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Luisa Tetrazzini

February 21, 2023

Luisa Tetrazzini (June 29, 1871 in Florence – April 28, 1940 in Milan) was an Italian dramatic coloratura soprano (soprano sfogato) of great international fame. Tetrazzini "had a scintillating voice with a brilliant timbre and a range and agility well beyond the norm...".[1] She enjoyed a highly successful operatic and concert career in Europe and America from the 1890s through to the 1920s. Her voice lives on in recordings made from 1904–1920. She wrote a memoir, My Life of Song, in 1921 and a treatise, How to Sing, in 1923. After retirement, she taught voice in her homes in Milan and Rome until her death.

Photo from 1909 book Heart Songs
Tetrazzini in 1911
Tetrazzini arriving in New York onboard the RMS Mauretania on November 25, 1919
Sketches by Marguerite Martyn, 1910

Biography

Early life

Tetrazzini was born on June 29, 1871, in Florence, Italy. Her father was a tailor and she had two sisters and two brothers. Reportedly, she began singing at the age of three.[2] Luisa herself recalled singing early on as a child and reminisced that her father was the first person to ever compare her to the famous bel canto soprano, Adelina Patti.[3] Luisa first studied singing with her oldest sister, Eva Tetrazzini (1862–1938)(it).[4] Eva was also a prima donna soprano who made a name for herself internationally.[5] While doing chores, Luisa was known to practice entire acts of operatic roles and to sing every voice part.[6] She began studies at the Istituto Musicale between the age of ten and thirteen with Professor Ceccherini.[7][8] She married Giuseppe Santino Alberto Scalaberni on October 14, 1889.[9]

Career

Through a stroke of luck, Tetrazzini stepped in for an ailing prima donna and made her operatic debut in Florence on October 21, 1890, as Inez in Meyerbeer's L'Africaine at age nineteen.[10] She reminisces that after her debut, “The pavements from the theatre to my home were lined, even at that late hour, with large numbers of people, all of whom seemed to be shouting congratulations to me.”[11] Next, she sang Inez in Rome on December 26, 1890, for the King and Queen of Italy. She was then invited by the Queen to sing the Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde, as it was the Queen’s favorite opera.[12] The first part of her career was spent mainly in the Italian provincial theaters and then touring in South America. She travelled with Pietro Cesare, who became her lover of nearly 14 years, to Buenos Aires where she was offered £280 per month to sing.[13] While in Buenos Aires, her husband, Alberto, followed her to attempt to return her to Florence. She refused to reconcile. He left for Florence without her in October, and she made her debut a few days later as Annetta in Crispino e la comare. When Alberto died on June 4, 1905, they were still separated.[14]

Tetrazzini first sang Lucia di Lammermoor in Buenos Aires on November 21, 1892. It was her favorite opera, as well as that of Argentinian President Luis Sáenz Peña. He was her avid fan.[15] By the time of her fourth season in Buenos Aires, she was engaged to receive £5,500 per month.[16] Along with performing in Argentina, she toured South America. She continued to sing there until 1895.[17]

She returned to sing in Europe in 1896. Next she debuted in Saint Petersburg with Mattia Battistini in Un ballo in maschera on December 31, 1896. After her first season in St. Petersburg ended in 1897, she finished the year performing in Madrid, Milan, Turin and Odessa. In 1898, she sang in Odessa and Bologna before returning to perform in various South American countries. The winter season of 1899 brought Tetrazzini back to St. Petersburg. This is where she first performed with Enrico Caruso, who sang Edgardo to her Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor on February 22, 1899.[18] Her 1890s' repertory consisted primarily of lyric-coloratura parts such as Violetta, Philine, Oscar, Gilda, and Lucia.

From 1899–1903, she sang in Italy, Germany, Poland, and Russia. Her Mexican debut as Lucia came on October 22, 1903.[19] A little over a year later, her performance of Lucia on December 8, 1904, was fortuitous. William H. ‘Doc’ Leahy, impresario of San Francisco's Tivoli Theater, was in attendance. He was in Mexico visiting his friend, Ettore Patrizi, who was conducting Tetrazzini at the time. Leahy invited her to come to San Francisco. She made her American debut at the Tivoli in San Francisco as Gilda in Rigoletto on January 11, 1905.[20]

Due to Dame Nellie Melba's absence, an opening came for Tetrazzini at the esteemed Covent Garden in London. Although she had established a career throughout South America and much of Europe, she was practically unknown to English audiences.[21] Tetrazzini’s debut at Covent Garden as Violetta in La traviata on November 2, 1907 was critically acclaimed and "caused a sensation..."[22] She garnered twenty curtain calls.[23] E.A. Baugham in the Daily News wrote, “The quality of tone produced by Tetrazzini ravished the sense. It is soft and golden and yet has none of the impersonal and chilling perfection of the ordinary light soprano...I have never seen the pathos of Verdi’s heroine realized with such grip and sincerity... I do not think I am exaggerating when I say that Mme Tetrazzini has the voice of the century and stands out from even the great Italian singers we know...”[24] Additional reviews were similarly complimentary of Tetrazzini’s abilities, even comparing her to the famous Adelina Patti, the premiere soprano of an earlier generation.[25] Tetrazzini idolized Patti greatly. She remarks that Patti saw her performance and invited her to a lunch in which she confirmed the press’s clamoring that Tetrazzini would continue her legacy.[26] Tetrazzini and Patti became great friends, and were frequent correspondents until Patti’s death. Patti made it a point to attend and loudly applaud the younger soprano's performances. Tetrazzini remarks about a letter from Patti about one of her performances that she prized it as her greatest treasure saying, "Praise from a mixed audience is very gratifying after one has given it of her best. But, praise, and such praise, from Patti is far more than the passing pleasure of a public ovation."[27]

From this point on, Tetrazzini was an international operatic superstar, commanding the highest fees and selling out opera houses and concert halls wherever she performed. In 1904, the Metropolitan Opera's general manager, Heinrich Conried, had tried to engage Tetrazzini with a contract that committed her to singing with the Met for three years starting in November 1905. This contract never became binding as Conried failed to give her bank the guarantee deposit.[28] In 1908, Tetrazzini finally appeared in New York City, not at the Metropolitan, but at Oscar Hammerstein's Manhattan Opera Company, again as Violetta with great success.[29] She remained loyal to Hammerstein and appeared at the Met for only one season, in 1911-12 (giving just eight performances, in the roles of Lucia, Violetta, and Gilda). From 1911 to 1914 she sang with the Boston Opera Company and Chicago Grand Opera Company.[30]

After some legal difficulties in New York that blocked her from performing, she held a press conference and declared, "I will sing in San Francisco if I have to sing there in the streets, for I know the streets of San Francisco are free." This line became famous. She won her legal case, and her agent announced she would sing in the streets of San Francisco. On a crystal clear Christmas Eve in 1910, at the corner of Market and Kearney near Lotta's Fountain, Tetrazzini climbed a stage platform in a sparkling white gown, surrounded by a throng of an estimated two to three hundred thousand San Franciscans, and serenaded the city she loved.[31]

Tetrazzini possessed an extraordinary vocal technique that enabled her to surmount any vocal challenge with joyful ease. She had complete mastery of runs, trills, staccati and vocal ornaments of all kinds.[32] She also had a brilliant upper register, extending to F above high C. Unlike many other coloratura sopranos, such as Amelita Galli-Curci, Tetrazzini's high notes were not thin and delicate, but full, powerful and ringing. On the debit side of the ledger, her vocal registers were not as well-integrated as those belonging to her direct soprano rival, Nellie Melba. Also, although her lower register was strong, her middle voice was comparatively thin or 'white' in tone, with a quality which some American and English critics described as "infantile" and "child-like". The Irish tenor John McCormack even compared it, using hyperbole, to "the wailing of a cross infant". With age, however, Tetrazzini's middle register filled out to some extent; and the way that her mid-voice sounded, even when she was younger, does not seem to have troubled the ears of Mediterranean critics, going by their written record.

Tetrazzini was short and grew quite stout as she aged; but she could act effectively on stage, especially in lively or comic roles. She was a good musician, too, and she possessed an amiable, zestful and vivacious personality. These extra-vocal qualities come through on the many records that she made. She recorded extensively for the Victor Talking Machine Company and the Gramophone Company/HMV. Her best recordings include a spectacular rendition of "Io son Titania" from Ambroise Thomas' Mignon and "Saper vorreste" from Verdi's Un ballo in maschera, in which Tetrazzini's personality virtually jumps out of the grooves at the listener. On a different note, her recording of "Addio, del passato" from La traviata is very moving and also demonstrates her fine legato, as is her "Ah! non credea mirarti" from La sonnambula. Her "Una voce poco fa," and "Ah! non giunge," made for Victor, remain, after all these years, unequalled for their sheer joy, easy virtuosity and spectacular ornamentation.

Tetrazzini had a bitter feud with Nellie Melba while at Covent Garden[33] but was extremely well liked by other colleagues such as Frieda Hempel and Enrico Caruso. Tetrazzini and Caruso had been close friends for many years, and his premature death at age 48 left her devastated. After he fell ill, Caruso wrote her a postcard saying “I am waiting for you with open arms, waiting every moment to salute you with a golden note.”[34] Unfortunately, she was unable to see him before his death. She is known to have visited his tomb frequently. Additionally, she obtained permission from the Pope to sing a Requiem Mass on the first anniversary of his passing.[35]

Tetrazzini was a frequent traveller on the famous Cunard liner RMS Mauretania. Along with other well-known names, including Irving Berlin and Jerome Kern, she was a member of the ship’s mock secret society of devoted passengers, the Heathens. It was onboard the Mauretania in November 1910 that Oscar Hammerstein served her legal papers in an attempt to prevent her from performing under a different manager.[36] During a crossing in April 1912, she sang a requiem recital in the Mauretania’s first class lounge in honour of the victims of the Titanic. Her performance took the place of the passenger-led concert in aid of the Seamen’s Charities of Liverpool and New York; a customary event during a transatlantic crossing.

Later Years

After World War I, Tetrazzini largely abandoned the opera stage for the concert platform. She wrote a memoir, My Life of Song, in 1921 and a treatise, How to Sing, in 1923. In 1932, when she was retiring, she was filmed listening to a recording of Caruso's rendition of "M'appari, tutt'amor," and began to sing along with the record showing that her voice still had plenty of power (this video can be seen from the link below under the External Links section). She taught voice after retirement in 1934 and named Lina Pagliughi her successor.[37] Tetrazzini’s recordings range from 1904-1920. Tetrazzini became a worldwide name and was “glorified even in food, as in Turkey tetrazzini.”[38][39]

Tetrazzini’s thirty-two year career accrued her enormous wealth. Critics described her as singing with youthful abandon, while noting her solid vocal technique. Her emotional interpretation of roles catapulted her to fame and led to comparisons with Patti, Lind, and Melba.[40] Some of her most well-known roles included: Rosina (Il Barbiere di Seviglia), Violetta (La Traviata), and Gilda (Rigoletto). She sang her favorite role, Lucia, over 100 times.[41]

She was married three times and had many passionate affairs during her life. She was the aunt and mentor of the actress Marisa Vernati.[42] Tetrazzini was plagued by legal battles with her third husband, which substantially affected her finances towards the end of her life.[43] She generously gave away the money and belongings that she possessed but remained cheerful and lovable despite her reduced circumstances. She would often say, "I am old, I am fat, but I am still Tetrazzini."[44] Tetrazzini left little behind when she died in Milan on April 28, 1940. Her funeral was honored with a Requiem Mass at the church in Via Casoretto and was attended by close family and friends. She was buried in a mausoleum, of her choosing, with an epitaph from Lucia di Lammermoor: “Alfin son tua.” (At last I am yours).[45]

Writings

  • My Life of Song (Dorrance & Co, Philadelphia 1922).
  • How to Sing (C. Arthur Pearson, London 1923).

CDs

  • Luisa Tetrazzini, 2 volumes: , ; Nimbus.
  • Luisa Tetrazzini: The Complete Known Recordings (5 volumes); ()
  • Luisa Tetrazzini: The Complete London Recordings (boxed set); EMI
  • Luisa Tetrazzini: The Complete Zonophone (1904) and Victor Recordings(1911–20); Romophone.

References

  1. ^ Lauri-Volpi, Giacomo (1999). "Coloraturas at the Metropolitan". In Drake, James A.; Ludecke, Kirsten Beall (eds.). Lily Pons: A Centennial Portrait. Portland, OR: Amadeus Press. p. 39.
  2. ^ Gattey, Charles Neilson (1995). Luisa Tetrazzini: The Florentine Nightingale. Great Britain: Scolar Press. pp. 2. ISBN 1859280102.
  3. ^ Tetrazzini, Luisa (1921). My Life of Song. London: Cassell and Company, LTD. p. 4.
  4. ^ Shawe-Taylor, Desmond (2001). "Luisa Tetrazzini". In Sadie, Stanley; Tyrrell, John (eds.). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Vol. 26 (2nd ed.). London: Macmillan Press. p. 318.
  5. ^ Gattey, Charles Neilson (1995). Luisa Tetrazzini. Great Britain: Scolar Press. pp. 1. ISBN 1859280102.
  6. ^ Tetrazzini, Luisa (1921). My Life of Song. London: Cassell and Company, LTD. pp. 8–9.
  7. ^ Tetrazzini, Luisa (1921). My Life of Song. London: Cassell and Company, LTD. p. 23.
  8. ^ Gattey, Charles Neilson (1995). Luisa Tetrazzini: The Florentine Nightingale. Great Britain: Scolar Press. pp. 2. ISBN 1859280102.
  9. ^ Gattey, Charles Neilson (1995). Luisa Tetrazzini: The Florentine Nightingale. Great Britain: Scolar Press. pp. 4. ISBN 1859280102.
  10. ^ Gattey, Charles Neilson (1995). Luisa Tetrazzini: The Florentine Nightingale. Great Britain: Scolar Press. pp. 4. ISBN 1859280102.
  11. ^ Tetrazzini, Luisa (1921). My Life of Song. London: Cassell and Company, LTD. p. 55.
  12. ^ Gattey, Charles Neilson (1995). Luisa Tetrazzini: The Florentine Nightingale. Great Britain: Scolar Press. pp. 5. ISBN 1859280102.
  13. ^ Gattey, Charles Neilson (1995). Luisa Tetrazzini: The Florentine Nightingale. Great Britain: Scolar Press. pp. 7. ISBN 1859280102.
  14. ^ Gattey, Charles Neilson (1995). Luisa Tetrazzini: The Florentine Nightingale. Great Britain: Scolar Press. pp. 11–12. ISBN 1859280102.
  15. ^ Gattey, Charles Neilson (1995). Luisa Tetrazzini: the Florentine Nightingale. Great Britain: Scolar Press. pp. 15. ISBN 1859280102.
  16. ^ Tetrazzini, Luisa (1921). My Life of Song. London: Cassell and Company, LTD. p. 104.
  17. ^ Gattey, Charles Neilson (1995). Luisa Tetrazzini: the Florentine Nightingale. Great Britain: Scolar Press. pp. 21. ISBN 1859280102.
  18. ^ Gattey, Charles Neilson (1995). Luisa Tetrazzini: the Florentine Nightingale. Great Britain: Scolar Press. pp. 23–26. ISBN 1859280102.
  19. ^ Gattey, Charles Neilson (1995). Luisa Tetrazzini: the Florentine Nightingale. Great Britain: Scolar Press. pp. 33. ISBN 1859280102.
  20. ^ Gattey, Charles Neilson (1995). Luisa Tetrazzini: the Florentine Nightingale. Great Britain: Scolar Press. pp. 41–44. ISBN 1859280102.
  21. ^ Gattey, Charles Neilson (1995). Luisa Tetrazzini: the Florentine Nightingale. Great Britain: Scolar Press. pp. 73. ISBN 1859280102.
  22. ^ Shawe-Taylor, Desmond (2001). "Luisa Tetrazzini". In Sadie, Stanley; Tyrrell, John (eds.). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Vol. 26 (2nd ed.). London: Macmillan Press. p. 318.
  23. ^ Tetrazzini, Luisa (1975). "Introductory Sketch of the Career of the World Famous Prima Donna". In Caruso, Enrico; Tetrazzini, Luisa (eds.). Caruso and Tetrazzini on the Art of Singing. New York: Dover Publications. p. 2.
  24. ^ Gattey, Charles Neilson (1995). Luisa Tetrazzini: the Florentine Nightingale. Great Britain: Scolar Press. pp. 73. ISBN 1859280102.
  25. ^ Gattey, Charles Neilson (1995). Luisa Tetrazzini: the Florentine Nightingale. Great Britain: Scolar Press. pp. 74. ISBN 1859280102.
  26. ^ Tetrazzini, Luisa (1921). My Life of Song. London: Cassel and Company, LTD. pp. 230–231.
  27. ^ Tetrazzini, Luisa (1921). My Life of Song. London: Cassell and Company, LTD. pp. 233–234.
  28. ^ Gattey, Charles Neilson (1995). Luisa Tetrazzini: the Florentine Nightingale. Great Britain: Scolar Press. pp. 38–39. ISBN 1859280102.
  29. ^ Gattey, Charles Neilson (1995). Luisa Tetrazzini: the Florentine Nightingale. Great Britain: Scolar Press. pp. 86. ISBN 1859280102.
  30. ^ "Tetrazzini, Luisa".
  31. ^ Carl Nolte, Chronicle Staff Writer (24 December 2010). "Luisa Tetrazzini's gift ends S.F. era on high note". SFGate.
  32. ^ Limansky, Nicholas E. (December 2004). "Luisa Tetrazzini: Coloratura secrets". The Opera Quarterly. 20 (4): 546. doi:10.1093/oq/kbh076.
  33. ^ Gattey, Charles Neilson (1995). Luisa Tetrazzini: the Florentine Nightingale. Great Britain: Scolar Press. pp. 103–104. ISBN 1859280102.
  34. ^ Gattey, Charles Neilson (1995). Luisa Tetrazzini: the Florentine Nightingale. Great Britain: Scolar Press. pp. 215. ISBN 1859280102.
  35. ^ Gattey, Charles Neilson (1995). Luisa Tetrazzini: the Florentine Nightingale. Great Britain: Scolar Press. pp. 219. ISBN 1859280102.
  36. ^ "TETRAZZINI HERE; MEETS INJUNCTION; Served on the Mauretania with Papers Sued Out by Oscar Hammerstein". The New York Times. November 25, 1910.
  37. ^ Gattey, Charles Neilson (1995). Luisa Tetrazzini: the Florentine Nightingale. Great Britain: Scolar Press. pp. 262–263. ISBN 1859280102.
  38. ^ Kuhn, Laura, ed. (2000). "Luisa Tetrazzini". Baker's Dictionary of Opera. New York: Schirmer Books. p. 810.
  39. ^ Amanda Gold (May 31, 2009). "Bay Area stars freshening up 5 classic dishes". The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  40. ^ Zicari, Massimo. “‘Ah! non credea mirarti’” nella fonti discografiche di primo Novecento: Adelina Patti e Luisa Tetrazzini.” In Schweitzer Jahrbuch fur Musikwissenschaft-Annales Suisses de Musicologie. Schweitzer Jahrbuch fur Musikwissenschaft, edited by Luca Zoppelli, vol. 34-35: 193-217. Bern: Peter Lang Publishing, 2017.
  41. ^ Gattey, Charles Neilson (1995). Luisa Tetrazzini: the Florentine Nightingale. Great Britain: Scolar Press. pp. 280–326. ISBN 1859280102.
  42. ^ Enrico Lancia, Roberto Poppi. Dizionario del cinema italiano, Volume 2: Gli attori dal 1930 ai giorni nostri. Gremese Editore, 2003. ISBN 888440214X.
  43. ^ Gattey, Charles Neilson (1995). Luisa Tetrazzini: the Florentine Nightingale. Great Britain: Cassell and Company, LTD. pp. 246–258. ISBN 1859280102.
  44. ^ Gattey, Charles Neilson (1995). Luisa Tetrazzini: the Florentine Nightingale. Great Britain: Scolar Press. pp. 259. ISBN 1859280102.
  45. ^ Gattey, Charles Neilson (1995). Luise Tetrazzini: the Florentine Nightingale. Great Britain: Scolar Press. pp. 263. ISBN 1859280102.

Sources

  • Gattey, Charles Neilson, Luisa Tetrazzini: The Florentine Nightingale (Amadeus Press, Great Britain 1995)
  • Kuhn, Laura, ed., “Luisa Tetrazzini,” in Baker’s Dictionary of Opera (New York: Schirmer Books, 2000.), 810.
  • Lauri-Volpi, Giacomo, “Coloraturas at the Metropolitan,” in Lily Pons: A Centennial Portrait, ed. James A. Drake and Kirsten Beall Ludecke (Portland, OR: Amadeus Press, 1999.), 38-45.
  • Limansky Nicholas E., “Luisa Tetrazzini: Coloratura secrets,” The Opera Quarterly 20, no. 4 (December 2004): 540-569.
  • Pleasants, Henry, The Great Singers (Simon & Schuster, New York 1966).
  • Scott, Michael, The Record of Singing Vol I (Duckworth, London 1977), 159-161 and passim.
  • Shawe-Taylor, Desmond, “Luisa Tetrazzini,” in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., eds. Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell (London: Macmillan Press, 2001), vol. 26: 318-319.
  • Tetrazzini, Luisa, “Introductory Sketch of the Career of the World Famous Prima Donna,” in Caruso and Tetrazzini on the Art of Singing, eds. Enrico Caruso and Luisa Tetrazzini (New York: Dover Publications, 1975), 1-2.
  • Tetrazzini, Luisa. My Life of Song. (London: Cassell and Company, LTD., 1921)
  • Zicari, Massimo, “‘Ah! non credea mirarti’” nella fonti discografiche di primo Novecento: Adelina Patti e Luisa Tetrazzini,” in Schweitzer Jahrbuch fur Musikwissenschaft-Annales Suisses de Musicologie. Schweitzer Jahrbuch fur Musikwissenschaft, ed. Luca Zoppelli (Bern: Peter Lang Publishing, 2017), vol. 34-35: 193-217.

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Luisa Tetrazzini.

Biographical

  • Luisa Tetrazzini - The Coloratura Voice Vocal mastery; talks with master singers and teachers by Harriette Brower (1869–1928) (alt)
  • Tetrazzini Modern musicians; a book for players, singers and listeners (1914) by James Cuthbert Hadden (1861–1914)
  • brief biography from Who's who in music : a biographical record of contemporary musicians (1913); Wyndham, Henry Saxe & L'Epine, Geoffrey
  • Tetrazzini - The grand opera singers of to-day; an account of the leading operatic stars who have sung during recent years, together with a sketch of the chief operatic enterprises (1912); Lahee, Henry Charles
  • Biographical notes
  • Luisa Tetrazzini: The Florentine Nightingale; Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco

Books

Images

  • Images of Luisa Tetrazzini from the Portal to Texas History

Recordings and Media

  • Tetrazzini on YouTube Luisa Tetrazzini singing along to a Caruso record of "M'appari, Tutt'Amor" when she retired in 1932.
  • Luisa Tetrazzini Includes one recording.
  • Eight digitally restored recordings of Tetrazzini to listen to. (Roger Wilmut's website)
  • Works by or about Luisa Tetrazzini at Internet Archive

February 21, 2023
luisa, tetrazzini, june, 1871, florence, april, 1940, milan, italian, dramatic, coloratura, soprano, soprano, sfogato, great, international, fame, tetrazzini, scintillating, voice, with, brilliant, timbre, range, agility, well, beyond, norm, enjoyed, highly, s. Luisa Tetrazzini June 29 1871 in Florence April 28 1940 in Milan was an Italian dramatic coloratura soprano soprano sfogato of great international fame Tetrazzini had a scintillating voice with a brilliant timbre and a range and agility well beyond the norm 1 She enjoyed a highly successful operatic and concert career in Europe and America from the 1890s through to the 1920s Her voice lives on in recordings made from 1904 1920 She wrote a memoir My Life of Song in 1921 and a treatise How to Sing in 1923 After retirement she taught voice in her homes in Milan and Rome until her death Photo from 1909 book Heart Songs Tetrazzini in 1911 Tetrazzini arriving in New York onboard the RMS Mauretania on November 25 1919 Sketches by Marguerite Martyn 1910 Contents 1 Biography 1 1 Early life 1 2 Career 1 3 Later Years 2 Writings 3 CDs 4 References 5 Sources 6 External links 6 1 Biographical 6 2 Books 6 3 Images 6 4 Recordings and MediaBiography EditEarly life Edit Tetrazzini was born on June 29 1871 in Florence Italy Her father was a tailor and she had two sisters and two brothers Reportedly she began singing at the age of three 2 Luisa herself recalled singing early on as a child and reminisced that her father was the first person to ever compare her to the famous bel canto soprano Adelina Patti 3 Luisa first studied singing with her oldest sister Eva Tetrazzini 1862 1938 it 4 Eva was also a prima donna soprano who made a name for herself internationally 5 While doing chores Luisa was known to practice entire acts of operatic roles and to sing every voice part 6 She began studies at the Istituto Musicale between the age of ten and thirteen with Professor Ceccherini 7 8 She married Giuseppe Santino Alberto Scalaberni on October 14 1889 9 Career Edit Through a stroke of luck Tetrazzini stepped in for an ailing prima donna and made her operatic debut in Florence on October 21 1890 as Inez in Meyerbeer s L Africaine at age nineteen 10 She reminisces that after her debut The pavements from the theatre to my home were lined even at that late hour with large numbers of people all of whom seemed to be shouting congratulations to me 11 Next she sang Inez in Rome on December 26 1890 for the King and Queen of Italy She was then invited by the Queen to sing the Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde as it was the Queen s favorite opera 12 The first part of her career was spent mainly in the Italian provincial theaters and then touring in South America She travelled with Pietro Cesare who became her lover of nearly 14 years to Buenos Aires where she was offered 280 per month to sing 13 While in Buenos Aires her husband Alberto followed her to attempt to return her to Florence She refused to reconcile He left for Florence without her in October and she made her debut a few days later as Annetta in Crispino e la comare When Alberto died on June 4 1905 they were still separated 14 Tetrazzini first sang Lucia di Lammermoor in Buenos Aires on November 21 1892 It was her favorite opera as well as that of Argentinian President Luis Saenz Pena He was her avid fan 15 By the time of her fourth season in Buenos Aires she was engaged to receive 5 500 per month 16 Along with performing in Argentina she toured South America She continued to sing there until 1895 17 She returned to sing in Europe in 1896 Next she debuted in Saint Petersburg with Mattia Battistini in Un ballo in maschera on December 31 1896 After her first season in St Petersburg ended in 1897 she finished the year performing in Madrid Milan Turin and Odessa In 1898 she sang in Odessa and Bologna before returning to perform in various South American countries The winter season of 1899 brought Tetrazzini back to St Petersburg This is where she first performed with Enrico Caruso who sang Edgardo to her Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor on February 22 1899 18 Her 1890s repertory consisted primarily of lyric coloratura parts such as Violetta Philine Oscar Gilda and Lucia From 1899 1903 she sang in Italy Germany Poland and Russia Her Mexican debut as Lucia came on October 22 1903 19 A little over a year later her performance of Lucia on December 8 1904 was fortuitous William H Doc Leahy impresario of San Francisco s Tivoli Theater was in attendance He was in Mexico visiting his friend Ettore Patrizi who was conducting Tetrazzini at the time Leahy invited her to come to San Francisco She made her American debut at the Tivoli in San Francisco as Gilda in Rigoletto on January 11 1905 20 Due to Dame Nellie Melba s absence an opening came for Tetrazzini at the esteemed Covent Garden in London Although she had established a career throughout South America and much of Europe she was practically unknown to English audiences 21 Tetrazzini s debut at Covent Garden as Violetta in La traviata on November 2 1907 was critically acclaimed and caused a sensation 22 She garnered twenty curtain calls 23 E A Baugham in the Daily News wrote The quality of tone produced by Tetrazzini ravished the sense It is soft and golden and yet has none of the impersonal and chilling perfection of the ordinary light soprano I have never seen the pathos of Verdi s heroine realized with such grip and sincerity I do not think I am exaggerating when I say that Mme Tetrazzini has the voice of the century and stands out from even the great Italian singers we know 24 Additional reviews were similarly complimentary of Tetrazzini s abilities even comparing her to the famous Adelina Patti the premiere soprano of an earlier generation 25 Tetrazzini idolized Patti greatly She remarks that Patti saw her performance and invited her to a lunch in which she confirmed the press s clamoring that Tetrazzini would continue her legacy 26 Tetrazzini and Patti became great friends and were frequent correspondents until Patti s death Patti made it a point to attend and loudly applaud the younger soprano s performances Tetrazzini remarks about a letter from Patti about one of her performances that she prized it as her greatest treasure saying Praise from a mixed audience is very gratifying after one has given it of her best But praise and such praise from Patti is far more than the passing pleasure of a public ovation 27 From this point on Tetrazzini was an international operatic superstar commanding the highest fees and selling out opera houses and concert halls wherever she performed In 1904 the Metropolitan Opera s general manager Heinrich Conried had tried to engage Tetrazzini with a contract that committed her to singing with the Met for three years starting in November 1905 This contract never became binding as Conried failed to give her bank the guarantee deposit 28 In 1908 Tetrazzini finally appeared in New York City not at the Metropolitan but at Oscar Hammerstein s Manhattan Opera Company again as Violetta with great success 29 She remained loyal to Hammerstein and appeared at the Met for only one season in 1911 12 giving just eight performances in the roles of Lucia Violetta and Gilda From 1911 to 1914 she sang with the Boston Opera Company and Chicago Grand Opera Company 30 After some legal difficulties in New York that blocked her from performing she held a press conference and declared I will sing in San Francisco if I have to sing there in the streets for I know the streets of San Francisco are free This line became famous She won her legal case and her agent announced she would sing in the streets of San Francisco On a crystal clear Christmas Eve in 1910 at the corner of Market and Kearney near Lotta s Fountain Tetrazzini climbed a stage platform in a sparkling white gown surrounded by a throng of an estimated two to three hundred thousand San Franciscans and serenaded the city she loved 31 Tetrazzini possessed an extraordinary vocal technique that enabled her to surmount any vocal challenge with joyful ease She had complete mastery of runs trills staccati and vocal ornaments of all kinds 32 She also had a brilliant upper register extending to F above high C Unlike many other coloratura sopranos such as Amelita Galli Curci Tetrazzini s high notes were not thin and delicate but full powerful and ringing On the debit side of the ledger her vocal registers were not as well integrated as those belonging to her direct soprano rival Nellie Melba Also although her lower register was strong her middle voice was comparatively thin or white in tone with a quality which some American and English critics described as infantile and child like The Irish tenor John McCormack even compared it using hyperbole to the wailing of a cross infant With age however Tetrazzini s middle register filled out to some extent and the way that her mid voice sounded even when she was younger does not seem to have troubled the ears of Mediterranean critics going by their written record Tetrazzini was short and grew quite stout as she aged but she could act effectively on stage especially in lively or comic roles She was a good musician too and she possessed an amiable zestful and vivacious personality These extra vocal qualities come through on the many records that she made She recorded extensively for the Victor Talking Machine Company and the Gramophone Company HMV Her best recordings include a spectacular rendition of Io son Titania from Ambroise Thomas Mignon and Saper vorreste from Verdi s Un ballo in maschera in which Tetrazzini s personality virtually jumps out of the grooves at the listener On a different note her recording of Addio del passato from La traviata is very moving and also demonstrates her fine legato as is her Ah non credea mirarti from La sonnambula Her Una voce poco fa and Ah non giunge made for Victor remain after all these years unequalled for their sheer joy easy virtuosity and spectacular ornamentation Tetrazzini had a bitter feud with Nellie Melba while at Covent Garden 33 but was extremely well liked by other colleagues such as Frieda Hempel and Enrico Caruso Tetrazzini and Caruso had been close friends for many years and his premature death at age 48 left her devastated After he fell ill Caruso wrote her a postcard saying I am waiting for you with open arms waiting every moment to salute you with a golden note 34 Unfortunately she was unable to see him before his death She is known to have visited his tomb frequently Additionally she obtained permission from the Pope to sing a Requiem Mass on the first anniversary of his passing 35 Tetrazzini was a frequent traveller on the famous Cunard liner RMS Mauretania Along with other well known names including Irving Berlin and Jerome Kern she was a member of the ship s mock secret society of devoted passengers the Heathens It was onboard the Mauretania in November 1910 that Oscar Hammerstein served her legal papers in an attempt to prevent her from performing under a different manager 36 During a crossing in April 1912 she sang a requiem recital in the Mauretania s first class lounge in honour of the victims of the Titanic Her performance took the place of the passenger led concert in aid of the Seamen s Charities of Liverpool and New York a customary event during a transatlantic crossing Later Years Edit After World War I Tetrazzini largely abandoned the opera stage for the concert platform She wrote a memoir My Life of Song in 1921 and a treatise How to Sing in 1923 In 1932 when she was retiring she was filmed listening to a recording of Caruso s rendition of M appari tutt amor and began to sing along with the record showing that her voice still had plenty of power this video can be seen from the link below under the External Links section She taught voice after retirement in 1934 and named Lina Pagliughi her successor 37 Tetrazzini s recordings range from 1904 1920 Tetrazzini became a worldwide name and was glorified even in food as in Turkey tetrazzini 38 39 Tetrazzini s thirty two year career accrued her enormous wealth Critics described her as singing with youthful abandon while noting her solid vocal technique Her emotional interpretation of roles catapulted her to fame and led to comparisons with Patti Lind and Melba 40 Some of her most well known roles included Rosina Il Barbiere di Seviglia Violetta La Traviata and Gilda Rigoletto She sang her favorite role Lucia over 100 times 41 She was married three times and had many passionate affairs during her life She was the aunt and mentor of the actress Marisa Vernati 42 Tetrazzini was plagued by legal battles with her third husband which substantially affected her finances towards the end of her life 43 She generously gave away the money and belongings that she possessed but remained cheerful and lovable despite her reduced circumstances She would often say I am old I am fat but I am still Tetrazzini 44 Tetrazzini left little behind when she died in Milan on April 28 1940 Her funeral was honored with a Requiem Mass at the church in Via Casoretto and was attended by close family and friends She was buried in a mausoleum of her choosing with an epitaph from Lucia di Lammermoor Alfin son tua At last I am yours 45 Writings EditMy Life of Song Dorrance amp Co Philadelphia 1922 How to Sing C Arthur Pearson London 1923 CDs EditLuisa Tetrazzini 2 volumes 1 2 Nimbus Luisa Tetrazzini The Complete Known Recordings 5 volumes Pearl Pavilion Records 9220 GEMM CDS Luisa Tetrazzini The Complete London Recordings boxed set EMI Luisa Tetrazzini The Complete Zonophone 1904 and Victor Recordings 1911 20 Romophone References Edit Lauri Volpi Giacomo 1999 Coloraturas at the Metropolitan In Drake James A Ludecke Kirsten Beall eds Lily Pons A Centennial Portrait Portland OR Amadeus Press p 39 Gattey Charles Neilson 1995 Luisa Tetrazzini The Florentine Nightingale Great Britain Scolar Press pp 2 ISBN 1859280102 Tetrazzini Luisa 1921 My Life of Song London Cassell and Company LTD p 4 Shawe Taylor Desmond 2001 Luisa Tetrazzini In Sadie Stanley Tyrrell John eds The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians Vol 26 2nd ed London Macmillan Press p 318 Gattey Charles Neilson 1995 Luisa Tetrazzini Great Britain Scolar Press pp 1 ISBN 1859280102 Tetrazzini Luisa 1921 My Life of Song London Cassell and Company LTD pp 8 9 Tetrazzini Luisa 1921 My Life of Song London Cassell and Company LTD p 23 Gattey Charles Neilson 1995 Luisa Tetrazzini The Florentine Nightingale Great Britain Scolar Press pp 2 ISBN 1859280102 Gattey Charles Neilson 1995 Luisa Tetrazzini The Florentine Nightingale Great Britain Scolar Press pp 4 ISBN 1859280102 Gattey Charles Neilson 1995 Luisa Tetrazzini The Florentine Nightingale Great Britain Scolar Press pp 4 ISBN 1859280102 Tetrazzini Luisa 1921 My Life of Song London Cassell and Company LTD p 55 Gattey Charles Neilson 1995 Luisa Tetrazzini The Florentine Nightingale Great Britain Scolar Press pp 5 ISBN 1859280102 Gattey Charles Neilson 1995 Luisa Tetrazzini The Florentine Nightingale Great Britain Scolar Press pp 7 ISBN 1859280102 Gattey Charles Neilson 1995 Luisa Tetrazzini The Florentine Nightingale Great Britain Scolar Press pp 11 12 ISBN 1859280102 Gattey Charles Neilson 1995 Luisa Tetrazzini the Florentine Nightingale Great Britain Scolar Press pp 15 ISBN 1859280102 Tetrazzini Luisa 1921 My Life of Song London Cassell and Company LTD p 104 Gattey Charles Neilson 1995 Luisa Tetrazzini the Florentine Nightingale Great Britain Scolar Press pp 21 ISBN 1859280102 Gattey Charles Neilson 1995 Luisa Tetrazzini the Florentine Nightingale Great Britain Scolar Press pp 23 26 ISBN 1859280102 Gattey Charles Neilson 1995 Luisa Tetrazzini the Florentine Nightingale Great Britain Scolar Press pp 33 ISBN 1859280102 Gattey Charles Neilson 1995 Luisa Tetrazzini the Florentine Nightingale Great Britain Scolar Press pp 41 44 ISBN 1859280102 Gattey Charles Neilson 1995 Luisa Tetrazzini the Florentine Nightingale Great Britain Scolar Press pp 73 ISBN 1859280102 Shawe Taylor Desmond 2001 Luisa Tetrazzini In Sadie Stanley Tyrrell John eds The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians Vol 26 2nd ed London Macmillan Press p 318 Tetrazzini Luisa 1975 Introductory Sketch of the Career of the World Famous Prima Donna In Caruso Enrico Tetrazzini Luisa eds Caruso and Tetrazzini on the Art of Singing New York Dover Publications p 2 Gattey Charles Neilson 1995 Luisa Tetrazzini the Florentine Nightingale Great Britain Scolar Press pp 73 ISBN 1859280102 Gattey Charles Neilson 1995 Luisa Tetrazzini the Florentine Nightingale Great Britain Scolar Press pp 74 ISBN 1859280102 Tetrazzini Luisa 1921 My Life of Song London Cassel and Company LTD pp 230 231 Tetrazzini Luisa 1921 My Life of Song London Cassell and Company LTD pp 233 234 Gattey Charles Neilson 1995 Luisa Tetrazzini the Florentine Nightingale Great Britain Scolar Press pp 38 39 ISBN 1859280102 Gattey Charles Neilson 1995 Luisa Tetrazzini the Florentine Nightingale Great Britain Scolar Press pp 86 ISBN 1859280102 Tetrazzini Luisa Carl Nolte Chronicle Staff Writer 24 December 2010 Luisa Tetrazzini s gift ends S F era on high note SFGate Limansky Nicholas E December 2004 Luisa Tetrazzini Coloratura secrets The Opera Quarterly 20 4 546 doi 10 1093 oq kbh076 Gattey Charles Neilson 1995 Luisa Tetrazzini the Florentine Nightingale Great Britain Scolar Press pp 103 104 ISBN 1859280102 Gattey Charles Neilson 1995 Luisa Tetrazzini the Florentine Nightingale Great Britain Scolar Press pp 215 ISBN 1859280102 Gattey Charles Neilson 1995 Luisa Tetrazzini the Florentine Nightingale Great Britain Scolar Press pp 219 ISBN 1859280102 TETRAZZINI HERE MEETS INJUNCTION Served on the Mauretania with Papers Sued Out by Oscar Hammerstein The New York Times November 25 1910 Gattey Charles Neilson 1995 Luisa Tetrazzini the Florentine Nightingale Great Britain Scolar Press pp 262 263 ISBN 1859280102 Kuhn Laura ed 2000 Luisa Tetrazzini Baker s Dictionary of Opera New York Schirmer Books p 810 Amanda Gold May 31 2009 Bay Area stars freshening up 5 classic dishes The San Francisco Chronicle Retrieved August 15 2016 Zicari Massimo Ah non credea mirarti nella fonti discografiche di primo Novecento Adelina Patti e Luisa Tetrazzini In Schweitzer Jahrbuch fur Musikwissenschaft Annales Suisses de Musicologie Schweitzer Jahrbuch fur Musikwissenschaft edited by Luca Zoppelli vol 34 35 193 217 Bern Peter Lang Publishing 2017 Gattey Charles Neilson 1995 Luisa Tetrazzini the Florentine Nightingale Great Britain Scolar Press pp 280 326 ISBN 1859280102 Enrico Lancia Roberto Poppi Dizionario del cinema italiano Volume 2 Gli attori dal 1930 ai giorni nostri Gremese Editore 2003 ISBN 888440214X Gattey Charles Neilson 1995 Luisa Tetrazzini the Florentine Nightingale Great Britain Cassell and Company LTD pp 246 258 ISBN 1859280102 Gattey Charles Neilson 1995 Luisa Tetrazzini the Florentine Nightingale Great Britain Scolar Press pp 259 ISBN 1859280102 Gattey Charles Neilson 1995 Luise Tetrazzini the Florentine Nightingale Great Britain Scolar Press pp 263 ISBN 1859280102 Sources EditGattey Charles Neilson Luisa Tetrazzini The Florentine Nightingale Amadeus Press Great Britain 1995 Kuhn Laura ed Luisa Tetrazzini in Baker s Dictionary of Opera New York Schirmer Books 2000 810 Lauri Volpi Giacomo Coloraturas at the Metropolitan in Lily Pons A Centennial Portrait ed James A Drake and Kirsten Beall Ludecke Portland OR Amadeus Press 1999 38 45 Limansky Nicholas E Luisa Tetrazzini Coloratura secrets The Opera Quarterly 20 no 4 December 2004 540 569 Pleasants Henry The Great Singers Simon amp Schuster New York 1966 Scott Michael The Record of Singing Vol I Duckworth London 1977 159 161 and passim Shawe Taylor Desmond Luisa Tetrazzini in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians 2nd ed eds Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell London Macmillan Press 2001 vol 26 318 319 Tetrazzini Luisa Introductory Sketch of the Career of the World Famous Prima Donna in Caruso and Tetrazzini on the Art of Singing eds Enrico Caruso and Luisa Tetrazzini New York Dover Publications 1975 1 2 Tetrazzini Luisa My Life of Song London Cassell and Company LTD 1921 Zicari Massimo Ah non credea mirarti nella fonti discografiche di primo Novecento Adelina Patti e Luisa Tetrazzini in Schweitzer Jahrbuch fur Musikwissenschaft Annales Suisses de Musicologie Schweitzer Jahrbuch fur Musikwissenschaft ed Luca Zoppelli Bern Peter Lang Publishing 2017 vol 34 35 193 217 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Luisa Tetrazzini Works by Luisa Tetrazzini at Project Gutenberg Works by or about Luisa Tetrazzini at Internet ArchiveBiographical Edit Luisa Tetrazzini The Coloratura Voice Vocal mastery talks with master singers and teachers by Harriette Brower 1869 1928 alt Tetrazzini Modern musicians a book for players singers and listeners 1914 by James Cuthbert Hadden 1861 1914 brief biography from Who s who in music a biographical record of contemporary musicians 1913 Wyndham Henry Saxe amp L Epine Geoffrey Tetrazzini The grand opera singers of to day an account of the leading operatic stars who have sung during recent years together with a sketch of the chief operatic enterprises 1912 Lahee Henry Charles Biographical notes Luisa Tetrazzini The Florentine Nightingale Virtual Museum of the City of San FranciscoBooks Edit Caruso and Tetrazzini on the Art of Singing 1909 by Enrico Caruso and Luisa Tetrazzini from Project Gutenberg Tetrazzini at archive orgImages Edit Images of Luisa Tetrazzini from the Portal to Texas HistoryRecordings and Media Edit Tetrazzini on YouTube Luisa Tetrazzini singing along to a Caruso record of M appari Tutt Amor when she retired in 1932 Luisa Tetrazzini Includes one recording Eight digitally restored recordings of Tetrazzini to listen to Roger Wilmut s website Works by or about Luisa Tetrazzini at Internet Archive Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Luisa Tetrazzini amp oldid 1140644194, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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