Teodulo Mabellini

Teodulo Mabellini (2 April 1817 – 10 March 1897) was an Italian composer.

He was the son of Vincenzo, a strumentaio (maker of musical instruments) specialized in wind instruments. He took his very first music lessons from his father and from the flautist, Giovacchino Bimboni, (future music producer of brass instruments). The education he received from these first teachers was critical in forming the unique style of his orchestral compositions. He continued to have contact with Bimboni throughout his entire life, and together they developed a knowledge of composition for winds that was uncommon in this time period (see Style). In 1826, he was a member of the children’s choir (voci bianche) of the Pistoia Cathedral. The local newspapers of the time described him as a genial child prodigy. He continued his studies privately with Giuseppe Pillotti (the organist of the cathedral) and Giuseppe Gherardeschi. He had already, at the age of 12, composed vocal music, chamber music, military marches and band arrangements. In 1832, at the age of 15, Mabellini held a concert of his own compositions (of which only l'Estro armonico remains; the autograph can be found in Pistoia, see Sources) in Pistoia and Grosseto. The success of this concert convinced private citizens to donate “private offerings” so he could attend the Musical Institute in Florence, where he studied from 1833-1836. Immediately after graduating, he was hired as Master of Harpsichord at the Teatro dei Risvegliati in Pistoia and collaborated in productions such as La straniera di Vincenzo Bellini and Anna Bolena by Gaetano Donizetti. The operatic world inspired him to compose his first opera, Matilde e Toledo, which he wrote in only one month when he was just nineteen years old. He was able to have the opera performed at Teatro Alfieri in Florence on August 27, 1836. Its great success astounded the Grand Duke Leopold II of Lorraine, who in return presented Mabellini with a rather large monthly scholarship.

After having just won his scholarship, he settled in Novara to study with Saverio Mercadante. The Napoletan maestro admired Mabellini’s dedication and talent, and the two remained in great and esteemed relations until Mercadante’s death in 1870. During his studies, Mercadante entrusted Mabellini with the reduction of voice and piano of Le illustri rivali, and brought Mabellini with him as the supervisor of the staging of many of his works in other cities, but especially in Venice. With Mercadante as his mentor, Mabellini developed his skills in sacred music as well, and composed a Mass, which was performed in Novara in 1838. In order to show his gratitude to the Grand Duke for the incredible opportunity to study with Mercadante, Mabellini dedicated the cantata La partenza per la caccia to him in 1839. In 1840, his lyric opera Rolla, which is considered to be Mabellini’s greatest operatic success and composed under the supervision of Mercadante, was staged in Torino (at Teatro Carignano). Rolla received the approval of the famous librettist Felice Romani and of the legendary pianist Carl Czerny, who reduced the main themes into a fantasia for piano. On the wave of his success, Mabellini was able to enter into the circle of the great impresario Alessandro Lanari, who, from then until 1857, guaranteed Mabellini the best productions and theater companies of their time. As a result of this new support, he wrote Ginevra di Firenze in one go (1841, for the Carignano of Turin), which was an opera that was reworked many times (the final version was entitled Ginevra degli Almieri), and Il conte di Lavagna, written on his return to Pistoia in 1842, dedicated to the Grand Duke, and performed with all honors at the Pergola in Florence in 1843.

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