Begnis, Giuseppe de
Begnis, Giuseppe de
Begnis, Giuseppe de, admired Italian bass; b. Lugo, 1793; d. N.Y., Aug. 1849. After serving as a choirboy in Lugo, he made his operatic debut in Modena in 1813 in Pavesi’s Ser Marc’Antonio. He then sang in various Italian music centers, establishing himself as one of the finest buffo artists of the day. In 1816 he married Giuseppina Ronzi de Begnis, with whom he often appeared in opera. Rossini chose him to create the role of Dandini in La Cenerentola (Rome, Jan. 25, 1817), and he subsequently excelled in roles by that composer as well as those by Mayr and Pacini. He and his wife went to Paris in 1819, where he appeared as Don Basilio opposite his wife’s Rosina in Rossini’s 17 Barbiere di Siviglia at its first Paris production at the Théâtre-Italien on Oct. 26, 1819. They continued to sing in Paris until 1821, when they went to London. Begnis made his debut there as Don Geronio opposite his wife’s Fiorilla in Rossini’s Il Turco in Italia at the King’s Theatre on May 19, 1821. They continued to appear in opera together until their separation in 1825. Begnis remained at the King’s Theatre until 1827, but also served as an opera manager in Bath (1823–24) and later in Dublin (1834–37) before settling in N.Y.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire