ROSA PONSELLE, SOPRANO, JANUARY 22, 1897

When Caruso tripped due to blacking out from pain below his left kidney on stage on 8 December 1920 at The Metropolitan Opera at the conclusion of a performance of Pagliacci, it was an indication of his declining health that would eventually take his life. As the pain grew worse and Caruso could not perform, on 16 February 1921, distressed colleagues at his sickbed could not restrain their tears. Among them were some of the greatest singers of the day, and perhaps the most famous of them was Rosa Ponselle.[1]

Born on the 22nd January 1897 in Meriden, Connecticut, Rosa Ponselle has assumed a legendary status. Indeed, the great conductor Tullio Serafin, named three “miracles of singing’ he had known in his lifetime.  These were Caruso, Titta Ruffo and Rosa Ponselle[ii]

Ponselle’s career was remarkable in a number of ways. Hailing from a family, with roots in Caserta in the Campania region near Naples, (the actual name being Ponzelle ) she began not as an opera singer but as vaudeville artist performing with her sister Carmella in 1912 at the age of 15. This precocious beginning was equally amazing upon the opera stage, which was to be her artistic home for the duration of her career when in November 1918 that she debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in the role of Leonora in Verdi’s La Forza del Destino.[iii] The legend of her discovery has different nuances depending upon the source, but what is indisputable is the role Caruso played in encouraging her to audition for the great director of the Met, Giulio Gatti-Casazza. Rosa would later recall about her singing before Caruso, “He sat down next to me—I was nervous as a kitten—and said, pointing to his throat, ‘You have it here.’ Then he pointed to his heart and said, ‘And you have it here.’ Then he raised his hand to his head and tapped his temple with his finger. ‘And whether you have it up here, only time will tell.’”[iv]

Her roles included Santuzza, Rachel in La Juive where she sang with Caruso, Elvira in Ernani, Leonora in Il Trovatore, Aida, Elisabetta in Don Carlo, Maddalena in Andrea Chenier, but her greatest role by all judges of the time was Norma.[v]

Despite her great vocal talent and artistry, Rosa Ponselle had a reputation of being a nervous performer and the all too short duration of her career – she ceased performing in 1937 – is perhaps a reflection of this. In her mere 19 years as an opera singer she created a legend that has never faded..

Martin Bernheimer, writing in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, had this to say about Ponselle’s voice and recordings:

“Ponselle’s voice is generally regarded as one of the most beautiful of the century. She was universally lauded for opulence of tone, evenness of scale, breadth of range, perfection of technique and communicative warmth. Many of these attributes are convincingly documented on recordings. In 1954 she made a few private song recordings, later released commercially, revealing a still opulent voice of darkened timbre and more limited range”.[vi]

We have recordings of her voice from early in her career until private recordings made after she had left the stage. Some idea of her remarkable voice can be gleaned from these.

Ponselle died at the age of 84 in 1981, 44 years after her last performance with the Metropolitan Opera.

[1]

[ii] IBID p.345

[iii] THOMASON, P., THE QUEEN OF QUEENS IN ALL OF SINGING’ – A DEEP DIVE INTO THE GENIUS OF SOPRANO ROSA PONSELLE https://operawire.com/the-queen-of-queens-in-all-of-singing-a-deep-dive-into-the-genius-of-soprano-rosa-ponselle/

[iv] IBID. https://operawire.com/the-queen-of-queens-in-all-of-singing-a-deep-dive-into-the-genius-of-soprano-rosa-ponselle/

[v] IBID. https://operawire.com/the-queen-of-queens-in-all-of-singing-a-deep-dive-into-the-genius-of-soprano-rosa-ponselle/

[vi] BERNHEIMER, MARTIN. THE NEW GROVE DICTIONARY OF OPERA, ARTICLE ON ROSA PONSELLE, NEW YORK 2013

ROSA PONSELLE, SOPRANO, JANUARY 22, 1897

When Caruso tripped due to blacking out from pain below his left kidney on stage on 8 December 1920 at The Metropolitan Opera at the conclusion of a performance of Pagliacci, it was an indication of his declining health that would eventually take his life. As the pain grew worse and Caruso could not perform, on 16 February 1921, distressed colleagues at his sickbed could not restrain their tears. Among them were some of the greatest singers of the day, and perhaps the most famous of them was Rosa Ponselle.[1]

Born on the 22nd January 1897 in Meriden, Connecticut, Rosa Ponselle has assumed a legendary status. Indeed, the great conductor Tullio Serafin, named three “miracles of singing’ he had known in his lifetime.  These were Caruso, Titta Ruffo and Rosa Ponselle[ii]

Ponselle’s career was remarkable in a number of ways. Hailing from a family, with roots in Caserta in the Campania region near Naples, (the actual name being Ponzelle ) she began not as an opera singer but as vaudeville artist performing with her sister Carmella in 1912 at the age of 15. This precocious beginning was equally amazing upon the opera stage, which was to be her artistic home for the duration of her career when in November 1918 that she debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in the role of Leonora in Verdi’s La Forza del Destino.[iii] The legend of her discovery has different nuances depending upon the source, but what is indisputable is the role Caruso played in encouraging her to audition for the great director of the Met, Giulio Gatti-Casazza. Rosa would later recall about her singing before Caruso, “He sat down next to me—I was nervous as a kitten—and said, pointing to his throat, ‘You have it here.’ Then he pointed to his heart and said, ‘And you have it here.’ Then he raised his hand to his head and tapped his temple with his finger. ‘And whether you have it up here, only time will tell.’”[iv]

Her roles included Santuzza, Rachel in La Juive where she sang with Caruso, Elvira in Ernani, Leonora in Il Trovatore, Aida, Elisabetta in Don Carlo, Maddalena in Andrea Chenier, but her greatest role by all judges of the time was Norma.[v]

Despite her great vocal talent and artistry, Rosa Ponselle had a reputation of being a nervous performer and the all too short duration of her career – she ceased performing in 1937 – is perhaps a reflection of this. In her mere 19 years as an opera singer she created a legend that has never faded..

Martin Bernheimer, writing in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, had this to say about Ponselle’s voice and recordings:

“Ponselle’s voice is generally regarded as one of the most beautiful of the century. She was universally lauded for opulence of tone, evenness of scale, breadth of range, perfection of technique and communicative warmth. Many of these attributes are convincingly documented on recordings. In 1954 she made a few private song recordings, later released commercially, revealing a still opulent voice of darkened timbre and more limited range”.[vi]

We have recordings of her voice from early in her career until private recordings made after she had left the stage. Some idea of her remarkable voice can be gleaned from these.

Ponselle died at the age of 84 in 1981, 44 years after her last performance with the Metropolitan Opera.

[1]

[ii] IBID p.345

[iii] THOMASON, P., THE QUEEN OF QUEENS IN ALL OF SINGING’ – A DEEP DIVE INTO THE GENIUS OF SOPRANO ROSA PONSELLE https://operawire.com/the-queen-of-queens-in-all-of-singing-a-deep-dive-into-the-genius-of-soprano-rosa-ponselle/

[iv] IBID. https://operawire.com/the-queen-of-queens-in-all-of-singing-a-deep-dive-into-the-genius-of-soprano-rosa-ponselle/

[v] IBID. https://operawire.com/the-queen-of-queens-in-all-of-singing-a-deep-dive-into-the-genius-of-soprano-rosa-ponselle/

[vi] BERNHEIMER, MARTIN. THE NEW GROVE DICTIONARY OF OPERA, ARTICLE ON ROSA PONSELLE, NEW YORK 2013

Jean de Reszke, Tenor, January 14, 1850

Jean de Reszke ‘inspired a degree of admiration among his followers, both on and off the stage, which hardly fell short of love – something that can be said of no other male singer.’ Born in Warsaw in 1850, Jean de Reszke also shared something few classical singers has had – siblings who also performed at the highest level. Less well known, there was also a cousin the soprano, Felia Litvinne. Jean actually debuted as a baritone in 1874 but soon withdrew from the stage as his voice was challenged by the demands of the vocal type. Interestingly, his name at his baritone debut was listed as Jan di Reschi. So it was his younger brother Edouard, one of the finest basses of the age, in fact who was the first to establish himself in major opera houses making his debut in Paris in 1876. The even younger Josephine, a soprano, made her Paris debut in 1875. But it was Jean who became the greatest star of the 1880s and 1890s surpassing both his precocious and extremely talented siblings.

The decision to change from baritone to tenor may have been partly due to the fact that there were excellent many baritones in the early 1870s. It was in fact the baritone Antonio Cotogni who influenced young Jean to make the change, ‘it was on his [Cotogni’s] advice that Jean de Reszke re-studied voice production as a tenor.’ Some idea of the time taken may be gleaned by the fact that when his sister Josephine was singing in London in 1881, Jean although singing at house concerts, declared he was not yet ready to sing professionally. Nevertheless, it is also recorded that he sang as a tenor in Madrid as early as 1879 and that ‘his great fame as a singer dates from this time’

However, according to P.G. Hurst it was in 1887 in London that, ‘Jean de Reszke comes into his kingdom’, which was nothing less than an operatic revolution.

Part of the reason Jean delayed his tenor career is explained by the fact that he, ‘preferred to travel around with Josephine and Edouard, helping them with his advice, and hearing the finest singers. This he afterwards wrote, was the happiest time of his life, but finally he was run to earth in Paris by Massenet and Maurel, who practically compelled him to return to the stage…’ The most glowing description of Jean’s vocal achievement is given by Maurel, ‘I heard him very often in nearly all his greatest successes. It was no exaggeration to describe him as the ideal artist. It seemed impossible in him to find anything to criticise. His voice had a timbre so beautiful that the very listening to it filled the heart with emotion and the eyes with tears….his ringing high notes thrilled me a hundred times, although the voice had not the trumpet-like quality of the great Tamagno. But his control of it was just perfect,..’

In the 1891 season in London he sang 32 performances alongside the very greatest of the age. Jean excelled particularly in Italian and French repertoire. One of the greatest Carmen performances took place that year when ten performances were given with Jean, Melba, Zelie de Lussan, and Lassalle. The list of his roles is such that we need only know that these included the most demanding tenor roles – Radames, Faust, Lohengrin, Don José, Siegfried, Tristan, and Otello.

Due to ill health – especially frequent influenza – exacerbated by a heavy work schedule, and the demands of the Wagnerian roles he was encouraged to take on by admirers who were avid Wagnerites, a vocal decline had set in by 1900. At the same time, a new generation of singers were making their mark, including one Enrico Caruso. It is however noted that by 1900, if his singing was inferior ‘that the inferiority was only relative to his own best, and that even his worst performance would have been a triumph for any other tenor.’ He had retired from performing by 1904 but returned his knowledhe and wisdom with many students of singing including Maggie Teyte and Leo Slezak. He lived in France and died of influenza in 1925.

Jean de Reszke, Tenor, January 14, 1850

Jean de Reszke ‘inspired a degree of admiration among his followers, both on and off the stage, which hardly fell short of love – something that can be said of no other male singer.’ Born in Warsaw in 1850, Jean de Reszke also shared something few classical singers has had – siblings who also performed at the highest level. Less well known, there was also a cousin the soprano, Felia Litvinne. Jean actually debuted as a baritone in 1874 but soon withdrew from the stage as his voice was challenged by the demands of the vocal type. Interestingly, his name at his baritone debut was listed as Jan di Reschi. So it was his younger brother Edouard, one of the finest basses of the age, in fact who was the first to establish himself in major opera houses making his debut in Paris in 1876. The even younger Josephine, a soprano, made her Paris debut in 1875. But it was Jean who became the greatest star of the 1880s and 1890s surpassing both his precocious and extremely talented siblings.

The decision to change from baritone to tenor may have been partly due to the fact that there were excellent many baritones in the early 1870s. It was in fact the baritone Antonio Cotogni who influenced young Jean to make the change, ‘it was on his [Cotogni’s] advice that Jean de Reszke re-studied voice production as a tenor.’ Some idea of the time taken may be gleaned by the fact that when his sister Josephine was singing in London in 1881, Jean although singing at house concerts, declared he was not yet ready to sing professionally. Nevertheless, it is also recorded that he sang as a tenor in Madrid as early as 1879 and that ‘his great fame as a singer dates from this time’

However, according to P.G. Hurst it was in 1887 in London that, ‘Jean de Reszke comes into his kingdom’, which was nothing less than an operatic revolution.

Part of the reason Jean delayed his tenor career is explained by the fact that he, ‘preferred to travel around with Josephine and Edouard, helping them with his advice, and hearing the finest singers. This he afterwards wrote, was the happiest time of his life, but finally he was run to earth in Paris by Massenet and Maurel, who practically compelled him to return to the stage…’ The most glowing description of Jean’s vocal achievement is given by Maurel, ‘I heard him very often in nearly all his greatest successes. It was no exaggeration to describe him as the ideal artist. It seemed impossible in him to find anything to criticise. His voice had a timbre so beautiful that the very listening to it filled the heart with emotion and the eyes with tears….his ringing high notes thrilled me a hundred times, although the voice had not the trumpet-like quality of the great Tamagno. But his control of it was just perfect,..’

In the 1891 season in London he sang 32 performances alongside the very greatest of the age. Jean excelled particularly in Italian and French repertoire. One of the greatest Carmen performances took place that year when ten performances were given with Jean, Melba, Zelie de Lussan, and Lassalle. The list of his roles is such that we need only know that these included the most demanding tenor roles – Radames, Faust, Lohengrin, Don José, Siegfried, Tristan, and Otello.

Due to ill health – especially frequent influenza – exacerbated by a heavy work schedule, and the demands of the Wagnerian roles he was encouraged to take on by admirers who were avid Wagnerites, a vocal decline had set in by 1900. At the same time, a new generation of singers were making their mark, including one Enrico Caruso. It is however noted that by 1900, if his singing was inferior ‘that the inferiority was only relative to his own best, and that even his worst performance would have been a triumph for any other tenor.’ He had retired from performing by 1904 but returned his knowledhe and wisdom with many students of singing including Maggie Teyte and Leo Slezak. He lived in France and died of influenza in 1925.

TITO SCHIPA, TENOR, JANUARY 02, 1888

‘Be warned! I am NOT a tenor! What I am is a man who sings in the tenor voice!’ ’Tito Schipa

Tito Schipa, born in Lecce on the 2 January 1888, is considered by most listeners, the finest tenore di grazia of his generation – and perhaps of any generation since recording began. His life, too, seems like something out of a show-business fairy tale. In the 1920s and 30s he graced the pages of popular newspapers and gossip columns for his singing and his personal life; a level of public fame that a classical singer of today cannot reach.

Born into poverty, and baptised as Rafaele Attilio Amedeo, as a baby he continually cried and yelled much to the consternation of the neighbours. The later stage name of ‘Tito’ was in fact derived from a nickname ‘Titu’ in the dialect of Lecce being a reflection of his short stature. His voice was first recognised by the choir-master at school. Giovanni Albani, who immediately singled the prodigy out and gave free singing lessons. Albani had him singing in churches and it was at one such performance that the newly installed Bishop of Lecce, Gennaro Trama heard him. Bishop Trama after discussing with his parents the boy’s exceptional gift decided at his own expense to have him educated at the seminary. And again here fate stepped in when the finest vocal teacher in Lecce, Alceste Gerunda, heard him and swept him out of the seminary. Gerunda worked the boy hard, teaching him composition, piano, harmony and counterpoint. Indeed composition was to figure later in his career, as Schipa, among other compositions, wrote an operetta, La Principessa Liana , which premiered in Rome on the June 22, 1929, to a ‘fairly positive reception’. Liana, incidentally was the name of his second daughter. Gerunda arranged a benefit concert for young Tito to enable him to travel to Milan for further study. In Milan his teacher Emilio Piccoli, whose methods were by contemporary standards unorthodox involving sharp pinches on his legs for correction, honed Tito’s talent. But in addition, to quote Tito Schipa’s son, ’The “pincher of geniuses” was not only a prestigious teacher; he was also a careful and accomplished manager. … he began showing off his pupils in the homes of the Campostellas, the Bentivoglios, the De Capitanis and Arzaghis.’

He made his début in La Traviata in Vercelli in 1910, this, after an apprenticeship that is reminiscent of the old master-student relationship of the eighteenth century, a slow maturation which surely contributed to his vocal longevity. In Milan, Tito was able to hide behind the scenes to learn as much as possible from colleagues. Success now followed upon success. He appeared at La scala from 1915, had many series of long and highly successful engagements in Latin America, and finally conquered North America starting in Chicago in 1919 where he was to sing until 1932, when he was engaged at New York’s Metropolitan Opera after the departure of Gigli. In these years, his fame and fortune reached its zenith. He was also an extremely hard worker singing annually over 200 performances. He had several operations on his throat. In 1932 his photograph appeared after an operation to remove his tonsils and the press reported that Tito was confident that ‘once out of hospital, to find a high-flying E-flat in his throat.’

In 1937 the first of his thirteen feature films was made. The two most notable are, I sing for you alone, the Italian title being “Tre uomini in frac,” or “Three Men in Tails”. The general opinion is that Tre uomini in frac is the best film of Tito’s career, together with the more famous – and triumphantly successful – Vivere!

So, what of the voice? What of the singer? His contemporaries and colleagues were in no doubt as to his unique genius. Gianna Pederzini, who sang many times with him said, ‘I could go on and on about Schipa. Never did a man receive from the muse of song so few means and yet manage, every time, to achieve miracles with them. He was a blessed artist and human being.’ So too, Gilda dalla Rizza, another significant singing partner ‘Goodness knows how many wonderful tenors I sang with! … And Schipetta – Tito Schipa – his voice was pure gold.’ ‘Another Pinkerton of a very different nature, I had the luck to sing with was Tito Schipa at the San Carlo in Naples. His was the true art of bel canto, and I remember how he spun the notes in the love duet in such a manner as I’ve never heard since.’ enthused Bianco Stagno Bellincioni; and as a final quote from leading colleagues, ‘I appeared with all the leading tenors, Gigli and Pertile included, but the one from whom I learned the most artistically was Schipa, for he chiseled phrases like a goldsmith. He lowered many of his roles one tone, but no one noticed it, so consummate was his art.’

The conductor Leopoldo Mugnone, who was renowned for disapproving of breaks in the dramatic continuity, such as encores, once in the San Carlo, after the audience had finished the applause at an encore for ‘E lucevan le stelle’, gestured to Schipa and said, ‘‘Little Schipa, sing it again – but this time,’ with a movement of his thumb to the auditorium, ‘not for that lot, but for me!’

And were his stage performances convincing? One can take the witness of Schipa’s own mother, who after witnessing a performance of Tosca in Palermo ran backstage to see if her son had not been terribly injured or worse! Indeed she then paid the extras tips before each performance to ensure ‘that they don’t shoot for real.’

As mentioned earlier, Tito Schipa was also a composer, but his interest extended to other genres of music and singing as well. In America, under one of his contracts, he also worked as a conductor of a jazz orchestra whilst at the on other nights performing one of his most famous roles, Werther. He declared that Carlo Buti, who was a singer of popular Italian songs and folksongs, ‘the greatest singer who ever existed, that this was the finest voice which he had ever heard, and that if he had had that voice he would have performed prodigies which would have wiped out the whole history of bel canto in one note’ Perhaps his most financially generous act was in 1926 when he financed the extension and restoration of the Teatro Politeama in his native Lecce, in order to bring the Leccese first class opera. ‘The project went smoothly but cost a fortune. All the money came out of Tito Schipa’s pocket, and the returns were minimal. His willingness to spend money is understandable if we remember his constant desire to impress the people of his own city, as if to compensate a fear that they would take no notice of him without a showy display of his successes. Thus, to the straightforward financing of the season were added the princely expenses of refurbishing the whole [theatre] which was brought up to international standards: an orchestra pit was created, the stalls raked, the stage equipment and ceiling improved, a gallery added, dressing rooms built for the extras, along with a hundred other modifications. New seating was even brought from Milan, as were some skilled workers and technicians.’

He gradually restricted his roles to those that he was most comfortable with, in the French canon, Lakmé, Mignon, Manon and Werther; and in the Italian the parts of Nemorino, Alfredo, Cavaradossi, Rodolfo, and the operas of Bellini and Donizetti. When asked how he prepared for a role he noted these steps: first, learn the background to the story and read the source material until you can identify intimately with the character; second, have a pianist play the whole opera through whilst following the score (for about three days); third, study the words and learn the rhythm of the part to be sung; fourth, once the rhythm is firmly set in the brain it comes to the music of the role itself and the pianist returns for this. Schipa thought it important to know every role in an opera. He said that ‘Mastering a role is not a difficult task, therefore, for me; two or three weeks’ study generally is sufficient.’

Schipa continued working to almost the end of his life. After a fall in a nightspot in Rome, he was forced to retire from the opera stage but continued to give concert performances. These took the form of a series of Farewell Concerts. His last appearance in Italy was in 1963 when he gave a spontaneous concert in the Gran Caffè Margherita in Viareggio. He died in New York on 16 December 1965.

His voice and talent were truly memorable for all the best reasons. JB Steane perhaps sums this up most poetically, ‘That voice, from the whitish mists of its lower notes up into the Elysian air and light of its high register, proved once-heard never-forgotten. … It was rather as though he sent out his tone on a thread fine as a spider’s, perhaps to glow in the sunlight or glimmer in the shade, hang there wondrously poised or glide on to join another thread and reach a still more distant breathing-space.’ Tito Schipa – you were that man who sang with the voice of a tenor.

TITO SCHIPA, TENOR, JANUARY 02, 1888

‘Be warned! I am NOT a tenor! What I am is a man who sings in the tenor voice!’ ’Tito Schipa

Tito Schipa, born in Lecce on the 2 January 1888, is considered by most listeners, the finest tenore di grazia of his generation – and perhaps of any generation since recording began. His life, too, seems like something out of a show-business fairy tale. In the 1920s and 30s he graced the pages of popular newspapers and gossip columns for his singing and his personal life; a level of public fame that a classical singer of today cannot reach.

Born into poverty, and baptised as Rafaele Attilio Amedeo, as a baby he continually cried and yelled much to the consternation of the neighbours. The later stage name of ‘Tito’ was in fact derived from a nickname ‘Titu’ in the dialect of Lecce being a reflection of his short stature. His voice was first recognised by the choir-master at school. Giovanni Albani, who immediately singled the prodigy out and gave free singing lessons. Albani had him singing in churches and it was at one such performance that the newly installed Bishop of Lecce, Gennaro Trama heard him. Bishop Trama after discussing with his parents the boy’s exceptional gift decided at his own expense to have him educated at the seminary. And again here fate stepped in when the finest vocal teacher in Lecce, Alceste Gerunda, heard him and swept him out of the seminary. Gerunda worked the boy hard, teaching him composition, piano, harmony and counterpoint. Indeed composition was to figure later in his career, as Schipa, among other compositions, wrote an operetta, La Principessa Liana , which premiered in Rome on the June 22, 1929, to a ‘fairly positive reception’. Liana, incidentally was the name of his second daughter. Gerunda arranged a benefit concert for young Tito to enable him to travel to Milan for further study. In Milan his teacher Emilio Piccoli, whose methods were by contemporary standards unorthodox involving sharp pinches on his legs for correction, honed Tito’s talent. But in addition, to quote Tito Schipa’s son, ’The “pincher of geniuses” was not only a prestigious teacher; he was also a careful and accomplished manager. … he began showing off his pupils in the homes of the Campostellas, the Bentivoglios, the De Capitanis and Arzaghis.’

He made his début in La Traviata in Vercelli in 1910, this, after an apprenticeship that is reminiscent of the old master-student relationship of the eighteenth century, a slow maturation which surely contributed to his vocal longevity. In Milan, Tito was able to hide behind the scenes to learn as much as possible from colleagues. Success now followed upon success. He appeared at La scala from 1915, had many series of long and highly successful engagements in Latin America, and finally conquered North America starting in Chicago in 1919 where he was to sing until 1932, when he was engaged at New York’s Metropolitan Opera after the departure of Gigli. In these years, his fame and fortune reached its zenith. He was also an extremely hard worker singing annually over 200 performances. He had several operations on his throat. In 1932 his photograph appeared after an operation to remove his tonsils and the press reported that Tito was confident that ‘once out of hospital, to find a high-flying E-flat in his throat.’

In 1937 the first of his thirteen feature films was made. The two most notable are, I sing for you alone, the Italian title being “Tre uomini in frac,” or “Three Men in Tails”. The general opinion is that Tre uomini in frac is the best film of Tito’s career, together with the more famous – and triumphantly successful – Vivere!

So, what of the voice? What of the singer? His contemporaries and colleagues were in no doubt as to his unique genius. Gianna Pederzini, who sang many times with him said, ‘I could go on and on about Schipa. Never did a man receive from the muse of song so few means and yet manage, every time, to achieve miracles with them. He was a blessed artist and human being.’ So too, Gilda dalla Rizza, another significant singing partner ‘Goodness knows how many wonderful tenors I sang with! … And Schipetta – Tito Schipa – his voice was pure gold.’ ‘Another Pinkerton of a very different nature, I had the luck to sing with was Tito Schipa at the San Carlo in Naples. His was the true art of bel canto, and I remember how he spun the notes in the love duet in such a manner as I’ve never heard since.’ enthused Bianco Stagno Bellincioni; and as a final quote from leading colleagues, ‘I appeared with all the leading tenors, Gigli and Pertile included, but the one from whom I learned the most artistically was Schipa, for he chiseled phrases like a goldsmith. He lowered many of his roles one tone, but no one noticed it, so consummate was his art.’

The conductor Leopoldo Mugnone, who was renowned for disapproving of breaks in the dramatic continuity, such as encores, once in the San Carlo, after the audience had finished the applause at an encore for ‘E lucevan le stelle’, gestured to Schipa and said, ‘‘Little Schipa, sing it again – but this time,’ with a movement of his thumb to the auditorium, ‘not for that lot, but for me!’

And were his stage performances convincing? One can take the witness of Schipa’s own mother, who after witnessing a performance of Tosca in Palermo ran backstage to see if her son had not been terribly injured or worse! Indeed she then paid the extras tips before each performance to ensure ‘that they don’t shoot for real.’

As mentioned earlier, Tito Schipa was also a composer, but his interest extended to other genres of music and singing as well. In America, under one of his contracts, he also worked as a conductor of a jazz orchestra whilst at the on other nights performing one of his most famous roles, Werther. He declared that Carlo Buti, who was a singer of popular Italian songs and folksongs, ‘the greatest singer who ever existed, that this was the finest voice which he had ever heard, and that if he had had that voice he would have performed prodigies which would have wiped out the whole history of bel canto in one note’ Perhaps his most financially generous act was in 1926 when he financed the extension and restoration of the Teatro Politeama in his native Lecce, in order to bring the Leccese first class opera. ‘The project went smoothly but cost a fortune. All the money came out of Tito Schipa’s pocket, and the returns were minimal. His willingness to spend money is understandable if we remember his constant desire to impress the people of his own city, as if to compensate a fear that they would take no notice of him without a showy display of his successes. Thus, to the straightforward financing of the season were added the princely expenses of refurbishing the whole [theatre] which was brought up to international standards: an orchestra pit was created, the stalls raked, the stage equipment and ceiling improved, a gallery added, dressing rooms built for the extras, along with a hundred other modifications. New seating was even brought from Milan, as were some skilled workers and technicians.’

He gradually restricted his roles to those that he was most comfortable with, in the French canon, Lakmé, Mignon, Manon and Werther; and in the Italian the parts of Nemorino, Alfredo, Cavaradossi, Rodolfo, and the operas of Bellini and Donizetti. When asked how he prepared for a role he noted these steps: first, learn the background to the story and read the source material until you can identify intimately with the character; second, have a pianist play the whole opera through whilst following the score (for about three days); third, study the words and learn the rhythm of the part to be sung; fourth, once the rhythm is firmly set in the brain it comes to the music of the role itself and the pianist returns for this. Schipa thought it important to know every role in an opera. He said that ‘Mastering a role is not a difficult task, therefore, for me; two or three weeks’ study generally is sufficient.’

Schipa continued working to almost the end of his life. After a fall in a nightspot in Rome, he was forced to retire from the opera stage but continued to give concert performances. These took the form of a series of Farewell Concerts. His last appearance in Italy was in 1963 when he gave a spontaneous concert in the Gran Caffè Margherita in Viareggio. He died in New York on 16 December 1965.

His voice and talent were truly memorable for all the best reasons. JB Steane perhaps sums this up most poetically, ‘That voice, from the whitish mists of its lower notes up into the Elysian air and light of its high register, proved once-heard never-forgotten. … It was rather as though he sent out his tone on a thread fine as a spider’s, perhaps to glow in the sunlight or glimmer in the shade, hang there wondrously poised or glide on to join another thread and reach a still more distant breathing-space.’ Tito Schipa – you were that man who sang with the voice of a tenor.

TENOR INSIGHTS WITH BOGDAN VOLKOV, LYRIC TENOR

Bogdan Volkov is no stranger to all the leading international opera houses. His fine tenor voice reminiscent of the greats in line and tonal beauty has assured him his place as one of the of the most sought after tenors of his generation.

After graduating from the Glier Kyiv Institute of Music and the Ukrainian National Tchaikovsky Academy of Music, Bogdan joined the Young Artists Program of the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow later becoming a member of it ensemble.
Before becoming part of the ensemble of the Berlin State Opera in 2022 and 2023, Bogdan had made his debut at the Berlin State Opera as Don Antonio in Prokofiev’s Betrothal in a Monastery under Daniel Barenboim in 2019.

The Salzburg Festival in 2024 saw his portrayal of Prince Myshkin highly acclaimed in Weinberg’s multi-award winning premiere of The Idiot. For this role he was nominated for the Austrian Music Theatre Prize, named Discovery of the Year and awarded the Best Vocal Performance in a leading role by the German magazine Der Opernfreund and recognized as Singer of the Year by Opernwelt.

Recent seasons have brought him major acclaim as Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni and Ferrando in Cosi fan tutte at the Vienna State Opera where he recently celebrated his 50th performance in a variety of leading roles.

Successes as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Alfredo in La Traviata at the State Opera of Berlin, as Lensky in Eugene Onegin at the Teatro Real in Madrid and the State Opera of Hamburg, Ferrando in Christof’s Loy’s new staging of Cosi fan tutte, presented at the the centenary edition of the Salzburg Festival have put Bogdan firmly on the vocal map and consolidated his position as a singer actor of recent times not to be missed.

VDS0016 BOGDAN VOLKOV

Bogdan Volkov is no stranger to all the leading international opera houses. His fine tenor voice reminiscent of the greats in line and tonal beauty has assured him his place as one of the of the most sought after tenors of his generation.

After graduating from the Glier Kyiv Institute of Music and the Ukrainian National Tchaikovsky Academy of Music, Bogdan joined the Young Artists Program of the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow later becoming a member of it ensemble.
Before becoming part of the ensemble of the Berlin State Opera in 2022 and 2023, Bogdan had made his debut at the Berlin State Opera as Don Antonio in Prokofiev’s Betrothal in a Monastery under Daniel Barenboim in 2019.

The Salzburg Festival in 2024 saw his portrayal of Prince Myshkin highly acclaimed in Weinberg’s multi-award winning premiere of The Idiot. For this role he was nominated for the Austrian Music Theatre Prize, named Discovery of the Year and awarded the Best Vocal Performance in a leading role by the German magazine Der Opernfreund and recognized as Singer of the Year by Opernwelt.

Recent seasons have brought him major acclaim as Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni and Ferrando in Cosi fan tutte at the Vienna State Opera where he recently celebrated his 50th performance in a variety of leading roles.

Successes as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Alfredo in La Traviata at the State Opera of Berlin, as Lensky in Eugene Onegin at the Teatro Real in Madrid and the State Opera of Hamburg, Ferrando in Christof’s Loy’s new staging of Cosi fan tutte, presented at the the centenary edition of the Salzburg Festival have put Bogdan firmly on the vocal map and consolidated his position as a singer actor of recent times not to be missed.

TENOR INSIGHTS WITH BOGDAN VOLKOV, LYRIC TENOR

Bogdan Volkov is no stranger to all the leading international opera houses. His fine tenor voice reminiscent of the greats in line and tonal beauty has assured him his place as one of the of the most sought after tenors of his generation.

After graduating from the Glier Kyiv Institute of Music and the Ukrainian National Tchaikovsky Academy of Music, Bogdan joined the Young Artists Program of the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow later becoming a member of it ensemble.
Before becoming part of the ensemble of the Berlin State Opera in 2022 and 2023, Bogdan had made his debut at the Berlin State Opera as Don Antonio in Prokofiev’s Betrothal in a Monastery under Daniel Barenboim in 2019.

The Salzburg Festival in 2024 saw his portrayal of Prince Myshkin highly acclaimed in Weinberg’s multi-award winning premiere of The Idiot. For this role he was nominated for the Austrian Music Theatre Prize, named Discovery of the Year and awarded the Best Vocal Performance in a leading role by the German magazine Der Opernfreund and recognized as Singer of the Year by Opernwelt.

Recent seasons have brought him major acclaim as Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni and Ferrando in Cosi fan tutte at the Vienna State Opera where he recently celebrated his 50th performance in a variety of leading roles.

Successes as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Alfredo in La Traviata at the State Opera of Berlin, as Lensky in Eugene Onegin at the Teatro Real in Madrid and the State Opera of Hamburg, Ferrando in Christof’s Loy’s new staging of Cosi fan tutte, presented at the the centenary edition of the Salzburg Festival have put Bogdan firmly on the vocal map and consolidated his position as a singer actor of recent times not to be missed.

A VERY MELA CHRISTMAS!

-The Voice Detective aka myself, Gyaan Lyon, has got something special for you to unbox for Christmas. Check it out!