Giovanni Martinelli (singer)
Giovanni Martinelli (born October 22, 1885 in Montagnana , † February 2, 1969 in New York ) was an Italian opera singer ( tenor ). In the operatic world he was occasionally referred to as the most important successor to Enrico Caruso .
Life
Martinelli was the son of a cabinet maker and the oldest of 14 children. He learned the clarinet , sang in the church choir and served in a military orchestra. His orchestra leader, an officer, discovered his singing voice and sent him to Giuseppe Mandolini for study purposes . On December 2, 1910 , he sang the solo part in Gioacchino Rossini's " Stabat mater ". Due to the success, his real debut followed on December 29, 1910 in Giuseppe Verdi's Ernani at the Teatro Dal Verme in Milan .
His first successes are connected with the music publishing house Ricordi , where Arturo Toscanini and Giacomo Puccini cast him as Dick Johnson for his new opera " La fanciulla del West ". The European premiere of the piece took place at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome .
Martinelli was on European and American stages for more than 50 years, including in Naples , Monte Carlo , London, Budapest and at La Scala in Milan . He spent over 30 years at the New York Metropolitan Opera - first as Caruso's successor, then together with Beniamino Gigli and later alone - with a total of 650 appearances. The Met repeatedly renewed his contract over this period, which has not been achieved by any other singer since then.
When he left this stage, he still performed occasionally and in 1967, at the age of 82, gave his farewell performance in Seattle as Kaiser Altum in Turandot . He is particularly remembered for his lyrical and dramatic tenor roles.
Web links
- Audio carrier by Giovanni Martinelli in the catalog of the German National Library
- Giovanni Martinelli at Operissimo on the basis of the Great Singer Lexicon
- Audio sample and life (Italian)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Martinelli, Giovanni |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Italian opera singer (tenor) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 22, 1885 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Montagnana |
| DATE OF DEATH | 2nd February 1969 |
| Place of death | new York |