Donizetti Pasha remembered yesterday in Istanbul
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Şubat 13, 2006 11:18
A ceremony in honor of the 150th anniversary of the death of Italian composer Giuseppe Donizetti was carried out yesterday in Istanbul's historic Saint Esprit Cathedral in Beyoglu, where the 19th century musician was buried. Known through Turkey and the Levant as Giuseppe Donizetti Pasha, Donizetti was the instructor general of music in the court of Ottoman Sultan Mahmut II, and played an instrumental role in the introduction of European music into the Ottoman world.
Donizetti also composed Turkey's first national march, the "Mahmud March," which was played on Saint Esprit's organ yesterday in memory of the composer.
A small mass in memory of Donizetti was also carried yesterday in the basement of Saint Esprit, where Donizetti, who considered Turkey his second home, was buried in 1856. In attendance at the mass were the Vatican's Ambassador to Turkey, Archbishop Antonio Lucibello, and the Vatican's Istanbul representative, Georges Marovitch.
A small mass in memory of Donizetti was also carried yesterday in the basement of Saint Esprit, where Donizetti, who considered Turkey his second home, was buried in 1856. In attendance at the mass were the Vatican's Ambassador to Turkey, Archbishop Antonio Lucibello, and the Vatican's Istanbul representative, Georges Marovitch.