Famous Tenor Voices

Jacek Pazola

2010-08-19T02:53:00.000-07:00

Jacek Pazola was born in Poland, and i was really impressed with his voice on hearing him sing "O Soave Fanciulla" along with the Soprano Katharina Richter. I hope you enjoy the performance, i did !

Lets hear another from this very pleasing Tenor Voice.

Altogether a very acceptable performance i thought, enjoyed it very much.

Arrigo Pola 1919 - 1999

2010-07-26T02:34:00.000-07:00

Arrigo Pola was an Italian tenor with an international career during the 1940s/1960s, he also taught voice and one of his most famous pupils was the late great Luciano Pavarotti. His professional debut was at the Teatro Comunale in Modena, where he played Mario Cavaradossi in the opera "Tosca"

There is also some information that says Pola played a role opposite Maria Callas, both she and her husband took an instant dislike to Arrigo Pola, which had a negative impact on his career. Pola sang in front of a president of the Philippines, and was invited to go there as principal tenor.

He indeed did this and sang at the Manila Opera House, and also had a placement at the Manila Conservatory. Lets Listen to him ....

That was just wonderful, on to the next delight!

Could not resist just one more from him " Lamento Di Federico" (E la solita storia)

Absolutely Magical Grazie Signore Pola!

Franco Corelli 1921 - 2003

2010-07-13T02:10:00.000-07:00

Franco Corelli,s major operatic career spannned the years 1951 to 1976, where his dramatic italian roles bought pleasure to millions worldwide.
He also had a great alliance with the Met from 1961 to 1975. His lovely powerful voice along with his great interpretation and bright timbre, really put this tenor in the front row of tenors to listen to. So lets do just that !

A beautiful rendition of that aria. on we go!

What must it have been like to see Franco Corelli Live?

Ivan Rebroff 1931 - 2008

2010-07-06T02:36:00.000-07:00

Ivan Rebroff really was a "once in a hundred lifetimes" kind of voice that spanned Four and a Half Octaves, which was beautiful all the way through and all one clean and unbroken voice. I have heard Ivan sing from Deepest Bass to highest Soprano, he was a true legend. Actually his real name was Hans-Rolf Rippert, he was born in Berlin to Jewish-Russian parents. ENJOY!

Wasnt that impressive now Basso Profundo !

So you can discern from this that the Tenor Range was in the middle of his vocal abilities, he really had the "Wow Factor" and i hope this has both surprised you and you begin to love the man that is "Ivan Rebroff" lets have another one" "My Yiddishe Mama"

I just had to add Ivan Rebroff to my blog to show you an extraordinary voice, that is not only amazing but beautiful as well.

Jon Vickers Born 1926

2010-07-02T02:18:00.000-07:00

Jon Vickers was born in 1929 and is a Canadian HeldenTenor,in 1950 he was awarded a scholarship to the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. He had about 3 years at the royal opera house Covent Garden, then joined the Metropolitan Opera. He was well known for his wonderfull characterisations, and of course his big powerful voice filled the needs of many French, German and Italian roles. On to the Music !

On to the next piece then ,

We must end with a favourite,

Well i am sure you will agree, this is a voice WOW !

Placido Domingo Born 1941

2010-06-24T03:51:00.000-07:00

Placido Domingo is a member of the elite "3 Tenors" which also included Luciano Pavarotti and Jose Carerras, Together they entertained hundreds of millions worldwide. Placido Domingo started out as a baritone and then became the wonderful Tenor we know him as, he has at least 120 plus roles in his repetoire.

Making him the Tenor with most learned roles at his disposal. Recently he has gone back to being a baritone, and also trained as a very fine conductor as well. Lets hear the great man right now.....

Wonderful Bravo Placido!

I think he is well worth another listen to....dont you ?

What can you say really except "WOW"

Vladimir Galouzine Born 1956

2010-06-20T06:15:00.001-07:00

Vladimir Galouzine really made me sit up and listen, he has a really wonderful voice that is exciting to listen to. After leaving the Novosibirsk Conservatory in 1981, he intially appeared in Russian Operettas.
Then eight years later he sang the lead in "Gianni Schicci", and went on to do italian opera,s and various other things (and still does to my knowledge.

Lets hear him then, and you make your mind up about his voice.

Here is another for your enjoyment :)

I hope you agree with me, he really has got a lovely voice.

Jussi Bjorling 1911 - 1960

2010-06-17T03:01:00.000-07:00

Jussi Bjorling was a swedish tenor, who graced many of the famous opera houses including of course the met in new york. He really was a force to be reckoned with (vocally) and dominated, along with a few others the early to middle parts of the 20th century.

He started singing aged four with the "Bjorling Male Quartet" and they performed in varied and wide places for eleven and a half years. Finally making his professional debut as the "Lamplighter" in Manon Lescaut in 1930,
Lets hear his truly beautiful voice right now singing Salut demeure from Faust.

That was a real pleasure to listen to, i am sure you will agree. Lets listen to one more from this Tenor Great. And this is a real world favourite duet, Jussi Björling & Robert Merrill / Pearl Fishers Duet.

Was that not just Heaven to listen to?

Carlo Bergonzi Born 1924

2010-06-15T02:11:00.000-07:00

Carlo Bergonzi is an Italian Tenor, he is mainly connected with the Verdian roles. And is credited with keeping Verdi,s lesser known works alive, Essentially a lyric tenor with spinto capabilities, Bergonzi was loved during the peak of his career for his beautiful diction, smooth legato, warm timbre and elegant phrasing. Lets listen him with an Aria from "Luisa Miller" "Quando le sere al placido"

A truly beautiful voice, you cannot fail to be in awe of this performance.

Enrico Caruso 1873 - 1921

2010-06-11T02:30:00.000-07:00

Enrico Caruso was the master at singing and really set the standard, His influence on future french and italian tenors is widely acclaimed by all, He also appeared an amazing 863 times at the Met in New York.

His tremendous record sales and extraordinary voice, celebrated for its power beauty, richness of tone and remarkable technique, made him arguably the greatest male operatic singer in history. Sadly he died in 1921 aged just 48, from a major viral infection. Lets hear the master at work....

Lets hear another (too good to miss out here)

And finally the sad piece, marking caruso,s funeral

The Tenor Voice is much richer and beautiful im sure, because of Enrico Caruso UA-13138331-5

A very interesting website about history of the tenor voice

2010-06-08T07:09:00.000-07:00

While i was searching the internet i found this little gem about the history of the tenor voice, and is well worth visiting and taking a look. As i find these real useful reference sites i will include them because i feel it adds to our knowledge base of our favourite subject.

Steve Thorn

THE HISTORY OF THE TENOR VOICE

Jean De Reszke 1850 - 1925

2010-06-07T06:54:00.000-07:00

Jean De Reszke was a polish tenor born into a well to do family in warsaw, and was one of if not the biggest male opera star of the late 19th century. He started out at a university studying but not for long as he switched and went to milan to study singing, where he made his first appearance as a baritone.

He did not quite make it as a baritone and so went into a period of further study, where he emerged as a tenor. his first reappearance at Madrid in 1879 it was as a tenor, in the title-role of Robert le Diable. he also reappeared in drury lane as radames in aida.

He went to london, paris and of course america, where from 1893 - 1899 he sang yearly at the metropolitan opera house. In 1904 he was forced to retire from the stage due to illness, where he travelled between nice and paris training voices.

Enrico Caruso (23 years his junior) took up the mantle of the worlds number one tenor, There is two very bad recordings of his voice and i have included them here despite the awful sounds. in parts you can still hear the quality of Jean De Reszke,s voice, but be warned you have to be patient and really want to hear him.

Although the recordings are very hard to listen to, i had patience and im glad i did, because here and there the beauty of his voice shined through.

Francesco Tamagno 1850 - 1905

2010-06-06T02:15:00.000-07:00

Francesco Tamagno was an operatic "Tenore Robusto" a very rare voice indeed and came from Italy. It is said that he had a top of C Sharp and the top half of his voice was so powerful it was likened to a "Trumpet even a Cannon". He assured his place in musical history with the role of "othello" and became the first tenor in history to leave a sizeable amount of recordings of his voice. Lets listen in right now. "Esultate from Othello 1903"

You can certainly hear the quality in his voice and feel the power that in his voice, i have to say i love this tenor!

Lets hear something else by him "Deserto Sulla Terra--Trovatore"

He sang in approx 55 opera,s and sacred works in 23 countries around the world, He also lived long enough to see the start of Enrico Caruso,s career who he admired, and he predicted several years earlier that caruso would become the number one italian tenor of the 20th century.

Although he could say "fluctuate in musicality" his powerful voice was just adored as he sang the major arias from the operas. (Cant help loving his voice)

More about Mario Lanza

2010-06-03T02:44:00.000-07:00

I have seen a good source of information and commenting on Mario Lanza, and thought it might be good to post it here so you can go over and see for yourself.

June 2, 2010

Career

Mario Lanza at HOME- a scorching 1952 Un dì all’azzurro spazio

Mario Lanza (1921-1959) Almost 50 years after his death at age 38, Mario Lanza continues to command a formidable, worldwide following. A brief scan of Youtube alone reveals nearly 20 pages of Lanza videos, from contributors of diverse nationalities. And I receive far more comments about him than any other singer that I’ve posted on my channel

This Excerpt has been taken from the following link

Click Here

Have another Mario Lanza Recording to listen to here as well.

Ok an Encore!

Mario Lanza to me is one of the best Tenors who ever lived.

Francesco Signorini 1861 - 1927

2010-06-02T02:44:00.000-07:00

Francesco Signorini was a Dramatic Tenor and a pupil of Tamberlick, i cannot seem to find an abundance of information on this Tenor but will keep trying. What i can say is what a Gem of a voice, listen in and enjoy its superb. Francesco Signorini sings :"O muto asil del pianto". Guglielmo Tell. 1908 ...

I did say this was a gem of a voice, and i hope you agree, as with all the Tenors listed here have your say. Comment here and why not go over to the Facebook page (link on the sidebar) and lets all talk Tenors.

Giuseppe Borgatti 1871 - 1950

2010-06-02T02:16:00.000-07:00

Giuseppe Borgatti was an italian Dramatic Tenor, he created the main role in "Andrea Chenier" and later was really famous for his Richard Wagner roles. He was at La Scala from 1896 to 1914, when sadly eyesight problems caused by glaucoma, put an early end to his stage career. He was also reputed to have train Heddle Nash the English Lyric Tenor. From "Othello" lets hear him sing "Niun Mi Tema" .

You can certainly hear the beauty of his voice shining through, it must have been a very far reaching and powerful voice in the auditorium. What a shame his stage career was cut short by visual problems.

Giovanni Zenatello 1876 - 1949

2010-05-31T08:35:00.000-07:00

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.

Eduardo Ferrari-Fontana 1878 - 1936

2010-05-31T06:10:00.000-07:00

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!

Bernardo De Muro 1881 - 1955

2010-05-31T03:00:00.000-07:00

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.

Giovanni Martinelli 1885 - 1969

2010-05-31T02:23:00.000-07:00

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.

Francesco Merli 1887 - 1976

2010-05-28T03:27:00.000-07:00

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 !

Aureliano Pertile 1885-1952

2010-05-28T02:15:00.000-07:00

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

Mario Del Monaco 1915-1982

2010-05-25T07:28:00.000-07:00

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.

Mario Lanza 1921-1959

2010-05-25T06:23:00.000-07:00

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.

The tenor is not a voice ?

2010-05-25T06:17:00.000-07:00

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

Rolando Villazon Tenor

2010-05-25T06:09:00.000-07:00

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

Welcome to Famous Tenor Voices

2010-05-25T05:45:00.000-07:00

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.