Giovanni Zenatello,s promise in the singing world was recognised at a very early age, originally his teacher trained him as a baritone. He never felt comfortable in this range so he retrained as a tenor, His tenor debut was in Naples as Canio in Leoncavallo,s "I Pagliacci" He really came to the fore when he played "pinkerton" in the world premiere of "Madame Butterfly" at La Scala in Milan. As a Dramatic Tenor he succeeded Francesco Tamangno as the worlds greatest exponent of "Othello". and with the New York Metropolitan Opera company, on tour, replacing Enrico Caruso, in 1909.
Lets listen to him then, because of his big dramatic voice and formerly being a Baritone, the recording techniques of the day do not flatter him. I believe if its the right wording to use, his voice was so powerful it "overmodulated" and sounded funny on recordings. One scathing comment i have read says he sounds like a goat, which i think is very unjust, i would dearly have loved to listen to him Live.
I hope you can see past the "problem" and really enjoy this remarkable voice.
Monday 31 May 2010
Eduardo Ferrari-Fontana 1878 - 1936
Eduardo Ferrari-Fontana actually studied medicine and opened a clinic in Montevideo, He actually started out in light operetta as a baritone in south america then italy.
Instead debuted as content in Tristan und Isolde by Wagner in Turin in 1910 in Turin , playing the title role. Cantò in molti dei maggiori teatri europei, incluso l' Opéra di Parigi , il Teatro alla Scala di Milano (nel 1909 nel Boris Godunov con Fjodor Shaljapin ,
e la prima assoluta dell'opera di Italo Montemezzi L'amore dei tre re ), Barcellona , Madrid e ancora in Sudamerica. He sang in many of the major European opera houses, including the ' Opera of Paris , the Teatro alla Scala of Milan (in 1909 in Boris Godunov with Fyodor Shaljapin , and the world premiere of the work of Italo Montemezzi Love of Three Kings ), Barcelona , Madrid , still in South America.
Information from
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edoardo_Ferrari_Fontana&ei=W5YDTIv3BpPy0gSE7KnMAw&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CDUQ7gEwBg&prev=/search%3Fq%3Deduardo%2Bferrari%2Bfontana%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG%26prmd%3Dv
Now lets hear him sing "E lucevan le stelle - 1915" recorded from an old 78 rpm record.
Although this is a favourite aria of mine, and taking into account the recording quality there is something lacking here (just my opinion of course) and he clips the phrases which does not help. Of course he had a following and you can hear that he has a voice, maybe i am being unkind and too critical on one recording, be interesting to get your opinion on this. Enjoy!
Instead debuted as content in Tristan und Isolde by Wagner in Turin in 1910 in Turin , playing the title role. Cantò in molti dei maggiori teatri europei, incluso l' Opéra di Parigi , il Teatro alla Scala di Milano (nel 1909 nel Boris Godunov con Fjodor Shaljapin ,
e la prima assoluta dell'opera di Italo Montemezzi L'amore dei tre re ), Barcellona , Madrid e ancora in Sudamerica. He sang in many of the major European opera houses, including the ' Opera of Paris , the Teatro alla Scala of Milan (in 1909 in Boris Godunov with Fyodor Shaljapin , and the world premiere of the work of Italo Montemezzi Love of Three Kings ), Barcelona , Madrid , still in South America.
Information from
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edoardo_Ferrari_Fontana&ei=W5YDTIv3BpPy0gSE7KnMAw&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CDUQ7gEwBg&prev=/search%3Fq%3Deduardo%2Bferrari%2Bfontana%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG%26prmd%3Dv
Now lets hear him sing "E lucevan le stelle - 1915" recorded from an old 78 rpm record.
Although this is a favourite aria of mine, and taking into account the recording quality there is something lacking here (just my opinion of course) and he clips the phrases which does not help. Of course he had a following and you can hear that he has a voice, maybe i am being unkind and too critical on one recording, be interesting to get your opinion on this. Enjoy!
Bernardo De Muro 1881 - 1955
Bernardo De Muro was a simply breathtaking Dramatic Sardinian Tenor, not a lot has been written about him. So let his voice do the talking, and it does it with par - exellence. "Di Quella Pira" from "Verdi,s Il Trovatore" character is of course "Manrico"
What a truly wonderful Dramatic Tenor he was, must have been electic to have seen him live, i think this calls for an encore, dont you ?
Again from Il Trovatore "Ai Nostri Monti" with Elvira Casazza (Another beautiful voice)
I dont know about you, but i thought this was an amazing find to show you.
What a truly wonderful Dramatic Tenor he was, must have been electic to have seen him live, i think this calls for an encore, dont you ?
Again from Il Trovatore "Ai Nostri Monti" with Elvira Casazza (Another beautiful voice)
I dont know about you, but i thought this was an amazing find to show you.
Giovanni Martinelli 1885 - 1969
Born in 1885 Giovanni Martinelli belonged to that wonderful line of Italian Dramtic Lyric Tenors, and is also in the lineage that leads up to Mario Del Monaco and beyond. Apparently he had a long career at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City as well as other international opera houses as well. Lets listen in to this lovely voice, "Cielo E Mar" from "La Gioconda" by Amilcare Ponchielli, Wonderful !
Again the recording techniques of the day really dont do justice to him, but you can hear and feel his voice shining through to you. He served in the military first as a clarinenist in the band, before going on to have a long and wonderful career, his debut at convent garden was as "Cavaradossi in Tosca". It is alledged he retired from the stage in 1950, although he gave one final performance at the age of 82 as the Emperor Altoum, in Turandot, in Seattle. He left us in 1969, heavens gain say i.
Again the recording techniques of the day really dont do justice to him, but you can hear and feel his voice shining through to you. He served in the military first as a clarinenist in the band, before going on to have a long and wonderful career, his debut at convent garden was as "Cavaradossi in Tosca". It is alledged he retired from the stage in 1950, although he gave one final performance at the age of 82 as the Emperor Altoum, in Turandot, in Seattle. He left us in 1969, heavens gain say i.
Friday 28 May 2010
Francesco Merli 1887 - 1976
Francesco Merli is again from the Aureliano Pertile lineage, there are indeed a lot of tenors that fit into this category and will try to find a lot of them to list here. It is always good to have a wide a range as possible. Lets get into the music.
He was particularly associated with heavy roles such as Otello, Canio and Calaf. He ranks as one of the finest dramatic tenors of the inter-war period. He sang widely in italy and south america, also toured Australia in 1928 with an opera company composed of leading La Scala singers.
In 1932 he made his debut as Radames in Aida, but due to poor health he was not at his best and so the debut here was deemed not to be a success, his career faded during the second world war. Lets hear one more from him before we move on.
In this version of "Celeste Aida" you can truly hear his voice ringing out a lovely sound.
I have to say i absolutely love his voice !
He was particularly associated with heavy roles such as Otello, Canio and Calaf. He ranks as one of the finest dramatic tenors of the inter-war period. He sang widely in italy and south america, also toured Australia in 1928 with an opera company composed of leading La Scala singers.
In 1932 he made his debut as Radames in Aida, but due to poor health he was not at his best and so the debut here was deemed not to be a success, his career faded during the second world war. Lets hear one more from him before we move on.
In this version of "Celeste Aida" you can truly hear his voice ringing out a lovely sound.
I have to say i absolutely love his voice !
Aureliano Pertile 1885-1952
Aureliano Pertile was apparently a tenor in the pre lineage of Mario Del Monaco along with several others we will cover on this site as time goes by. Lets get to work and let you here this great voice, albeit a dated recording you can still hear the quality of his voice.
I am sure you will agree its a great emotional rendition of "E Lucevan Le Stelle"
Aureliano Pertile was known as a Lyric-Dramatic Tenor and was highly thought of as one of the most important tenors of the inbetween war periods if not the whole 20th century. His voice was not without its critics and some described his voice as ugly but as usual we are talking about one of the most controversial subjects i the world here.
He did thought become leading tenor at La Scala in Milan, and was said to have been the favourite singer of the principal conductor Arturo Toscanini. Lets end this with another aria for you to listen to. A real Tenor Warhorse here ! Manrico,s Aria
I am sure you will agree its a great emotional rendition of "E Lucevan Le Stelle"
Aureliano Pertile was known as a Lyric-Dramatic Tenor and was highly thought of as one of the most important tenors of the inbetween war periods if not the whole 20th century. His voice was not without its critics and some described his voice as ugly but as usual we are talking about one of the most controversial subjects i the world here.
He did thought become leading tenor at La Scala in Milan, and was said to have been the favourite singer of the principal conductor Arturo Toscanini. Lets end this with another aria for you to listen to. A real Tenor Warhorse here ! Manrico,s Aria
Tuesday 25 May 2010
Mario Del Monaco 1915-1982
I remember well the first time i heard the voice of Mario Del Monaco, who was a superb dramatic italian tenor. The very first aria i heard him sing was "Vesti Le Giubba" from Ruggierro Leoncavallo,s "I Pagliacci". I dont think i came down to earth for the rest of the day. It was that good.
I will also post a different aria here now by Mario Del Monaco because Vesti le giubba is also posted elsewhere on this site so listen to this gem as well "E lucevan le stelle" Tosca
I am sure you will agree that his voice was simply amazing and expressive, again he would command audiences wherever he appeared and you can rightly see why. Sadly at some point in his life he was involved in a serious car crash and was said to have been lucky to survive,
Del Monaco's debut on December 31, 1940, as Pinkerton at the Puccini Theater in Milan. (His initial appearance in an opera had occurred the previous year, however, in Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana at Pasero.) He also sang opposite Renata Tebaldi.
Apparently because of his somewhat "complicated technique" he found it very hard if not impossible to sing "pianissimo" I just revel in the abilities that he so obviously had, along with his very large base of ardent admirers.
I will also post a different aria here now by Mario Del Monaco because Vesti le giubba is also posted elsewhere on this site so listen to this gem as well "E lucevan le stelle" Tosca
I am sure you will agree that his voice was simply amazing and expressive, again he would command audiences wherever he appeared and you can rightly see why. Sadly at some point in his life he was involved in a serious car crash and was said to have been lucky to survive,
Del Monaco's debut on December 31, 1940, as Pinkerton at the Puccini Theater in Milan. (His initial appearance in an opera had occurred the previous year, however, in Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana at Pasero.) He also sang opposite Renata Tebaldi.
Apparently because of his somewhat "complicated technique" he found it very hard if not impossible to sing "pianissimo" I just revel in the abilities that he so obviously had, along with his very large base of ardent admirers.
Mario Lanza 1921-1959
One of my absolute favourites has to be Mario Lanza, although many purists accused him of shouting i thought his powerfull and beautiful voice was simply stunning. Whatever he began to sing he made it his own with his emotional style of singing, along with always giving it never less than 100%.
Caruso died in 1921 and was a great loss to all that loved to hear and see him perform, but on january 31st of that year a certain Arnold Alfedo Coccoza came into the world. His parents were Maria Lanza and Antonio Coccoza, so no prizes here for guessing who he grew up to be. He took his mothers maiden name and Mario instead of Maria.
I have been listening to Mario Lanza since i was about 4 years, in fact i broke my dads old reel to reel in my attempt to listen in to his wonderfull voice. He had a so called meteoric rise to fame and soon became a true matinee idol with the films he made, a notable one "The great Caruso" Just take the time to listen to him singing his rendition of "Vesti Le Giubba"
Mario Lanza grew up listening to Caruso and tried to emulate him many times, ironic that "The Great Caruso" is hailed my millions as lanza,s finest role. and of course let us not forget that Mario Lanza inspired many a fine tenor in the future himself and so the wheel of music turns.
Sadly He died in 1959 aged just 38 years old, and yet what a legacy he has left to the world forever, so successive generations can experience the thrill of his voice.
I have heard several accounts of his demise, and who knows what is truth and fiction.
Lets just remember him with love and affection and thank god for his life and talent which has given pleasure to millions.
Brings tears to your eyes doesnt it.
Caruso died in 1921 and was a great loss to all that loved to hear and see him perform, but on january 31st of that year a certain Arnold Alfedo Coccoza came into the world. His parents were Maria Lanza and Antonio Coccoza, so no prizes here for guessing who he grew up to be. He took his mothers maiden name and Mario instead of Maria.
I have been listening to Mario Lanza since i was about 4 years, in fact i broke my dads old reel to reel in my attempt to listen in to his wonderfull voice. He had a so called meteoric rise to fame and soon became a true matinee idol with the films he made, a notable one "The great Caruso" Just take the time to listen to him singing his rendition of "Vesti Le Giubba"
Mario Lanza grew up listening to Caruso and tried to emulate him many times, ironic that "The Great Caruso" is hailed my millions as lanza,s finest role. and of course let us not forget that Mario Lanza inspired many a fine tenor in the future himself and so the wheel of music turns.
Sadly He died in 1959 aged just 38 years old, and yet what a legacy he has left to the world forever, so successive generations can experience the thrill of his voice.
I have heard several accounts of his demise, and who knows what is truth and fiction.
Lets just remember him with love and affection and thank god for his life and talent which has given pleasure to millions.
Brings tears to your eyes doesnt it.
The tenor is not a voice ?
Many amusing stories are out there with respect to the pranks that tenors and the like have played on their fellow perfomers. One particular time this was played on a very famous soprano by an equally famous tenor. The two alledged participants are Enrico Caruso and Dame Nellie Melba.
The scene is set in "La Boheme" Rodolfo the tenor is in his room, when a knock at the door reveals Mimi asking for a light for her candle which had gone out. In the course of this Mimi loses her key on the floor, and both Rodolfo and Mimi are down on their knees, sweeping the floor with their hand searching for said key.
Then their hands meet each others and Rodolfo takes hold of Mimi,s hand and tells her how cold it feels, thus he goes on to sing the aria "Che Gelida Manina" (your tiny hand is frozen) apparently in one performance Enrico Caruso thrust a hot sausage in Dame Nellie Melba,s hand, and she was less than impressed it has to be said. Later she was alledged to have said.
"The tenor is not a voice, it is a disease"
Well i have to say although i am an amateur tenor, i have thought of playing pranks, and am always up for a laugh. Alas the biggest laugh i had was some years ago when i was about to sing "Che Gelida Manina" and my pianoforte player started playing the introduction to "Vesti Le Giubbe" from leoncavallos "I Paggliachi". I looked at Gerry and he at me mortified haaha.
I simply said ok Gerry lets try out our newly reconstructed aria and i attempted to start singing "Che Gelida Manina" to the intro and music of "Vesti Le Giubba" needless to say this was a source of great amusement to the audience, after a few seconds i simply smiled at Gerry and said. I think mr puccini would rather stick to his version, the crowd errupted and we carried on with the proper music. phew moment saved!!
Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/the-tenor-is-not-a-voice-2441132.html#ixzz0owmBmzqd
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution
The scene is set in "La Boheme" Rodolfo the tenor is in his room, when a knock at the door reveals Mimi asking for a light for her candle which had gone out. In the course of this Mimi loses her key on the floor, and both Rodolfo and Mimi are down on their knees, sweeping the floor with their hand searching for said key.
Then their hands meet each others and Rodolfo takes hold of Mimi,s hand and tells her how cold it feels, thus he goes on to sing the aria "Che Gelida Manina" (your tiny hand is frozen) apparently in one performance Enrico Caruso thrust a hot sausage in Dame Nellie Melba,s hand, and she was less than impressed it has to be said. Later she was alledged to have said.
"The tenor is not a voice, it is a disease"
Well i have to say although i am an amateur tenor, i have thought of playing pranks, and am always up for a laugh. Alas the biggest laugh i had was some years ago when i was about to sing "Che Gelida Manina" and my pianoforte player started playing the introduction to "Vesti Le Giubbe" from leoncavallos "I Paggliachi". I looked at Gerry and he at me mortified haaha.
I simply said ok Gerry lets try out our newly reconstructed aria and i attempted to start singing "Che Gelida Manina" to the intro and music of "Vesti Le Giubba" needless to say this was a source of great amusement to the audience, after a few seconds i simply smiled at Gerry and said. I think mr puccini would rather stick to his version, the crowd errupted and we carried on with the proper music. phew moment saved!!
Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/the-tenor-is-not-a-voice-2441132.html#ixzz0owmBmzqd
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution
Rolando Villazon Tenor
Rolando Villazon is undoubtedly amongst the top elite of present and past tenors, his style and acting ability really makes you marvel at his complete performance. As you watch and listen you are taken to whatever place his performance describes, as it unfolds before your very eyes. This is a very rare quality that he has more than his fair share of.
Although all the above is very relevant to rolando villazon, he has had to go through testing times with his career. A while ago he had alledged surgery on his throat, and a couple of times has had to rest it for a period as well. It does not need me to tell you that this a potentially catastropic thing to happen to a singer. Was this due to overuse of his voice ? who knows.
Another interesting item i read a while back was stating, that rolando villazon wished to be the new placido domingo and he would like to take on the demanding roles placido had mastered. I do not know whether this is fact or just plain speculation, but if it is true i feel care is needed here because the demanding roles may give rolando villazon new vocal problems. And i for one would be very sad indeed to see that.
Rolando Villazon is indeed the complete package, i marvel at his abilities and delight in the perfomance and commitment he gives to every musical phrase and movement. If you have not yet had the pleasure of this, i absolutely implore you to seek out and listen in yourself. For the opener may i suggest his rendition of "una furtiva lagrima" from donizetti,s elisir da damore. Or maybe "Che Gelida Manina" from La Boheme with Anna Netrebko.
Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/rolando-villazon-tenor-2434591.html#ixzz0owkEe9eC
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution
Although all the above is very relevant to rolando villazon, he has had to go through testing times with his career. A while ago he had alledged surgery on his throat, and a couple of times has had to rest it for a period as well. It does not need me to tell you that this a potentially catastropic thing to happen to a singer. Was this due to overuse of his voice ? who knows.
Another interesting item i read a while back was stating, that rolando villazon wished to be the new placido domingo and he would like to take on the demanding roles placido had mastered. I do not know whether this is fact or just plain speculation, but if it is true i feel care is needed here because the demanding roles may give rolando villazon new vocal problems. And i for one would be very sad indeed to see that.
Rolando Villazon is indeed the complete package, i marvel at his abilities and delight in the perfomance and commitment he gives to every musical phrase and movement. If you have not yet had the pleasure of this, i absolutely implore you to seek out and listen in yourself. For the opener may i suggest his rendition of "una furtiva lagrima" from donizetti,s elisir da damore. Or maybe "Che Gelida Manina" from La Boheme with Anna Netrebko.
Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/rolando-villazon-tenor-2434591.html#ixzz0owkEe9eC
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution
Welcome to Famous Tenor Voices
I am starting this blog with the intention of finding the most famous tenors, and the ones that are lesser known but are really worth a mention. I really would encourage your opinions, and also suggest to all who visit here your favourite Tenor and why.
I would like to take in the whole range of tenor related voices, starting from the "Castrati" through to "counter tenor" and of course the "lyric and Robusto,s"
Above all i really would like this blog to become an archive of all the wonderful singers, and full of the information for all to peruse and marvel at.
There are countless situations where the tenor is always linked to another voice (i.e soprano) one couple off the top of my head would be Jeanette Mcdonald and Nelson Eddy This is also very acceptable within the context of this blog. Above all i hope we have a lot of fun finding out facts we did not know and just revelling in the beautiful music.
I would like to take in the whole range of tenor related voices, starting from the "Castrati" through to "counter tenor" and of course the "lyric and Robusto,s"
Above all i really would like this blog to become an archive of all the wonderful singers, and full of the information for all to peruse and marvel at.
There are countless situations where the tenor is always linked to another voice (i.e soprano) one couple off the top of my head would be Jeanette Mcdonald and Nelson Eddy This is also very acceptable within the context of this blog. Above all i hope we have a lot of fun finding out facts we did not know and just revelling in the beautiful music.
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