Angelo Badà
Encyclopedia
Angelo Badà was an Italian opera
tic tenor
. He had a lengthy association with the Metropolitan Opera
of New York City where he gave a total of 2,170 performance in 94 different operas in over 100 different roles from 1908 through 1938. Only two singers in the Met's history have made more appearances with the company: Charles Anthony and George Cehanovsky. He mostly appeared in comprimario
roles during his career, although he did occasionally perform larger parts. His repertoire encompassed operas in the English, Italian, French, and German languages
, Badà studied singing in his native city with Cecilio Manfredi. He made his professional opera debut in January 1900 as the "messenger" in Giuseppe Verdi
's Aida
. He spent the next eight years performing mainly comprimario roles in major opera houses in Italy, including La Scala
in Milan and the Teatro di San Carlo
in Naples. He also made appearances at the Royal Opera House
in London.
Badà joined the roster of singers at the Metropolitan Opera in the fall of 1908. He made his debut with the company on November 16, 1908. He remained with the company for 30 season, giving his last appearance with the company on April 9, 1938. During those years he also appeared as a guest artist in operas, recitals, and concerts in Europe, South America, Australia, and Africa. At the Met he sang in the world premieres of several operas, including Giacomo Puccini
's, La fanciulla del West
(1910), Umberto Giordano
's Madame Sans-Gêne
(1915), Charles Wakefield Cadman
's Shanewis (1918), Puccini's Il tabarro
(1918), Puccini's Gianni Schicchi
(1918), Albert Wolff's, L'oiseau bleu
(1919), and Deems Taylor
's Peter Ibbetson
(1931).
After leaving the Met, Badà returned to Novara where he built a large mansion and lived in retirement. He died after a brief illness three years later in his native city. He is buried in the Novara Cemetery.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
tic tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
. He had a lengthy association with the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
of New York City where he gave a total of 2,170 performance in 94 different operas in over 100 different roles from 1908 through 1938. Only two singers in the Met's history have made more appearances with the company: Charles Anthony and George Cehanovsky. He mostly appeared in comprimario
Comprimario
A Comprimario is a supporting role in an opera. Derived from the Italian "con primario", or "with the primary", the term refers to a performer who sings small role pieces....
roles during his career, although he did occasionally perform larger parts. His repertoire encompassed operas in the English, Italian, French, and German languages
Life and career
Born in NovaraNovara
Novara is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With c. 105,000 inhabitants, it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It is an important crossroads for commercial traffic along the routes from Milan to Turin...
, Badà studied singing in his native city with Cecilio Manfredi. He made his professional opera debut in January 1900 as the "messenger" in Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
's Aida
Aida
Aida sometimes spelled Aïda, 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...
. He spent the next eight years performing mainly comprimario roles in major opera houses in Italy, including La Scala
La Scala
La 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-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
in Milan and the Teatro di San Carlo
Teatro di San Carlo
The Real Teatro di San Carlo is an opera house in Naples, Italy. It is the oldest continuously active such venue in Europe.Founded by the Bourbon Charles VII of Naples of the Spanish branch of the dynasty, the theatre was inaugurated on 4 November 1737 — the king's name day — with a performance...
in Naples. He also made appearances at the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. 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 Opera, The...
in London.
Badà joined the roster of singers at the Metropolitan Opera in the fall of 1908. He made his debut with the company on November 16, 1908. He remained with the company for 30 season, giving his last appearance with the company on April 9, 1938. During those years he also appeared as a guest artist in operas, recitals, and concerts in Europe, South America, Australia, and Africa. At the Met he sang in the world premieres of several operas, including Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
's, La fanciulla del West
La fanciulla del West
La 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 the American author David Belasco. Its highly-publicised premiere occurred in New York City in 1910...
(1910), Umberto Giordano
Umberto Giordano
Umberto 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-Gêne
Madame Sans-Gêne (opera)
Madame 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:...
(1915), Charles Wakefield Cadman
Charles Wakefield Cadman
Charles Wakefield Cadman was an American composer.Cadman’s musical education, unlike that of most of his American contemporaries, was completely American. Born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, he began piano lessons at 13...
's Shanewis (1918), Puccini's Il tabarro
Il tabarro
Il tabarro is an opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giuseppe Adami, based on Didier Gold's play La houppelande. It is the first of the trio of operas known as Il trittico...
(1918), Puccini's Gianni Schicchi
Gianni Schicchi
Gianni Schicchi is a comic opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano, composed in 1917–18. The libretto is based on an incident mentioned in Dante's Divine Comedy. The work is the third and final part of Puccini's Il trittico —three one-act operas with...
(1918), Albert Wolff's, L'oiseau bleu
L'oiseau bleu
L'oiseau bleu is an opera in four acts by the French composer and conductor Albert Wolff. The libretto by Maurice Maeterlinck is based on his 1908 play of the same name.-Performance history:...
(1919), and Deems Taylor
Deems Taylor
Joseph Deems Taylor was a U.S. composer, music critic, and promoter of classical music.-Career:Taylor initially planned to become an architect; however, despite minimal musical training he soon took to music composition. The result was a series of works for orchestra and/or voices...
's Peter Ibbetson
Peter Ibbetson (opera)
Note: This article is about the opera. For the 1935 film of the same name, see Peter Ibbetson.Peter Ibbetson is an opera in three acts by American composer Deems Taylor from a libretto by Constance Collier and Deems Taylor based on the 1891 novel by George du Maurier. Taylor's music is attractive,...
(1931).
After leaving the Met, Badà returned to Novara where he built a large mansion and lived in retirement. He died after a brief illness three years later in his native city. He is buried in the Novara Cemetery.
Sources
- Biography of Angelo Badà at www.oknovara.it
- Metropolitan Opera Archives
- Gianfranco Capra - Angelo Badaà, 30 anni al "Metropolitan" - quaderni novaresi - ediz.ZEN Iniziatove (marzo 2007)