The Diocese of Bergamo and the Donizetti Theatre Foundation have announced the discovery of an unpublished autograph composition by Gaetano Donizetti in the Historical Archive of the Library of the “Giovanni XXIII” Episcopal Seminary in Bergamo.

The work was found on February 24, 2026, by musicologist William Limonta and local historian and archivist Michele Enrico Poli during a project to catalogue the musical collections of the Diocese of Bergamo, coordinated by the Diocesan Historical Archive. The composition was preserved within the institution’s Music Collection, a collection of more than 860 items that had never previously been examined or catalogued.

Although the manuscript bears no autograph signature, Limonta’s attribution to Donizetti prompted a handwriting analysis carried out by Fabrizio Capitanio, Curator of the Gaetano Donizetti Music Library, and Paolo Fabbri, Scientific Director of the Donizetti Studies Centre of the Donizetti Theatre Foundation, who confirmed both the authorship and the originality of the composition. The work has been dated to between 1818 and 1821.

On Oct. 9 at 6:30 p.m., the Bergamo Episcopal Seminary will host a public event retracing the circumstances of the discovery and exploring the composition from scholarly and musicological perspectives. The piece will then receive its modern premiere on Nov. 29 at 10:30 a.m. in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, as part of the Donizetti Opera festival 2026. The performance will feature soloists of the Cappella Musicale under the direction of Maestro Cristian Gentilini.

Read Related Stories

• Donizetti Opera Festival Announces 2026 Season Featuring Lidia Fridman, Dave Monaco, Paolo Bordogna & Luca Pisaroni