A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Ronconi
RONCONI, a family of distinguished singers.
Domenico, a tenor, was born July 11, 1772, at Lendinara-di-Polesine in Venetia. He first appeared on the stage in 1797 at La Fenice, Venice, and obtained great renown both as a singer and actor, there and in other Italian cities. He sang in Italian opera at St. Petersburg and Munich, and afterwards became a professor of singing at the Conservatoires in those cities, and at Milan, where he died, April 13, 1839. Of his three sons,
Felice, born in 1811, at Venice, under the direction of his father devoted himself to instruction in singing, and became a professor in 1837 at Wurzburg, at Frankfort, and, in 1844–8, at Milan. He was similarly engaged for some years in London, and finally at St. Petersburg, where he died Sept. 10, 1875. He was the author of a Method of teaching singing, and of several songs. His second brother,
Giorgio, the celebrated baritone, was born at Milan, Aug. 6, 1810. He received instruction in singing from his father, and began his dramatic career in 1831, at Pavia, as Arturo in 'La Straniera.' He played in some of the small Italian cities, then at Rome, where Donizetti wrote for him 'Il Furioso,' 'Torquato Tasso,' and 'Maria di Rohan,' in which last, as Duc de Chevreuse, he obtained one of his greatest triumphs—also at Turin, Florence, Naples, etc. In the last city Ronconi was married, Oct. 18, 1837, to Signorina Giovannina [App. p.775 "Elguerra"] Giannoni, a singer who had played in London the previous year, in opera-buffa at the St. James's Theatre [App. p.775 "Lyceum and King's Theatres"]. He began his career in England at Her Majesty's, April 9, 1842, as 'Enrico' in Lucia, and was well received during the season in that character and in those of Filippo (Beatrice di Tenda), Belcore (L'Elisir), Basilio, Riccardo (Puritani), Tasso, etc. In the last opera his wife played with him, but neither then, nor five years later as Maria di Rohan, did she make the least impression on the English public. He then made a provincial tour with her, Thalberg, and John, Parry. In the winter he played at the 'Italiens,' Paris, with such success that he was engaged there for several subsequent seasons, and at one time was manager of the theatre, and was also engaged at Vienna, Pesth, Madrid (where he was manager), Barcelona and Naples. He reappeared in England April 13, 1847, at Covent Garden, as Enrico, and also played Figaro (Barbiere), May 8, De Chevreuse on the production in England of 'Maria di Rohan,' and the Doge on the production of Verdi's 'I due Foscari,' June 19, in which 'by his dignity and force he saved the opera … from utter condemnation' (Chorley). 'There are few instances of a voice so limited in compass (hardly exceeding an octave), so inferior in quality, so weak, so habitually out of tune … The low stature, the features, unmarked and commonplace when silent, promising nothing to an audience, yet which could express a dignity of bearing, a tragic passion not to be exceeded, or an exuberance of the wildest, quaintest, most whimsical, most spontaneous comedy … These things we have seen, and have forgotten personal insignificance, vocal power beyond mediocrity, every disqualification, in the spell of strong, real sensibility' (Ib.). There have been few such examples of terrible courtly tragedy as 'Signor Ronconi's Chevreuse—the polished demeanour of his earlier scenes giving a fearful force of contrast to the latter ones ….' (Ib.) He sang at the Italian Opera every season until 1866 inclusive excepting 1855 and 62, in all the great comic operas, as Don Juan, Leporello, Masetto, Nabucco, Faust (Spohr), Rigoletto, Lord Allcash (Fra Diavolo), Dandolo (Zampa), Barberino (Stradella), and Crispino (Crispino e la Comare), etc. In the last six parts he was the original interpreter at the Italian Opera, and in many of these, such as Rigoletto, the Lord, Figaro, and the Podesta (La Gazza) of Rossini, and those of Donizetti he remained a favourite. Of his classical parts, his Don Juan alone was a disappointment. He afterwards went to America, and remained there some time, well received. He returned to Europe in 1874, and was appointed a teacher of singing at the Conservatorio at Madrid, which post he still holds. Some years previously he founded a school of singing at Granada.[1] [App. p.775 "Add date of death of Giorgio, Feb. 1883."]
Sebastiano, the other son, also a baritone, born May 1814, at Venice, received instruction from his father and the elder Romani, and made his first appearance in 1836, at Teatro Pantera, Lucca, as Torquato Tasso, in which part throughout his career he made one of his greatest successes. He enjoyed considerable popularity in his own country, at Vienna, and in Spain, Portugal, and America, as an able artist in the same line of parts as his brother—unlike him in personal appearance, being a tall thin man, but like him in the capability of his face for great variety of expression. He appeared in England in 1860 at Her Majesty's [App. p.775 "add that his first appearance in England was at the Lyceum as Cardenio in Donizetti's 'Furioso,' Dec. 17, 1836. It is presumed to have been Sebastiano who sang at the Philharmonic Feb. 27, 1837, since Giorgio first appeared in London in 1842"], and was fairly well received as Rigoletto (in which he made his début, May 12th), Masetto, and Griletto (Prova d'un Opera Seria). He retired from public life after a career of 35 years, and is at the present time a teacher of singing at Milan.[2]