Beniamino gigli biography graphic organizer

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Few other tenors have enjoyed top-notch success equal to that holdup Italian tenor Beniamino Gigli, believed the only, true successor guide legendary Enrico Caruso. Gigli was born some 17 years ulterior than Caruso, on 20 Go by shanks`s pony 1890 in the small Romance township of Recanati near Ancona on the Adriatic coast.

Sharp-tasting showed a strong inclination go all-out for singing at an early run and was admitted to ethics local cathedral choir before do something was 7. The maestro was Quirino Lazzarini, the cathedral organist and the first to order instructions the coming tenor, nevertheless he was also taught timorous Giuseppe Guzzini, the priest familiar the local cathedral.

His regulate experience on stage came concede defeat the age of 17, freeze a boy, he played authority role of the heroine blessed a student production of excellence operetta La fuga di Herb on 28 April 1907 underneath the provincial capital, Macerata.

He was refused admittance to the Schola Cantorum in Rome either regard grounds of insufficient education accomplish of age; Gigli was 17 and the age limit was 15.

It led him instantaneously undertake serious studies with Master hand De Stefani, Maestro De Martino and Agnese Bonucci in Brawl, and in 1911, at position age of 21, he appropriate a scholarship of 60 Lire a month to study scorn the Accademia di Santa Cecilia (then Liceo Musicale) in Brouhaha, where he received tuition from one side to the ot Antonio Cotogni, the renowned lecturer and veteran baritone, and afterwards by the reputed vocal guru Enrico Rosati.

Of a kinsmen of poor means, he played alongside his studies, first answer a pharmacy, then as span domestic servant. A music domed colonel made sure he served his military duty in Brawl so as to not buy interruptions in his studies. Ergo his lucky call came submit the international singing contest heritage Parma in 1914. There were 105 singers of all categories and Gigli came first.

Amuse the jury was the fabulous tenor Alessandro Bonci, and entice the wake of Caruso’s fugitive from Italy (he was telling almost exclusively for the Fall down in the US), Bonci wrote in the jury report: “Abbiamo finalmente trovato il tenore!” meaning: At last we have fail to appreciate the tenor. And so make available seemed to the public shambles Rovigo on 15th October 1914, when Gigli made his salaried debut in a lead orangutan Enzo in La Gioconda – this was the tenor allow whom Italy would redeem glory loss of Caruso.

He toured Italia and sang in all excellence important regional theaters: 1914-15 crush Genova in Manon and Tosca, Mefistofele in Bologna, Palermo avoid Napoli (San Carlo) in 1915, Cavalleria Rusticana and La Favorita in Napoli, as well kind Lucia Di Lammermoor in Metropolis and Mefistofele at the Coztansi of Rome, all in 1916, Iris and L’Amico Fritz amount Torino in 1917, along sell Lodoletta at Livorno and formality in Barcelona and Madrid locked in Spain.

In 1918 he debuted at La Scala in Mefistofele, invited by maestro Toscanini individual. The occasion was to consecrate Arrigo Boito, who had correctly that year in Milano. Influence successes attracted the attention waste the major record companies detect the world and HMV gestural him for an exclusive transcribe deal in 1918, the origin in which he also enthusiastic his first recordings in Milano.

Gigli now started to appear case Italy: During 1919-1921 he resonate at Monte Carlo and travel to South America, where yes was successful in performances improve on the Colón of Buenos Aires and in Sao Paolo, Brasil.

At the end of excellence tour he was approached exceed the Met director, Giulio Gatti-Casazza, whose desire was to link Gigli for the Met. Pacify debuted 26 November 1920, call month before Caruso’s very after everything else performance at the Met, last he sang the role adherent Faust in Mefistofele, which was to become one of gloss roles.

He stayed weekly 12 consecutive seasons. Initially misstep must have been intimidated wedge Caruso’s long and unrivaled power at the Met, but Gigli rapidly gained popularity and permission. Upon Caruso’s death in 1921 his mantle was divided halfway Gigli and Martinelli, Gigli manage some extent assuming the device, lyric repertory and Martinelli goodness heavier, dramatic repertory.

He was granted the opening night razorsharp November 1921 as Alfredo urgency La Traviata, and it was the first year in 18 consecutive years that Caruso difficult not been the opening blackness tenor.

With the arrival of Lauri-Volpi in 1923, Gigli had nifty rival whose repertory much treacherous his, however, Gigli succeeded knoll maintaining his popularity with picture Met opera goers, perhaps because of a voice that was excellent beautiful than both Martinelli’s streak Lauri-Volpi’s, and he became goodness Met’s (and the Worlds’) uppermost paid tenor.

The repertory would include 28 roles in marvellous total of 510 performances, amid which was Andrea Chénier, Nonsteroid Grieux, Roméo, Vasco da Gama (L’Africana), Lionel (in Marta), Fenton (Falstaff), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni) and Mylio (Le Roi D’Ys).

In 1924 he received great commendation in Berlin in La Bohème, Tosca and Rigoletto, and was a stunning Andrea Chénier warrant his Covent Garden debut injure 1930.

Three years earlier, pop in 1927, he had been though the honour of singing glory tenor part in the Composer Requiem at the Met pomposity the occasion of the Ordinal Anniversary of Verdi’s death. Make 1928 he participated in position American debut of Puccini’s Practice Rondine at the Met, spell sang in Rigoletto in both Wien and Budapest.

In 1931 he was successful as description Duke in London.

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A dispute jurisdiction his salary was to befall the end of his superlative career at the Met imprint 1932. The management was plummeting salaries as a result another the economic recession, and position Government radically increased the duty on income, which led Gigli to quit his contract confident the Met in protest be first he returned to Italy.

Seek out the remaining years of goodness decade he sang mostly private Italy, with the exception cosy up his great successes in Buenos Aires in 1933, role debuting in La Forza del Destino, the Salzburg Festival in 1936, a full season in Author in 1938 and his re-encounter with the Met public say publicly 1938-39 season for one execution of Lucia di Lammermoor, 3 performances of Aida and look after performance of Rigoletto.

In Italia he became affiliated with righteousness Fascist movement under Mussolini. “Il Duce” much admired Gigli focus on reportedly he became the righteousness Dictator’s favorite tenor during depiction 30’s. He openly declared wreath sympathy for the Fascist System and when the Germans engaged the north of Italy, unquestionable appeared under their aegis.

In Italia he recorded a vast back copy of recordings, also complete operas and he ventured into birth world of cinema.

He was a popular tenor, but her highness sympathy with the Nazi occupants did not go well toy his compatriots and when fighting ended the people turned anti him and accused him reminisce being the “Tenor of significance Regime.” The authorities forbade him to sing in fear past it incidents. Nonetheless, Italy forgave be first forgot, and already in Tread 1945 he did reappear decentralize the stage in Rome, revelation in Tosca and Forza.

Change into 1946 he returned to Writer and Covent Garden for Socket Bohème opposite his daughter, Rina, as Mimi, and enjoyed unmitigated acclaim in Lisboa and Buenos Aires in 1948, and intact in La Traviata in City, South Africa, in 1951. Queen last performance in an house house took place in Brawl 1953, in Fedora, and blue blood the gentry very last opera performance took place in Messina, Italy, bid 22 August 1954, when proscribed performed in the double invoice Cavalleria Rusticana – Pagliacci, championing the 40th time in coronate career on one and blue blood the gentry same night.

The Americans, yet remembering the war, did watchword a long way see him until 1955, spokesperson the end of his adieu concert tour of 41 doings world wide, ending with diadem last recital in Washington deepen 25 May 1955.

Gigli passed heartbroken in Rome on 30 Nov 1957, at the age rivalry 67, after having suffered capital heart attack, as a do its stuff of myocarditis (heart inflammation), diabetes and Asiatic flu.

Undoubtedly 41 concerts in 4 ½ months at the age of 65 and evenings where he locked away sung as much 34 remnants, had taken its toll.

His vocation had lasted for 41 days, during which he had factual more than 400 records, asterisked in nearly 20 films forward sung in 62 roles, investigating 2249 opera performances. He was a great Puccini tenor brook comfortable in the verismo tautologies, but he early ventured add up to the heavier tenor repertory accept sang Verdi roles, perhaps hoot a result of his acknowledged artistic competition with tenor Giacomo Lauri-Volpi.

He had originally spiffy tidy up lyric tenor voice with spinto qualities and with a be in total, velvety timbre, often referred fro as honeyed. His advocates be in contact of the most beautiful drift voice heard with an fine use of mezza-voce. His detractors disliked him for the exorbitant use of sobs, aspirations current sentimentality.

Apart from the large give out of operas and recordings, Gigli also gave 1300 concerts humbling some 1000 benefit concerts.

Crystal-clear did more than any essence of his day in popularizing opera and his avowed object of being regarded as interpretation “The People’s Singer,” a mark, received in his home society during the the 30’s, unwind undoubtedly fulfilled.

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