8 April 1848 – death of Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. A prolific composer, Donizetti was responsible for about 75 operas and 16 symphonies, as well as a myriad songs, cantatas, chamber pieces and other works. His most famous work is Lucia di Lammermoor from 1835. Famous and respected within his lifetime, he counted Giuseppe Verdi amongst his friends. He contracted syphilis and succumbed to madness, dying in an institution.
© Peter Geymayar