Announcing Gaetano Donizetti’s Sonata for Piano and Cello
What follows is an expanded version from M° Fabrizio Capitanio’s notes at the beginning of this edition. Find the full edition here and watch the promo video here. Contact me for the printed version.
Editorial notes
A new unpublished Donizettian work
When considering the minor works of a great musician, one runs the risk of falling more or less unconsciously into two irksome extremes, each indicative of a lack of objectivity. There is the danger, on the one hand, of excessively extolling the value of such works in the name of their author’s greatness; on the other, of diminishing them too greatly, dismissing them as mere youthful experiments or, at best, as occasional pieces that have had their day. In order not to fall into either of these unforgivable failings, one must necessarily seek a middle course, striving as far as possible to highlight the undeniable virtues and inevitable shortcomings that characterise these compositions.
Among Italian opera composers of the nineteenth century, Gaetano Donizetti (1797–1848) ranks second only to Gioachino Rossini (1792–1868) in both historical precedence and productivity in instrumental music. Whilst his nineteen string quartets undoubtedly represent the most significant portion of this output, his substantial body of works for piano duet and piano four hands also stands out, with symphonies, sonatas, dances, and various incidental pieces. By contrast, his repertoire for solo instrument with piano accompaniment is quite limited: a flute sonata (1819), one for oboe, a violin sonata, two sets of variations, and a scherzo-potpourri (dedicated to his future wife Virginia Vasselli, 1826).
Regarding Donizetti’s output involving the cello, only a single piece was known until now: a Largo in G minor with piano accompaniment, preserved in autograph at the Museo Donizettiano in Bergamo but originating from the Fondo Piatti-Lochis of the Biblioteca Musicale Gaetano Donizetti, and therefore formerly owned by the great cellist Alfredo Piatti (1822–1901)1. Today, thanks to the discovery and publication of the present three-movement sonata, the Donizettian catalogue may thus be enriched by another work, considerably more substantial and sophisticated, for these two instruments.
Whilst it is generally most challenging to assign precise dates to Donizetti’s chamber works, we know that he wrote a considerable quantity of instrumental music during several key periods: his attendance at the Lezioni Caritatevoli di Musica in Bergamo (1806–1815), his studies in Bologna (1815–1817), and especially during the four years he remained in his native city before his final departure (late 1817 to 1821). The violinist Marco Bonesi, his fellow student at the Lezioni Caritatevoli and author of a memoir entitled Cenni Biografici su Gaetano Donizetti, written in 1861 in epistolary form2, states verbatim: “Our greatest diversion [at that time] consisted in the frequent practice of performing classical and brilliant music for piano and violin by Haydn, Mozart, Mayseder, and other renowned authors”, who might have included Beethoven, Reicha, and Pleyel. I wish to draw attention to the term brilliant—that is, to the social function fulfilled by this type of salon entertainment music for the aristocratic and upper-bourgeois classes. Whilst this adjective can be applied only in limited fashion to the music of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, it applies very well to the output of the other composers mentioned, including the young Donizetti, whose instrumental compositions, more or less brilliant and virtuosic, served as important calling cards in the fashionable salons of the city, enabling him to distinguish himself, gain recognition, and advance his career.
It is equally true, however, that having a musician of European stature such as Johann Simon Mayr (1763–1845) present in Bergamo did much to broaden the promising pupil’s provincial horizons and expand his cultural outlook, particularly through exposure to chamber music from beyond the Alps. This musical education was further enhanced by the regular soirées held from 1814 at the home of Alessandro Bertoli, a wealthy Bergamasque merchant and accomplished amateur violinist, whom Donizetti fondly remembered in a letter of 1842.
But what knowledge could the young Donizetti have possessed regarding instrumental technique and practice? Some early biographies, such as that by Cicconetti (1864) and Alborghetti-Galli (1875), claim that he had knowledge of the flute, cello, and double bass, though it is unclear on what evidence such assertions rest. The only reliable source for his performing ability on stringed instruments comes once again from Bonesi, who writes in his memoir: “Donizetti decided to learn the viola, and I myself was able, with just a few lessons, to bring him to the point of playing the second viola part in a quintet that he wrote specially for the purpose.” Notably, there is no mention of the cello at all.
A characteristic common to almost all of Donizetti’s works featuring the piano is the evident orchestral derivation of his pianistic style. In some cases, these pieces appear to be genuine transcriptions of operatic symphonies. This is entirely understandable: an Italian musician of the period, destined by birth and vocation to become an opera composer, could hardly depart from the musical style that permeated his environment. In terms of pianistic technique, one can note the influence of Muzio Clementi‘s (1752–1832) style and even of Beethoven’s early period. This is evident in technical solutions involving passages in thirds, sixths, and octaves—incidentally proving his considerable keyboard mastery. Even when writing instrumental music, however, what matters most to the young composer is the vocal quality. Indeed, several pieces contain melodic ideas that anticipate his mature style. One example: the Sinfonia per Piano Forte ad uso di Adelson Piacezzi (1815) contains a thematic idea magnificently exploited fifteen years later in the first act of Anna Bolena.
The Sonata in D major for piano and violoncello in three movements
Description of the manuscript
The sole source for the sonata is a handwritten score of twenty leaves with ten staves each, gathered into a single booklet created by folding ten sheets in half, inserting them one within another, and binding them with thin blue string. The score is in oblong format, measuring 326 × 228 mm, with a title page bearing the following inscription: Suonata | a Piano-Forte e Violoncello | Del Maestro Gaetano Donizetti3.
This is not an autograph manuscript, but rather a copy dating from the period of the sonata’s composition. The paper bears several watermarks: leaves 4, 8, 14, and 16 feature an angelic figure with outstretched wings superimposed over the initials “GFA” in capital letters, whilst various other leaves display three crescent shapes arranged horizontally in the upper portion of the sheet. Throughout the sonata, the piano part is carefully and completely notated, but the same cannot be said of the cello stave, which appears fragmentary and often merely sketched. This is therefore not a proper score but rather a piano part with cues for performance, lacking the separate cello part that would have completed it and which, unfortunately, has not survived.
Two important graphical elements make this manuscript particularly noteworthy. The first concerns the cello stave: especially in the third movement, this appears to have been written in a different ink and possibly even by a different hand. There is reason to suspect this might be Donizetti’s own hand, which would make the manuscript partially autograph. The second element is the constant presence of deletions and corrections. Whilst those in the first movement appear to result from copying errors (on folio 7r, bar 159 was erroneously duplicated), the third movement on folio 11r seems to show genuine second thoughts, as if the sonata were taking final shape during the copying process itself. Something similar occurs on folio 18v in the right-hand system between bars 293 and 294. What, then, of folios 16v and 17r? Once glued together, made evident by traces of red sealing wax that held them, they contain a compositional fragment—probably a string quartet written in pencil by another hand and subsequently partially erased. This appears to be a paper reuse, since the penultimate and final leaves also bear traces of pencil notation, though less distinct. In the second movement, by contrast, the cello stave is complete and free of revisions. At the end of this movement, however, there is a semi-deleted “Subito Rondò,” inappropriate since the final movement is in sonata form rather than rondo.
From what has been established thus far, this sonata may therefore be the probable result of a compilation—undertaken by Donizetti himself or at least with his approval—of pieces written in different periods. Supporting this hypothesis, the first and especially the third movements do not appear to have been originally intended for cello: they are probably two pieces conceived for solo piano, subsequently adapted here to incorporate the string instrument.
Formal structure
First movement: Allegro, C, D major, 223 bars
Regarding the formal construction of the composition, the first movement follows the canonical two-theme, tripartite sonata form. In the Exposition, the first theme (D major, bb 1–32), vigorous and passionate, features a first element based on a robust ascending broken arpeggio on the tonic chord, with a (dotted quarter + five eighths followed by a quarter in the following bar) rhythm that characterises the entire movement. This rhythmic figuration is immediately repeated in its second element (bb 13–20), but with contrasting dynamics and character. The modulating bridge (bb 33–60), very extended and orchestral in character, is also based entirely on the opening rhythmic motif.
The second theme (A major, bb 61–95), characterised by a lyrical cantabile writing, offers an excellent example of dialectical contrast with the first theme through an almost Beethovenian “masculine” and “feminine” opposition. It is introduced by the piano (bb 61–73) before passing to the cello (bb 73–81). From b 81, in its second element, the opening rhythmic motif reappears, leading to cadences characterised by arpeggios and trills. This is followed by a Codetta (bb 96–108) which, besides establishing the dominant key, also reaffirms the familiar opening rhythm, after which the entire exposition may be repeated thanks to the conventional repeat sign.
The Development (bb 109–135) opens abruptly in F# minor, introduced by the piano, which still hints at the initial opening motif, while the cello presents a new subsidiary theme in counterpoint, closely related to the preceding material. This section concludes with a concise, three-bar modulatory passage played solely by the piano, which leads back to the Recapitulation in the home key. The first element of the first theme (b 136) is presented in full, whereas the second element (from b 148), slightly varied by a measured trill in the cello, is notably shortened and flows directly into the transition of the bridge, itself truncated and, of course, now non-modulatory (bb 160–174). In the recapitulation, the second theme remains intact in its first element (D major, bb 175–194) as well as its second element (bb 195–210). The Coda mirrors the Codetta of the Exposition, with the exception of the penultimate bar, where a final statement is added featuring the initial rhythmic motif in an ascending broken arpeggio, performed in unison by piano and cello.
Second Movement: Larghetto, 6/8, D minor, 47 bars
The second movement is a compact song form structured in three parts, A–B–A’. Besides its brevity and conciseness, it is notable for its seamless continuity, as it concludes with a perfect cadence that remains suspended on an A major chord — the dominant of the key on which the entire sonata is based. This movement opens with a delicate eight-bar melody of striking expressiveness, entrusted solely to the cello. When the piano enters, this melody is repeated at the interval of a third (Theme A), thus completing a regular sixteen-bar period. From b 17, the Theme B begins in A major and is assigned to the piano, characterised by a rhythm vaguely reminiscent of a siciliana. Starting with b 24, the episode closes with a brief dominant pedal sustained by the cello, while the piano takes up a melodic fragment previously heard in bb 5 and 6 of the opening theme. The recapitulation of Theme A’ (b 29) is harmonically varied through a fleeting modulation to F major, followed by a short, dramatic episode—as indicated by the appearance of ff dynamics—which leads into a brief coda supported by a tonic pedal held by the left hand of the piano. Due to the recurring use of grace notes, this section strongly evokes a Pastorale for piano solo composed by Donizetti himself in 1813.
Also of interest is the use of the Neapolitan sixth chord, first appearing in Theme A (bar 14) and here effectively restated before the movement closes on an A major chord with a suspended, unresolved cadence. This explains the presence of the “Subito Rondò” annotation found in the manuscript at the end of the movement.
Third Movement: Allegro, 2/4, D major, 338 bars
Contrary to what is indicated in the manuscript at the end of the preceding Larghetto, the third movement is not a Rondo, but rather a modified sonata form—that is, without a development section—akin to the structure typical of Italian opera overtures. A defining and driving feature is the rhythmic incipit: (two 16th as upbeat; a quarter note, an 8th-rest, two 16ths; a quarter note) immediately followed by (two 16ths & two 8ths; an 8th, two 16ths, two 8ths; an 8th), which is directly derived from it.
In the Exposition, the first theme (bb 1–24), characterised by a fresh and lively character, is entrusted entirely to the piano. This is followed by a lengthy modulatory bridge of a virtuosic nature (bb. 25–60) which, after its harmonic journey, leads to the A major of the second theme. The latter is divided into two sections: although based on the initial driving rhythm, the first of these is more lyrical (“con grazia”) and assigned to the cello (bb 61–94), while the second, almost entirely entrusted to the piano, displays a mild orchestral-style virtuosity (bb 95–142). Two codettas on a dominant pedal, again founded on the initial driving rhythm, complete this first part of the movement at bar 156.
A device borrowed from symphonies preceding operas, the Development is replaced here by a simple connection, realised through rapid broken and chromatic scales build on the dominant seventh chord and assigned to the piano (bb 156–169). The Recapitulation of the first theme, which begins in a pp dynamic in the piano, is cleverly varied through rhythmic and harmonic embellishments introduced by the left hand (bb 170–191). The subsequent return of the bridge, itself greatly altered from the Exposition with new modulatory progressions reaching even remote keys, manages to stabilise itself on the Dominant in order to reintroduce the second theme in D major with its two components: the lyrical element for the cello (bb 226–263) and the virtuosic one for the piano (bb. 263–310). Of particular note is the unexpected insertion of a very brief cello solo between the first and second elements of the theme, bearing a marked cadenza character (bb 256–263), which in the manuscript is only lightly suggested as a passage to be completed. In the concluding coda, which first develops the initial rhythmic figuration and then features an orchestrally vivid chordal crescendo (bb 310–324), a false recapitulation of the first theme is introduced (bb 324–332), serving distinctly as a final peroration.
Note on the cello additions
As already mentioned in the introduction, whilst the sole surviving source of this sonata for piano and cello appears virtually complete for its first two movements, the third movement proves highly lacking in the cello part. Indeed, this is not a proper score but rather a piano part with performance cues, which would necessarily have been accompanied by a separate cello part that has unfortunately not survived.
In the first movement of the sonata, the only intervention we deemed necessary occurs at bars 27-29: after the ascending arpeggio on the notes of the Bb major chord, the cello part breaks off abruptly in a completely unjustified manner, thus making the integration we have proposed advisable.
While the second movement required no intervention, the situation in the third movement appears quite different: indeed, this final Allegro would not be playable if one adhered strictly to what appears in the original manuscript. The numerous additions we have proposed have been formulated with scrupulous attention to Donizetti’s style and spirit, carefully avoiding any personal interference or, worse still, “pseudo-improvements” employing arbitrary and individualistic melodic and/or harmonic solutions.
We have therefore rigorously maintained the original text for both instruments exactly as it appears in the manuscript, following indispensable philological principles, even when some variant or adaptation might have seemed plausible and convenient.
Finally, we do not presume to have created a definitive musical text: whilst the additions included here are certainly judicious, they remain merely a proposal. Nothing prevents performers from inserting other possible solutions as they see fit; our hope, however, is that our proposals will satisfy most performers and, with them, the listeners who will experience this fine youthful Donizettian composition.
Fabrizio Capitanio
Bergamo, Italy — August 2025
Translation from Italian: Michele Galvagno
Proofreading: Janey Bennett
- This piece has also been published in 2024 by Artistic Score Engraving (editorial number: ASE 0049), an edition to which I refer for the specific information provided. ↩
- The text was published and made known only in 1946 by Guido Zavadini in the periodical Bergomum (Bollettino della Biblioteca Civica Angelo Mai), vol. XX, New Series (July–September 1946), no. 3, pp. 81–89. ↩
- Recently acquired by the Donizetti collection held at the Biblioteca Musicale Gaetano Donizetti in Bergamo, the manuscript has been housed in the Museo Donizettiano and catalogued under the shelf mark MUSMU.MS.289bis. ↩
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