Tito Schipa
Raffaele Attilio "Tito" Amedeo Schipa ( born January 2, 1889 in Lecce, † December 16, 1965 in New York City ) was an Italian tenor and composer.
Schipa was born in late 1888, the civil registry under the name Raffaele Attilio Amedeo Schipa, but was only on January 2, 1889, so he could take a year later later his military service.
Life and career
Schipa came from a Arbëresh family members of long-established Albanian minority in Italy.
Tito Schipa received his vocal training in Lecce at Alceste Gerunda and in Milan with Emilio Piccoli. 1910 debuted Schipa as Alfred in Verdi's La Traviata at the Teatro Politeama Facchinetti in Vercelli. He then sang in March 1910 in messina Duke in Verdi's Rigoletto. In 1912 he made his debut at the Teatro Dal Verme in Milan as Cavaradossi in Puccini's Tosca. In 1913 he first came to Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. 1914, he performed at the Teatro Costanzi (now Teatro dell'Opera di Roma) on in Rome, as Ernesto in Gaetano Donizetti's opera Don Pasquale. This is one of his famous brilliant games.
In the season 1915/1916 Schipa debuted in the role of Vladimir in Alexander Borodin's opera Prince Igor at La Scala. At the premiere of Giacomo Puccini's opera La Rondine at the Opera of Monte Carlo on March 27, 1917 Schipa took over the role of Ruggero. In 1919 he founded his debut as the Duke in Verdi's Rigoletto the foundation for an extraordinary career in the United States. He sang in the opera houses of Chicago (1919 - 1932), San Francisco (1924 ff ) and New York (1932 - 1935). His first role at the Metropolitan Opera in Donizetti's Nemorino was the L' Elisir d' amore.
In addition Schipa stepped 1929-1949 regularly in Italy ( Milan, Rome). 1957 led him on a concert tour to Russia ( Moscow, Leningrad, Riga).
Schipa was also active as a composer and wrote, among other things, the opera Principessa Liana, which was premiered in 1935 in Rome.
At the Metropolitan Opera Schipa had the difficult task to fill the gap for the angry retired New York audience favorite Beniamino Gigli. The critic WJ Henderson praised Schipas " taste, refinement and elegance " and certified his Nemorino, Una furtiva lagrima is rare in this house so (good) been sung. The career of Schipa was exceptionally long 52 years.
Voice
Schipa embodied the prototype of a bel canto singer. Although he was not equipped with the lavish euphony of a Gigli or the overwhelming charisma of Mario del Monaco. However Schipa represents one of the greatest lyric tenors, come from him some to this day unsurpassed remaining model interpretations, which necessarily Almaviva ( The Barber of Seville ), Nemorino ( The Elixir of Love ) and Ernesto ( Don Pasquale ) must be counted.
If one of Enrico Caruso as one voice, as it occurs only once every hundred years speaks, the voice and the artistic talent of Tito Schipas has remained unique.
Records
Tito Schipa has recorded several hundred recordings for Pathe, Victo and HMV. Among them is the only complete recording of Don Pasquale.