LABLACHE

lablache, luigi (1794-1858), franco-italian singer, was born at naples on the 6th of december 1794, the son of a merchant of marseilles who had married an irish lady. in 1806 he entered the conservatorio della pieta de turchini, where he studied music under gentili and singing under valesi, besides learning to play the violin and violoncello. as a boy he had a beautiful alto voice, and by the age of twenty he had developed a magnificent bass with a compass of two octaves from e[flat] below to e[flat] above the bass stave. after making his first appearance at naples he went to milan in 1817, and subsequently travelled to turin, venice and vienna. his first appearances in london and paris in 1830 led to annual engagements in both the english and french capitals. his reception at st petersburg a few years later was no less enthusiastic. in england he took part in many provincial musical festivals, and was engaged by queen victoria to teach her singing. on the operatic stage he was equally successful in comic or tragic parts, and with his wonderfully powerful voice he could express either humour or pathos. among his friends were rossini, bellini, donizetti and mercadante. he was one of the thirty-two torch-bearers chosen to surround the coffin at beethoven's funeral in 1827. he died at naples on the 23rd of january 1858 and was buried at maison lafitte, paris. lablache's leporello in _don giovanni_ was perhaps his most famous impersonation; among his principal other roles were dandini in _cenerentola_ (rossini), assur in _semiramide_ (rossini), geronimo in _la gazza ladra_ (rossini), henry viii. in _anna bolena_ (donizetti), the doge in _marino faliero_ (donizetti), the title-role in _don pasquale_ (donizetti), geronimo in _il matrimonio segreto_ (cimarosa), gritzenko in _l'etoile du nord_ (meyerbeer), caliban in _the tempest_ (halevy).