Pasquale Amato (21 March 1878 in
NaplesNaples in Italy, is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples. The city is known for its rich history, art, culture, architecture, music and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,800 years old...
, Italy–12 August 1942 in
Jackson HeightsJackson Heights is a place name used in the United States:*Jackson Heights, Queens, an area within the Queens section of New York City*Jackson Heights, Tampa, Florida, a residential neighborhood in within the East Tampa district of Tampa...
, U.S.A.) was an
ItalianThe Italian people are an ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common Italian culture, descent, and speaking the Italian language as a mother tongue...
operaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score. Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
tic
baritoneBaritone is a type of classical male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek βαρύτονος, meaning 'deep sounding', music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second G below middle C to the F above...
of the first rank. Amato enjoyed an international reputation but attained the peak of his fame in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
, where he sang with the
Metropolitan OperaThe Metropolitan Opera Association of New York City, founded in April 1880, is a major presenter of all types of opera including Grand Opera. Peter Gelb is the company's general manager. The music director is James Levine....
in 1908-1921.
Amato was born in Naples and studied locally at the Conservatory of
San Pietro a MaiellaSan Pietro a Maiella is a church in Naples, Italy. The term may also refer to the adjacent Naples music conservatory, which occupies the premises of the monastery that used to form a single complex with the church....
under Beniamino Carelli and Vincenzo Lombardo. In 1900, he made his debut at the Teatro Bellini in Naples as Germont père in
La traviataLa traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on the novel La dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas, fils, published in 1848. The title "La traviata" means literally The Woman Who Strayed, or perhaps more figuratively, The...
.
Pasquale Amato (21 March 1878 in
NaplesNaples in Italy, is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples. The city is known for its rich history, art, culture, architecture, music and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,800 years old...
, Italy–12 August 1942 in
Jackson HeightsJackson Heights is a place name used in the United States:*Jackson Heights, Queens, an area within the Queens section of New York City*Jackson Heights, Tampa, Florida, a residential neighborhood in within the East Tampa district of Tampa...
, U.S.A.) was an
ItalianThe Italian people are an ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common Italian culture, descent, and speaking the Italian language as a mother tongue...
operaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score. Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
tic
baritoneBaritone is a type of classical male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek βαρύτονος, meaning 'deep sounding', music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second G below middle C to the F above...
of the first rank. Amato enjoyed an international reputation but attained the peak of his fame in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
, where he sang with the
Metropolitan OperaThe Metropolitan Opera Association of New York City, founded in April 1880, is a major presenter of all types of opera including Grand Opera. Peter Gelb is the company's general manager. The music director is James Levine....
in 1908-1921.
Early career
Amato was born in Naples and studied locally at the Conservatory of
San Pietro a MaiellaSan Pietro a Maiella is a church in Naples, Italy. The term may also refer to the adjacent Naples music conservatory, which occupies the premises of the monastery that used to form a single complex with the church....
under Beniamino Carelli and Vincenzo Lombardo. In 1900, he made his debut at the Teatro Bellini in Naples as Germont père in
La traviataLa traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on the novel La dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas, fils, published in 1848. The title "La traviata" means literally The Woman Who Strayed, or perhaps more figuratively, The...
. Engagements followed in
GenoaGenoa is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria. The city has a population of about 610,000 and the urban area has a population of about 900,000...
and Rome. Over the next few years he sang also in Monte Carlo, Germany, parts of eastern Europe and Argentina. In 1904, he appeared at London's
Royal Opera HouseThe Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in the London district of Covent Garden. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal...
,
Covent GardenCovent Garden is a district in London, England, located in the easternmost parts of the City of Westminster and the southwestern corner of the London Borough of Camden...
, with the
Teatro di San CarloThe Real Teatro di San Carlo is an opera house in Naples, Italy. It is the oldest continuously active such venue in Europe and it is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site....
Company; but although well-received, he was not invited back.
He was engaged by Italy's number-one opera house,
La ScalaLa Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal Theatre of La Scala La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally...
,
MilanMilan in Italy, is the capital of the region of Lombardia and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while the urban area is the fifth largest in the E.U. with an estimated population of 4.3 million...
, and sang there in 1907 under the baton of the great
Arturo ToscaniniArturo Toscanini was an Italian conductor. One of the most acclaimed musicians of the late 19th and 20th Centuries, he was renowned for his brilliant intensity, his restless perfectionism, his phenomenal ear for orchestral detail and sonority, and his photographic memory...
. His voice had matured by now into a top-class instrument and he was praised for his versatility and artistic integrity. Indeed, in 1913 he was accorded the honour of taking part in the Verdi centenary commemoration at the
BussetoBusseto is a commune in the province of Parma, in Emilia-Romagna in Northern Italy. It became home of the opera composer Giuseppe Verdi when he moved there in 1824.- Main sites :...
Theatre. He appeared at the commemoration in
La traviata and
FalstaffFalstaff is an operatic commedia lirica in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, adapted by Arrigo Boito from Shakespeare's plays The Merry Wives of Windsor and scenes from Henry IV. It was Verdi's last opera, written in the composer's ninth decade, and only the second of his 26 operas to be a comedy...
with Toscanini conducting. Other important operatic roles which Amato sang in Italy prior to World War I included
AmonasroAida is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette...
in
AidaAida is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette...
,
MarcelloLa bohème is an opera in four acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger. The world première performance of La bohème was in Turin on February 1, 1896 at the Teatro Regio and conducted by the young Arturo...
in
La bohèmeLa bohème is an opera in four acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger. The world première performance of La bohème was in Turin on February 1, 1896 at the Teatro Regio and conducted by the young Arturo...
, the title part in
RigolettoRigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851...
, as well as Golaud in
Pelléas et MélisandePelléas et Mélisande is an opera in five acts with music by Claude Debussy. It was first performed at the Opéra-Comique, Paris on 30 April 1902. The French libretto was adapted from the Symbolist play of the same name by Maurice Maeterlinck...
,
KurwenalTristan und Isolde is an opera, or music drama, in three acts by Richard Wagner to a German libretto by the composer, based largely on the romance by Gottfried von Straßburg...
in
Tristan und IsoldeTristan und Isolde is an opera, or music drama, in three acts by Richard Wagner to a German libretto by the composer, based largely on the romance by Gottfried von Straßburg...
,
ScarpiaTosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Victorien Sardou's drama, La Tosca. The work premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on January 14 1900. It is one of the world's most popular operas, a hit with audiences...
in
ToscaTosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Victorien Sardou's drama, La Tosca. The work premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on January 14 1900. It is one of the world's most popular operas, a hit with audiences...
and
BarnabaLa Gioconda is an opera in four acts by Amilcare Ponchielli to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Angelo, tyran de Padoue, a play in prose by Victor Hugo, dating from 1835....
in
La GiocondaLa Gioconda is an opera in four acts by Amilcare Ponchielli to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Angelo, tyran de Padoue, a play in prose by Victor Hugo, dating from 1835....
.
New York
Amato repeated some of these roles at the Metropolitan Opera, where Toscanini had gone to conduct and where Amato made his debut in 1908. He maintained a taxing performance schedule at the Met until he left the company in 1921, appearing in a number of operatic works that he had not undertaken before. In 1910, for example, he sang in
Gluck'sChristoph Willibald Ritter von Gluck was an opera composer of the early classical period. After many years at the Habsburg court at Vienna, Gluck brought about the practical reform of opera's dramaturgical practices that many intellectuals had been campaigning for over the years...
ArmideArmide is an opera by Christoph Willibald Gluck, his fourth for the Parisian stage and the composer's own favourite among his works. It was first performed in Paris at the Académie Royale on September 23, 1777....
, along with
Olive FremstadOlive Fremstad . was the stage name of Anna Olivia Rundquist, a celebrated Swedish-American mezzo-soprano and soprano opera singer. She received her early education and musical training in Christiania. When she was 12 years of age her parents moved to America, settling in Minneapolis...
,
Enrico CarusoEnrico Caruso was an Italian tenor who sang to acclaim at the major opera houses of Europe and North and South America...
,
Louise HomerLouise Homer was a American operatic contralto. She created the Witch in Engelbert Humperdinck's opera Louise Homer was a [[United States|American]] [[opera]]tic [[contralto]]...
and
Alma GluckAlma Gluck , was an American soprano, one of the world's most famous female singers at the peak of her career . Marcia Davenport was the child of her first marriage ; Alma Gluck later married violinist Efrem Zimbalist and had two children, Efrem Jr...
. In that same year, he also created the part of Jack Rance in Puccini's
La fanciulla del WestLa fanciulla del West is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Guelfo Civinini and Carlo Zangarini, based on the play The Girl of the Golden West by David Belasco...
, singing opposite Caruso,
Dinh GillyDinh Gilly was a French-Algerian baritone. He studied in Toulouse, Rome and at the Paris Conservatoire where he won a premier prix in 1902. He made his debut at the Paris Opera as Silvio in Leoncavallo's Pagliacci in 1902. In 1908 he left the Paris Opera and from 1909 to 1914 he worked at the...
and
Antonio Pini-CorsiAntonio Pini-Corsi was an Italian operatic baritone of international renown. He possessed a ripe-toned voice of great flexibility that displayed tremendous skill at patter singing...
.
In 1913, he created the title role in
Cyrano de Bergerac by Walter Damrosch.
Frances AldaFrances Alda , born Fanny Jane Davis, was a New Zealand-born, Australian-raised lyric soprano. She achieved fame as an operatic diva during the first three decades of the 20th Century due to her outstanding singing voice, fine technique and colourful personality...
and
Riccardo MartinRiccardo Martin was an American tenor.Born Hugh Whitfield Martin in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, Martin was granted an endowment which allowed him, in 1901, to go to Paris to study with Giovanni Sbriglia and Jean de Reszke; he later completed his studies with Vincenzo Lombardi in Florence. He debuted...
were also in the cast. He performed, too, in that year's production of
Un ballo in mascheraUn ballo in maschera , is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi with text by Antonio Somma. The opera's first production was at the Teatro Apollo, Rome, 17 February 1859....
with Caruso,
Emmy DestinnEmmy Destinn was a renowned Czech operatic soprano.- Biography :Destinn was born Emílie Pavlína Věnceslava Kittlová in Prague, in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire....
,
Margarete MatzenauerMargarete Matzenauer was a world famous opera singer and soprano....
and
Frieda HempelFrieda Hempel was a celebrated German soprano singer in operatic and concert work who had an international career in Europe and the United States....
, and with them again in
Arrigo BoitoArrigo Boito , aka Enrico Giuseppe Giovanni Boito, pseudonym Tobia Gorrio, was an Italian poet, journalist, novelist and composer, best known today for his opera libretti and his own opera, Mefistofele.-Biography:...
's
MefistofeleMefistofele is an opera in a prologue, four acts and an epilogue, the only completed opera by the Italian composer-librettist Arrigo Boito....
. In
La Gioconda, he featured with Destinn and Margaret Arndt-Ober. Amato was especially admired as Escamillo in
CarmenCarmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
, supporting
Geraldine FarrarGeraldine Farrar was a soprano opera singer and film actress. She had a large following among young women, who were nicknamed "Gerry-flappers".- Early life and opera career :...
, Caruso and Alda, when the opera was successfully revived in 1914. Also in 1914 he was Manfredo (opposite
Adamo DidurAdamo Didur was a top-class Polish bass. He sang extensively in opera in Europe and appeared at New York's Metropolitan Opera from 1908 to 1932....
and
Lucrezia BoriLucrezia Bori was a celebrated Spanish operatic singer, a lyric soprano. Her real name was Lucrecia Borja y González de Riancho and her family were reputed to be descended from the Borgias....
) in Montemezzi's
L'amore dei tre reL'amore dei tre re is an opera in three acts by Italo Montemezzi. Its Italian-language libretto was written by playwright Sem Benelli who based it on his own play of the same title.-Performance history:...
, when that new work came to New York, and in 1915 he created the part of Napoleon in
Umberto GiordanoUmberto Menotti Maria Giordano was an Italian composer, mainly of operas.He was born in Foggia in Puglia, southern Italy, and studied under Paolo Serrao at the Conservatoire of Naples...
's
Madame Sans-GêneMadame Sans-Gêne is an opera in three acts by Umberto Giordano. The libretto was taken from Victorien Sardou and Emile Moreau's play, adapted for the opera by Renato Simoni.-Performance history:...
, with Farrar as Catherine. In 1916, he gave the premiere American performance of the role of Giovanni in
Riccardo ZandonaiRiccardo Zandonai was an Italian opera composer.-Biography:Zandonai was born in Sacco di Rovereto, then part of Austria-Hungary....
's
Francesca da RiminiFrancesca da Rimini is an opera in four acts, composed by Riccardo Zandonai, with libretto by Tito Ricordi, , after a play by Gabriele D'Annunzio. It was premiered at the Teatro Regio in Turin on February 19, 1914, and is still staged occasionally....
(opposite Alda and
Giovanni MartinelliGiovanni Martinelli was a celebrated Italian operatic tenor. He was particularly associated with the Italian lyric-dramatic repertory, although he performed French operatic roles to great acclaim as well...
), and in 1918 that of Gianetto (with Farrar, Caruso, and Didur) in
Mascagni'sPietro Mascagni was an Italian composer most noted for his operas. His 1890 masterpiece, Cavalleria rusticana, caused one of the greatest sensations in opera history and singlehandedly ushered in the Verismo movement in Italian dramatic music...
LodolettaLodoletta is a dramma lirico or lyric opera in three acts by Pietro Mascagni . The libretto is by Giovacchino Forzano, and is based on the novel Two Little Wooden Shoes by Marie Louise de la Ramée, ....
.
Amato's punishingly high work-rate took its toll on his voice and he retired to Italy during the 1920s owing to ill-health. But in 1933, 25 years after his American debut, he appeared there again at the
New York HippodromeThe Hippodrome Theatre stood in New York City from 1905 to 1939, at 6th Avenue and 43rd/44th, on the site of what is now a large modern office building known as "The Hippodrome Center" , in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan...
, singing the role of
Germont pèreLa traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on the novel La dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas, fils, published in 1848. The title "La traviata" means literally The Woman Who Strayed, or perhaps more figuratively, The...
. Amato had an affinity with America and, in 1935, he was made Head of Studies in voice and opera at the
Louisiana State UniversityLouisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 near Pineville, Louisiana, under the name Louisiana State...
. He died at the age of 64 in the New York Borough of Queens.
Quoted appraisal
Amato in his prime possessed a superb high baritone voice of wide compass. According to Michael Scott in
The Record of SingingThe Record of Singing is the most important compilation of singing from the first half of the 20th century, the era of the 78 rpm record.It was published by EMI, successor to the British company His Master's Voice , the leading organization in the early history of audio recording.It covers the...
Amato had a distinctive ringing vocal tone and although not quite so powerful as
Mario Sammarco Mario Sammarco was an Italian operatic baritone.Sammarco was born in Palermo, Sicily, and studied with Antonio Cantelli. He made his operatic début in Palermo as Valentine in Faust in 1888. He subsequently sang to acclaim in Milan, Buenos Aires and London...
nor having so dark and dramatic a timbre as
Titta RuffoTitta Ruffo , was an Italian opera singer, generally regarded as the greatest Italian baritone of his generation - or any generation since...
(two baritones with whom his audiences were familiar in similar repertoire), his voice was securely supported, appealing in its focus, tonal quality and openness of vowels, thoroughly resonant and carrying, and masterly in phrasing and cantabile. He was one of the most distinctive singers of his age.
Recordings
A number of extremely impressive
gramophone recordA gramophone record, commonly known as phonograph record, vinyl record, or simply record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed modulated spiral groove usually starting near the periphery and ending near the centre of the disc...
ings were made by Amato in America for
HMVHis Master's Voice is a famous trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record label. The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up gramophone...
/
Victor RecordsThe Victor Talking Machine Company was an American corporation, the leading American producer of phonographs and phonograph records and one of the leading phonograph companies in the world at the time. It was headquartered in Camden, New Jersey....
, including duets with Caruso and other stars of the Met. His 1914 Victor recording of "Eri tu", for example, is considered by many critics to be the finest version ever committed to disc. (Prior to his contract with Victor, he had made a series of recordings for
Fonotipia RecordsFonotipia Records, or Dischi Fonotipia, was an Italian gramophone record label established exclusively to record the art of celebrities, principally opera singers, in 1904 and which continued after 1925 into the electrical recording era, when it was absorbed into Odeon records...
in Italy.)
External links
Sources
- A. Eaglefield-Hull, A Dictionary of Modern Music and Musicians (Dent, London 1924).
- G. Kobbé
Gustav Kobbé M.A. was an American music critic and author, best known for his guide to the operas, The Complete Opera Book, first published in the United States in 1919 and the United Kingdom in 1922.- Biography :Kobbé was born in March 1857 in New York City to William...
, The Complete Opera BookThe Complete Opera Book is a guide to operas by American music critic and author Gustav Kobbé first published in the United States in 1919 and the United Kingdom in 1922...
(Putnam, London 1935 printing).
- H. Rosenthal and J. Warrack, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera (OUP, London 1974 printing).
- M. Scott, The Record of Singing
The Record of Singing is the most important compilation of singing from the first half of the 20th century, the era of the 78 rpm record.It was published by EMI, successor to the British company His Master's Voice , the leading organization in the early history of audio recording.It covers the...
Volume I (Duckworth, London 1977).
- J.B. Steane
John Barry Steane is an English music critic and musicologist, with a particular interest in singing and the human voice....
, The Grand Tradition (Duckworth, London, 1974).