Poniatowski, Józef (Michal Xsawery Franciszek Jan), Prince of Monte Rotondo

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Poniatowski, Józef (Michal Xsawery Franciszek Jan), Prince of Monte Rotondo

Poniatowski, Józef (Michal Xsawery Franciszek Jan), Prince of Monte Rotondo , Polish tenor and composer; b. Rome, Feb. 20, 1816; d. Chislehurst, England, July 3, 1873. He was a member of the Polish nobility; his uncle was a marshal in Napoleon’s army. He studied in Florence, and appeared on the stage as a tenor. He then wrote operas (to Italian and French librettos). In 1848 he went to Paris and was elevated to the rank of Senator by Napoleon III; after the fall of the 2nd Empire, he went to England. In addition to operas, he also composed the popular ballad, The Yeoman’s Wedding Song.

Works

DRAMATIC: Opera: Giovanni da Procida (Florence, Nov. 25, 1838); Don Desiderio, ossia Il disperato per eccesso di buon cuore (Pisa, Dee. 26, 1840); Ruy Bias (Lucca, Sept. 2, 1843); Bonifazio de’ Geremei (Rome, Nov. 28, 1843); La sposa d’Abido (Venice, Feb. 1845); Malek-Adel (Genoa, June 26, 1846); Esmeralde (Florence, June 26, 1847); Pierre de Médius (Paris, March 9, 1860); Au travers du mur (Paris, May 9, 1861); L’Aventurier (Paris, Jan. 26, 1865); La Contessina (Paris, April 28, 1868); Gelmina (London, June 4, 1872).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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