Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti was born in Bergamo in November 1797 as the third and youngest son of a relatively impoverished couple who had very little money and absolutely no musical training. His success as a composer was made possible by a scholarship, when in 1806, he began his studies at the Lezioni Caritatevoli School, where he received a thorough musical education. Although the amount of instrumental music Donizetti composed was by no means insignificant, he’s remembered today for his wealth of operas, which number well over 70 in total. Composed between 1816 and 1845, they include Lucia di Lammermoor and La Fille du Regiment, both of which remain huge hits in opera houses worldwide. Donizetti divided his time between Italy and France, eventually settling in Paris in 1838. As well as being an acclaimed composer, Donizetti was also in demand as a conductor. It was he who conducted the very first performance of Rossini’s Stabat Mater.