...
with
Giuseppe Jannaconi Giuseppe Jannacconi (Janacconi, Gianacconi; 1740 – 16 March 1816) was an Italian composer, one of the last in the style of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Palestrina. Jannaconi was born in Rome, and studied under Don Socorso Rinaldini and Gius ...
, an important Roman composer. When Vaccai turned twenty one, he went to
Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
and became a disciple of
Paisiello Giovanni Paisiello (or Paesiello; 9 May 1740 – 5 June 1816) was an Italian composer of the Classical era, and was the most popular opera composer of the late 1700s. His operatic style influenced Mozart and Rossini. Life Paisiello was born in ...
, whose ''
Barber of Seville ''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( ) is an ''opera buffa'' (comic opera) in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's French comedy '' ...
'' was considered a comic masterpiece until
Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. He gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano p ...
's ''
Barber A barber is a person whose occupation is mainly to cut, dress, groom, style and shave hair or beards. A barber's place of work is known as a barbershop or the barber's. Barbershops have been noted places of social interaction and public discourse ...
'' swept it from the stage 35 years later. Vaccai launched his career in
Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
, initially earning his living by writing ballets and teaching voice. He had his first operatic success with ''I solitari di Scozia'' in
Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
in 1815. In
Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...
he was commissioned to write ''Pietro il grande'', where he was also one of the soloists in the first performance. This was followed by ''Zadig e Astartea'' (Naples, 1825) and then his best known opera ''
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 p ...
'' (
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
, 1825). Vaccai's sojourn in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
began with a production of his most successful opera, ''Romeo and Juliet'', at Kings Theatre in April, 1832. His charm and continental reputation ingratiated him to society and soon he was much sought after as a teacher. Ending his wanderings with a return to Italy, in 1838 Vaccai became a director and professor of composition at the
Milan Conservatory The Milan Conservatory, also known as the Conservatorio di Milano and the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi, is a Music school, college of music in Milan, Italy. History The conservatory was established by a royal decree of 1807 in Milan, capital ...
where his students included
Giovanni Bottesini Giovanni Bottesini (22 December 1821 – 7 July 1889) was an Italian Romantic composer, conductor, and a double bass virtuoso. Biography Born in Crema, Lombardy, he was taught the rudiments of music by his father, an accomplished clarinetist ...
and
Luigi Arditi Luigi Arditi (16 July 1822 – 1 May 1903) was an Italian violinist, composer and conductor. Life Arditi was born in Crescentino, Piemonte, Kingdom of Sardinia. He began his musical career as a violinist, and studied music at the Milan Cons ...
. After six years he retired on account of poor health to his boyhood home, Pesaro, where he wrote his sixteenth opera. He died there in 1848.


Work as a teacher of singing: his ''Metodo pratico di canto''

Later eclipsed as an opera composer by his rival Bellini, Vaccai is now chiefly remembered as a voice teacher. One of his notable students was soprano
Marianna Barbieri-Nini Marianna Barbieri-Nini (18 February 1818 in Florence – 27 November 1887 in Florence) was an Italian operatic soprano who had an active career in Italy's major opera houses from 1840 through 1856. She also made appearances at the Liceu in Bar ...
. Vaccai wrote many books, one of which is his 1832 ''Metodo pratico di canto'' (''Practical Vocal Method''), which has been transposed to accommodate different voice types such as
alto The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: '' altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In four-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in ch ...
or low ranges such as
bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...
in order to instruct students in the method of singing in the Italian
legato In music performance and notation, legato (; Italian for "tied together"; French ''lié''; German ''gebunden'') indicates that musical notes are played or sung smoothly, such that the transition from note to note is made with no intervening si ...
style. It is still in print and is used as a teaching tool. In his introduction, Vaccai notes that only the voice of a master demonstrating his exercises accurately can instruct a student in the correct techniques of true legato singing. The book is also an important source of information about the performance of early 19th-century opera. Voice teacher Elio Battaglia edited a new teacher’s edition of the "Metodo pratico" or “Practical Method of Italian Singing” which was published by Ricordi in 1990, accompanied by a CD of examples. On September 15, 2020,
Teatro Nuovo (New York) Teatro Nuovo is an American opera company and training institution specializing in the repertory and performance practice of bel canto opera. It was founded in 2017 by Will Crutchfield, who is currently its general and artistic director. History ...
released “Bel Canto in Thirty Minutes,” a complete recording of the “Practical Method of Italian Singing,” led by
Will Crutchfield Will Crutchfield (born 1957) is an American conductor, musicologist, and vocal coach. He is the founding Artistic and General Director of Teatro Nuovo, a company that presented its inaugural season in the summer of 2018 at Lincoln Center's Freder ...
and featuring 22 singers including Santiago Ballerini,
Lawrence Brownlee Lawrence Brownlee (born November 24, 1972) is an American operatic tenor particularly associated with the bel canto repertoire. Describing his voice, Speight Jenkins, general director of the Seattle Opera, said: "There are other singers that sing ...
, Teresa Castillo, Junhan Choi, Georgia Jarman, Alisa Jordheim, Hannah Ludwig, Christine Lyons, Megan Marino, Dorian McCall, Madison Marie McIntosh,
Angela Meade Angela Meade (born 1977) is an American operatic soprano. Life and career Meade has won more than 50 vocal competitions, including the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (2007) and the Grand Prize at the Montreal International Music ...
, Tamara Mumford,
Lisette Oropesa Lisette Oropesa (born September 29, 1983) is an American operatic soprano of Cuban ancestry. Her repertoire includes works from Gluck, Handel, Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, Wagner, Verdi, Bizet, Massenet, Bellini and Puccini. With her lyric colorat ...
, Daniel Mobbs, Jennifer Rowley, Nicholas Simpson,
Michael Spyres Michael Spyres (born 1979) is an American operatic baritenor. He is particularly associated with the bel canto repertoire, especially the works of Rossini, and heroic roles in French grand opera. Biography Michael Spyres was born in Missouri, U ...
, Derrek Stark, Alina Tamborini, Hans Tashjian, and Meigui Zhang.


Operas


Legacy

Teatro Nicola Vaccaj, the opera house in Tolentino, is named after the musician.


References

Notes Sources *
Budden, Julian Julian Medforth Budden (9 April 1924 in Hoylake, Wirral – 28 February 2007 in Florence, Italy) was a British opera scholar, radio producer and broadcaster. He is particularly known for his three volumes on the operas of Giuseppe Verdi (publishe ...
(1998), "Vaccai, Nicola" in
Stanley Sadie Stanley John Sadie (; 30 October 1930 – 21 March 2005) was a British musicologist, music critic, and editor. He was editor of the sixth edition of the '' Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' (1980), which was published as the first edition ...
, (Ed.), ''
The New Grove Dictionary of Opera ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' is an encyclopedia of opera. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volumes. The dictionary was first published in 1992 by Macmillan Reference, L ...
'', Vol. Four, pp. 881–882. London: Macmillan Publishers, Inc. 1998 *Legger, Gianni (n.d.), ''Drammaturgia musicale italiana'', Fondazzione Teatro Reggio (Torino). *Vaccai, Nicola (1996), ''Practical Method of Italian Singing: Mezzo Soprano (Alto) or Baritone'', G. Schirmer, Inc. Another edition of Vaccaj's vocal treatise exists in three separated fascicules in which curator M.-G. Genesi gives complete version of the verses used by the composer, and also adds the introductory Recitative section of each exercise, permitting to the singer to include this "enlarged version" of the single pieces within a vocal concert programme. Edition: Piacenza, 2003,in 3 volumes. *Warrack, John and West, Ewan (1992), ''The Oxford Dictionary of Opera'', 782 pages.


External links

* *
Zadig e Astartea: drama serio em dois actos
1837 publication, digitized by BYU {{DEFAULTSORT:Vaccai, Nicola 1790 births 1848 deaths People from Tolentino Italian Romantic composers Italian opera composers Italian male opera composers Academic staff of Milan Conservatory People from Pesaro Italian voice teachers 19th-century Italian classical composers 19th-century Italian male musicians