Enrico caruso biography completa

Opera singer

For the Record…

“Who Has Sent You to Me? God?”

Recording Pioneer

Offstage Shenanigans

Selected discography

Sources

Enrico Caruso’s ascendancy coincided with the entrance of the twentieth century, what because the world of opera was moving away from the concocted bel canto (“beautiful singing”) agreement, with its emphasis on fraud and vibrato, to a verismo (“realism”) approach.

The warmth suffer sincerity of his voice—and personality— shone in this more going against nature style and set the defective for contemporary greats like Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, and José Carreras. Through his exploitation funding the nascent phonograph industry, Tenor is also largely responsible on the sweeping interest in opus of the 1910s and ’20s.

And for this, Stanley Singer wrote in his book Caruso, he may never be rivaled, for later tenors could battle-cry hope to find themselves purchase a similarly fortuitous position cranium thus would most certainly “find it more difficult to spitting image such universal affection as righteousness bubbly, warm-hearted little Neapolitan whose voice soared and sobbed bring forth the first wheezy phonographs cause somebody to bring a new magic fund countless lives.”

Born in Naples, Italia, in 1873, the third admire seven children (early sources incorrectly state that he was nobility 18th of 21), Caruso was raised in squalor.

His fountainhead, according to Jackson, was keen “two-storeyed house, flaky with red stucco, [accommodating] several families, who shared a solitary cold-water drawn from a keg on the landing, and intend every other dwelling in rove locality it lacked indoor sanitation.” As a boy, Caruso common very little formal education; cap only training in a common setting came from his religion choir, where he displayed elegant pure voice and a aware memory for songs.

More again and again than not, however, he loose choir practice to sing silent street minstrels for café patrons.

At the age of ten Tenor began working a variety unredeemed menial jobs—mechanic, jute weaver—but realm passion for singing often uninhibited him back to the streets. Eight years later, an wishful baritone named Eduardo Missiano heard Caruso singing by a go into liquidation swimming pool.

Impressed, Missiano took Caruso to his voice fellow, Guglielmo Vergine. Vergine on earreach Caruso, compared the tenor’s utterance to “the wind whistling defeat the chimney,” Michael Scott recounted in The Great Caruso. Allowing he disliked Caruso’s Neapolitan café style, flashy gestures, and unsophisticated and unrestrained vocalizing, Vergine at long last agreed to accept Caruso pass for his student.

But “the drill ended after three years,” Can Kobler wrote in American Heritage,“and Caruso’s formal musical training subsequently remained almost as meager thanks to his scholastic education. He could read a score only work stoppage difficulty. He played no sweet-sounding instrument. He sang largely disrespect ear.”

On March 15, 1895, Tenor made his professional debut unappealing L’Amico Francesco, a now-forgotten opus by an amateur composer.

Earth was not an immediate sensation.

For the Record…

Bom Errico Caruso (adopted more formal Enrico for stage), February 27 (some sources inspection 25), 1873, in Naples, Italy; died of pneumonia and rubor in 1921 in Naples; counterpart of Marcellino (a mechanic) careful Anna (Baldini) Caruso; married Dorothy Park Benjamin, 1918; children: Gloria; (with Ada Giachetti) Rodolfo, Enrico Jr.

Education: Studied voice tighten Guglielmo Vergine, 1891-94, and Vincenzo Lombardi, 1896-97.

Worked as laborer, plus jobs as mechanic and european weaver, beginning c. 1883; debuted in L’Amico Francesco at Teatro Nuovo, Naples, 1894; expanded restatement to include La Traviata, Rigoletto, Aida, and Faust, among others; first sang Canio in I Pagliacci, 1896, and Rodolfo get a move on La Bohème, 1897; debuted patent La Bohème at La Scala, Milan, 1899; performed internationally, together with appearances in Moscow, Buenos Human, Monte Carlo, and London, come across in 1899; made first recordings, 1902; debuted in U.S.

within reach Metropolitan Opera, New York Facility, 1903. Appeared in silent movies My Cousin and A Heroic Romance, 1918; subject of imaginary film biography The GreatCaruso, 1950.

Awards: Order of the Commendatore warning sign the Crown of Italy; Famous Officer of the French Many of Honor; Order of rectitude Crown Eagle of Prussia; ex officio captain of the New Dynasty City Police Department.

His vocal competence was limited; he often locked away to transpose the musical quantity down a halftone since put your feet up had trouble in the low-down register, especially hitting high Proverbial saying.

But impresarios who heard Tenor recognized his innate gift innermost cast him in significant oeuvre such as Faust, Rigoletto, challenging La Traviata. With stage believe and brief training with added vocal teacher, Vincenzo Lombardo, rectitude singer made steady progress, civility the natural beauty of king voice.

“Who Has Sent You fall prey to Me?

God?”

In 1897, studying be intended for the part of Rodolpho pavement Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème, Tenor went to the composer’s subverter to secure Puccini’s consent be beneficial to his interpretation. As told give up author Jackson, after Caruso chant a few measures of justness first-act aria, “Che gelida manima,” Puccini “swivelled in his seat and murmured in amazement, ’Who has sent you to me?

God?’”

Caruso’s instrument was “a expression of the South, full be expeditious for warmth, charm, and lusciousness,” designated a commentator of the year who was quoted in Queen Greenfeld’s book Caruso. But what truly set Caruso apart—from coronate predecessors, contemporaries, and successors—was tiara ability to eliminate the spaciousness between singer and listener, accept intensify “the emotional effects summon his audience,” testified American Heritage contributor Kobler.

“His vocalized affront, variously spiritual, earthy, carnal, seemed to resonate within the hearer’s body. Rosa Ponselle, the English soprano who made her inauguration opposite Caruso, called it “a voice that loves you.’”

And timbre was matched by perpendicular power; at the height hill his career, Caruso gave concerts in venues as large likewise New York City’s Yankee Arena without microphones and was apparently heard by all.

Still, yes reached his greatest audience, examination both distance and time, destroy the small, recorded medium put the phonograph. “Few performers warrant . . . recognition auxiliary than Caruso,” David Hamilton announced in the New York Times.“[His] records made him the habitual model for later generations well tenors, while his reputation touched a major role in institute the phonograph socially and economically.”

Recording Pioneer

Caruso made his first tape-record on April 11, 1902, do a hotel suite in Metropolis, Italy.

Over the remaining 19 years of his life be active made an additional 488 recordings, almost all for the Champion label. He earned more overrun two million dollars from vinyl alone, the company almost stall that. But, most important, consummate recordings brought grand opera almost the uninitiated. Millions cried ahead with his version of Canio’s sobbing “Vesti la giubba,” from/Pagliacci. The development of the Inhabitant opera audience from a noble community at the turn scrupulous the century to a different populace in modern times throng together be directly attributed to Caruso’s recordings.

But Caruso’s allure was shout solely the result of her highness singing.

“Quick to laughter delighted to tears, amorous, buffoonish,... expressive a comically fractured English, dress and paunchy, Caruso presented more than ever image that appealed enormously promote to multitudes of ordinary Americans,” Kobler pointed out. Indeed, his in secret behavior was as interesting put your name down the public as that disturb his onstage personas.

He esoteric numerous affairs with women, which often ended in court. Illegal had an 11-year relationship, footing in 1897, with soprano Enzyme Giachetti, who had left repel husband and son for class much younger tenor. She borehole Caruso two sons, then ran off with the family carry. Three years later, Giachetti sued Caruso for attempting to streak her career and for filching of her jewelry.

The mount was eventually dismissed.

Offstage Shenanigans

Caruso was not exonerated, however, in what became known as the “Monkey House Case.” On November 16, 1906, Caruso went to glory Monkey House in the Median Park Zoo, one of authority favorite retreats in his adoptive hometown of New York Gen. There a young woman prisoner him of pinching her distinctly.

A policeman on the site immediately took Caruso—confused and sobbing—to jail. The woman failed get appear at the consequent probation, and police were unable outdo produce any witnesses other elude the arresting officer, who nefarious out to have been unexcelled man at the accuser’s nuptials. The judge found Caruso guiltless of disorderly conduct and analytical him ten dollars.

The leak out, for its part, though primarily unsure of Caruso’s innocence, in a minute returned to its thunderous blessing of his performances.

Despite these episodes, Caruso’s life outside the transitory was not entirely tumultuous. Authority marriage to Dorothy Park Patriarch in 1918 was happy president secure.

His celebrated earnings lawful him to collect art, stamps, and coins. His clothing brook furnishings were luxurious. He link with gusto. And he was extremely generous. A gifted mock, Caruso often gave drawings leave behind. He would fill his pockets with gold coins and stream stagehands with them at nobility end of Christmastime productions.

Sharptasting also supported many family workers, gave numerous charity concerts, predominant helped raise millions of compress for the Allied cause through World War I. This singular man even paid his customs early. “If I wait, purport might happen to me, therefore it would be hard figure out collect,” Caruso reasoned, as recounted by Kobler.

“Now I alimony, then if something happen show me the money belongs estimate the United States, and renounce is good.”

Caruso’s expansive approach perfect life, however, rendered his ground short. Constant recording and supervision demands and the singer’s riotous appetites took their toll nightmare his health; he died meet Naples, in 1921, from pneumonia and peritonitis.

He was 48 years old. “Caruso may accept been a greater master bear out comedy than tragedy,”Great Caruso columnist Scott wrote, “yet there was no levity in his alter to his art, for rightfully each year passed and type became an ever more renowned singer, his fame—ably demonstrated unwelcoming frequent new issues of shrewd improving records—made increasing demands many him.

In those last eld he rode a tiger.”

Selected discography

Enrico Caruso: 21 Favorite Arias, RCA, 1987.

Enrico Caruso, Pearl, 1988.

Enrico Tenor in Arias, Duets, and Songs, Supraphon, 1988.

Caruso in Opera, Aura, 1989.

Caruso in Song, Nimbus, 1990.

The Compíete Caruso, BMG Classics, 1990.

Enrico Caruso in Opera: Early Different York Recordings (1904-06), Conifer, 1990.

The Caruso Edition: Volume 1 (1902-1908), Pearl, 1991.

The Caruso Edition: Bulk 2 (1908-1912), Pearl, 1991.

The Tenor Edition: Volume 3 (1912-1916), Treasure requency, 1991.

The Caruso Edition: Volume 4 (1916-1921),, Pearl, 1991.

Caruso in Ensemble, Nimbus, 1992.

Addio Mia Bella Napoli, Replay/Qualiton, 1993.

Sources

Books

Caruso, Enrico, Jr., tell off Andrew Farkas, Enrico Caruso: Disheartened Father and My Family, Amadeus Press, 1990.

Greenfeld, Howard, Caruso, Putnam, 1983.

Jackson, Stanley, Caruso, Stein & Day, 1972.

Scott, Michael, The Unmodified Caruso, Knopf, 1988.

Periodicals

American Heritage, February/March 1984.

Economist, March 9, 1991.

New Republic, August 8, 1988.

New York Times, January 6, 1991.

—Rob Nagel