Giovanni Martinelli
Encyclopedia
Giovanni 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. Martinelli was one of the most famous tenors of the 20th century, enjoying a long career at the Metropolitan Opera
in New York City and appearing at other major international theatres.
, Veneto
.
After service as a clarinetist in a military band, he studied with Giuseppe Mandolini in Milan
, and made his professional debut at the Teatro Dal Verme
, as Ernani
in 1910. The role of Dick Johnson in La fanciulla del West
became his passport role, he sang it for his debut in Rome (under Toscanini), Brescia, Naples, Genoa, all in 1911, as well as in Monte Carlo and La Scala
, in 1912. Cavaradossi in Tosca
, was his debut role at the Royal Opera House
, Covent Garden
, in London, and for his first American engagement in Philadelphia, in 1913. On 25 April 1913 he portrayed Pantagruel in the world premiere of Jules Massenet
's Panurge
at the Théâtre de la Gaîté
in Paris
.
Martinelli's New York Metropolitan Opera
debut took place on November 20, 1913, as Rodolfo in La Bohème
, where the young tenor's easy high C and pure, silvery tone attracted favorable attention. He remained a Met mainstay for 32 seasons, with 926 performances of 36 roles. He appeared most often as Radames in Aida
, Otello
, Manrico in Il trovatore
, Don Alvaro in La forza del destino
, Calaf in Turandot
, and Dick Johnson in La fanciulla del West, but also as Arnold in Guglielmo Tell, Eleazar in La Juive
, Enzo in La Gioconda
, Don Jose in Carmen
, Vasco de Gama in L'Africaine
, Canio in Pagliacci
, Pollione in Norma
.
Martinelli also sang in Boston, San Francisco and Chicago, often trying out new roles before singing them at the Met.
Outside the United States, Martinelli appeared in Paris and Buenos Aires during his prime; but, oddly enough, his native Italy did not hear him at his peak. In 1937, he returned to London to sing at Covent Garden in highly acclaimed performances of Otello, and as Calaf opposite the exceptionally powerful English dramatic soprano Eva Turner
. He retired from the stage in 1950, although he gave one final performance at the age of 82 as the Emperor Altoum, in Turandot, in Seattle. After retiring from the stage he taught singing in New York. One of his pupils was tenor Jack Harrold
.
Martinelli was essentially a spinto
tenor of steely brilliance, commanding a strong high C. His rigorously-controlled technique gave him exceptional breath control although it did not prohibit some occasional tightness and squeezing out of notes, particularly during the later phase of his career. His interpretive style was generally restrained and noble, but he was capable of delivering passionate histrionic outbursts where appropriate in such melodramatic roles as Canio and Eleazar.
As his voice matured during the early 1920s, some music commentators in New York regarded him as being Enrico Caruso's successor in dramatic parts, even though the timbre
of their voices were markedly different. (Caruso's tone was much richer and warmer than Martinelli's.) Martinelli's forward, vibrant projection and broad phrasing found their supreme expression in Verdi's operas, ranging from Ernani
to Otello. In lyrical or light-hearted music, however, his voice production could be too forceful and stiff.
In private life, Martinelli was said to be something of a playboy, possessing a charming personality, a wealth of memorable anecdotes, and an impressive head of hair that grew silver with age.
and Rosa Ponselle
, contralto Louise Homer
, baritones Giuseppe De Luca
and Lawrence Tibbett
, and the bass Ezio Pinza
.
Transcription recordings were made of some of his live performances, including a 1935 concert of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis
with Arturo Toscanini
and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (which also featured Elisabeth Rethberg
, Marion Telva, and Ezio Pinza
(broadcast by CBS
), a 1939 performance of Verdi's Simon Boccanegra
by the Metropolitan Opera
, also with Rethberg and Pinza (broadcast by NBC
), and various Otellos from the 1930s onwards—including a 1941 version with Lawrence Tibbett
, Stella Roman
, and Alessio de Paolis
, under Ettore Panizza
. Some of these trancriptions have been issued on LP and CD.
Several 16mm kinescope films prints of a 1950's TV series hosted by him called Opera Cameos
are stored at the Paley Center for Media.
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 was particularly associated with the Italian lyric-dramatic repertory, although he performed French operatic roles to great acclaim as well. Martinelli was one of the most famous tenors of the 20th century, enjoying a long career at 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...
in New York City and appearing at other major international theatres.
Biography and career
Martinelli was born in MontagnanaMontagnana
Montagnana is a town and comune in the province of Padova, in Veneto . It is bounded by other communes of Saletto, Megliadino San Fidenzio, Casale di Scodosia, Urbana, Bevilacqua, Pojana Maggiore and Noventa Vicentina...
, Veneto
Veneto
Veneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 5 million, ranking 5th in Italy.Veneto had been for more than a millennium an independent state, the Republic of Venice, until it was eventually annexed by Italy in 1866 after brief Austrian and French rule...
.
After service as a clarinetist in a military band, he studied with Giuseppe Mandolini in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, and made his professional debut at the Teatro Dal Verme
Teatro Dal Verme
The Teatro Dal Verme is a theatre in Milan, Italy located on the Via San Giovanni sul Muro, on the site of the former private theatre the Politeama Ciniselli. It was designed by Giuseppe Pestagalli to a commission from Count Francesco Dal Verme, and was used primarily for plays and opera...
, as Ernani
Ernani
Ernani is an operatic dramma lirico in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the play Hernani by Victor Hugo. The first production took place at La Fenice Theatre, Venice on 9 March 1844...
in 1910. The role of Dick Johnson in 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...
became his passport role, he sang it for his debut in Rome (under Toscanini), Brescia, Naples, Genoa, all in 1911, as well as in Monte Carlo and 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 1912. Cavaradossi in Tosca
Tosca
Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900...
, was his debut role 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...
, Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
, in London, and for his first American engagement in Philadelphia, in 1913. On 25 April 1913 he portrayed Pantagruel in the world premiere of Jules Massenet
Jules Massenet
Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet was a French composer best known for his operas. His compositions were very popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and he ranks as one of the greatest melodists of his era. Soon after his death, Massenet's style went out of fashion, and many of his operas...
's Panurge
Panurge (opera)
Panurge is an opera in three acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Georges Spitzmuller and Maurice Boukay, after Pantagruel by Rabelais...
at the Théâtre de la Gaîté
Théâtre de la Gaîté (rue Papin)
In 1862 during Haussmann's modernization of Paris the Théâtre de la Gaîté of the boulevard du Temple was relocated to the rue Papin across from the Square des Arts et Métiers....
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Martinelli's New York 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...
debut took place on November 20, 1913, as Rodolfo in La Bohème
La bohème
La bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
, where the young tenor's easy high C and pure, silvery tone attracted favorable attention. He remained a Met mainstay for 32 seasons, with 926 performances of 36 roles. He appeared most often as Radames in 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...
, Otello
Otello
Otello is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play Othello. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, and was first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on February 5, 1887....
, Manrico in Il trovatore
Il trovatore
Il trovatore is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play El Trovador by Antonio García Gutiérrez. Cammarano died in mid-1852 before completing the libretto...
, Don Alvaro in La forza del destino
La forza del destino
La forza del destino is an Italian opera by Giuseppe Verdi. The libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on a Spanish drama, Don Álvaro o la fuerza del sino , by Ángel de Saavedra, Duke of Rivas, with a scene adapted from Friedrich Schiller's Wallensteins Lager. It was first performed...
, Calaf in Turandot
Turandot
Turandot is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, set to a libretto in Italian by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni.Though Puccini's first interest in the subject was based on his reading of Friedrich Schiller's adaptation of the play, his work is most nearly based on the earlier text Turandot...
, and Dick Johnson in La fanciulla del West, but also as Arnold in Guglielmo Tell, Eleazar in La Juive
La Juive
La Juive is a grand opera in five acts by Fromental Halévy to an original French libretto by Eugène Scribe; it was first performed at the Opéra, Paris, on February 23, 1835.-Composition history:...
, Enzo in La Gioconda
La Gioconda (opera)
La Gioconda is an opera in four acts by Amilcare Ponchielli set to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Angelo, tyran de Padoue, a play in prose by Victor Hugo, dating from 1835...
, Don Jose in Carmen
Carmen
Carmen 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 possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
, Vasco de Gama in L'Africaine
L'Africaine
L'africaine is a grand opera, the last work of the composer Giacomo Meyerbeer. The French libretto was written by Eugène Scribe. The opera is about fictitious events in the life of the real historical person Vasco da Gama...
, Canio in Pagliacci
Pagliacci
Pagliacci , sometimes incorrectly rendered with a definite article as I Pagliacci, is an opera consisting of a prologue and two acts written and composed by Ruggero Leoncavallo. It recounts the tragedy of a jealous husband in a commedia dell'arte troupe...
, Pollione in Norma
Norma (opera)
Norma is a tragedia lirica or opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini with libretto by Felice Romani after Norma, ossia L'infanticidio by Alexandre Soumet. First produced at La Scala on December 26, 1831, it is generally regarded as an example of the supreme height of the bel canto tradition...
.
Martinelli also sang in Boston, San Francisco and Chicago, often trying out new roles before singing them at the Met.
Outside the United States, Martinelli appeared in Paris and Buenos Aires during his prime; but, oddly enough, his native Italy did not hear him at his peak. In 1937, he returned to London to sing at Covent Garden in highly acclaimed performances of Otello, and as Calaf opposite the exceptionally powerful English dramatic soprano Eva Turner
Eva Turner
Dame Eva Turner DBE was an English dramatic soprano with an international reputation. Her strong, steady and well-trained voice was renowned for its clarion power in Italian and German operatic roles.-Career:...
. He retired from the stage in 1950, although he gave one final performance at the age of 82 as the Emperor Altoum, in Turandot, in Seattle. After retiring from the stage he taught singing in New York. One of his pupils was tenor Jack Harrold
Jack Harrold
Jack Harrold was an American operatic tenor and voice teacher. Admired for his comedic skills, he specialized in the tenor buffo repertoire. He had a particularly long association with the New York City Opera from the 1940s through the 1980s. He also appeared in several Broadway musicals...
.
Martinelli was essentially a spinto
Spinto
Spinto is a vocal term used to characterize a soprano or tenor voice of a weight between lyric and dramatic that is capable of handling large musical climaxes in opera at moderate intervals...
tenor of steely brilliance, commanding a strong high C. His rigorously-controlled technique gave him exceptional breath control although it did not prohibit some occasional tightness and squeezing out of notes, particularly during the later phase of his career. His interpretive style was generally restrained and noble, but he was capable of delivering passionate histrionic outbursts where appropriate in such melodramatic roles as Canio and Eleazar.
As his voice matured during the early 1920s, some music commentators in New York regarded him as being Enrico Caruso's successor in dramatic parts, even though the timbre
Timbre
In music, timbre is the quality of a musical note or sound or tone that distinguishes different types of sound production, such as voices and musical instruments, such as string instruments, wind instruments, and percussion instruments. The physical characteristics of sound that determine the...
of their voices were markedly different. (Caruso's tone was much richer and warmer than Martinelli's.) Martinelli's forward, vibrant projection and broad phrasing found their supreme expression in Verdi's operas, ranging from Ernani
Ernani
Ernani is an operatic dramma lirico in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the play Hernani by Victor Hugo. The first production took place at La Fenice Theatre, Venice on 9 March 1844...
to Otello. In lyrical or light-hearted music, however, his voice production could be too forceful and stiff.
In private life, Martinelli was said to be something of a playboy, possessing a charming personality, a wealth of memorable anecdotes, and an impressive head of hair that grew silver with age.
Recordings
Martinelli made a large number of commercial recordings by the acoustic and electrical processes which are available on CDs issued by various companies. Some feature other great Met singers of Martinelli's day, including the sopranos Frances AldaFrances Alda
Frances Alda was a New Zealand-born, Australian-raised operatic soprano. She achieved fame during the first three decades of the 20th century due to her outstanding singing voice, fine technique and colourful personality—and frequent onstage partnerships at the New York Metropolitan Opera with the...
and Rosa Ponselle
Rosa Ponselle
Rosa Ponselle , was an American operatic soprano with a large, opulent voice. She sang mainly at the New York Metropolitan Opera and is generally considered by music critics to have been one of the greatest sopranos of the past 100 years.-Early life:She was born Rosa Ponzillo on January 22, 1897,...
, contralto Louise Homer
Louise Homer
Louise Homer was an American operatic contralto who had an active international career in concert halls and opera houses from 1895 until her retirement in 1932. After a brief stint as a vaudeville entertainer in New England, she made her professional opera debut in France in 1898...
, baritones Giuseppe De Luca
Giuseppe de Luca
Giuseppe De Luca , was a famous Italian baritone who achieved his greatest triumphs at the New York Metropolitan Opera...
and Lawrence Tibbett
Lawrence Tibbett
Lawrence Mervil Tibbett was a great American opera singer and recording artist who also performed as a film actor and radio personality. A baritone, he sang with the New York Metropolitan Opera company more than 600 times from 1923 to 1950...
, and the bass Ezio Pinza
Ezio Pinza
Ezio Pinza was an Italian basso opera singer with a rich, smooth and sonorous voice. He spent 22 seasons at New York's Metropolitan Opera, appearing in more than 750 performances of 50 operas...
.
Transcription recordings were made of some of his live performances, including a 1935 concert of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis
Missa Solemnis
Missa Solemnis is Latin for solemn mass, and is a name which has been applied to a number of musical settings of the mass, especially particularly serious or large-scale ones.The following are notable examples:...
with Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini was an Italian conductor. One of the most acclaimed musicians of the late 19th and 20th century, he was renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orchestral detail and sonority, and his photographic memory...
and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (which also featured Elisabeth Rethberg
Elisabeth Rethberg
The German soprano Elisabeth Rethberg was an opera singer of international repute active from the period of the First World War through to the early 1940s. Some hailed her as the greatest soprano of her day...
, Marion Telva, and Ezio Pinza
Ezio Pinza
Ezio Pinza was an Italian basso opera singer with a rich, smooth and sonorous voice. He spent 22 seasons at New York's Metropolitan Opera, appearing in more than 750 performances of 50 operas...
(broadcast by CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
), a 1939 performance of Verdi's Simon Boccanegra
Simon Boccanegra
Simon Boccanegra is an opera with a prologue and three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the play Simón Bocanegra by Antonio García Gutiérrez....
by 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...
, also with Rethberg and Pinza (broadcast by NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
), and various Otellos from the 1930s onwards—including a 1941 version with Lawrence Tibbett
Lawrence Tibbett
Lawrence Mervil Tibbett was a great American opera singer and recording artist who also performed as a film actor and radio personality. A baritone, he sang with the New York Metropolitan Opera company more than 600 times from 1923 to 1950...
, Stella Roman
Stella Roman
Stella Roman was a Romanian operatic soprano whose career brought her leading roles in Italy and the United States.-Background and training:...
, and Alessio de Paolis
Alessio De Paolis
Alessio De Paolis was an Italian operatic tenor who specialized in character roles. He was a prominent member of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City where he sang from 1938 to 1964. At the Met De Paolis performed 51 different roles, primarily in the Italian and French repertoires, in a...
, under Ettore Panizza
Ettore Panizza
Ettore Panizza was an Argentinian conductor and composer, one of the leading conductors of the early 20th century. Panizza possessed technical mastery and was popular and influential during his time, widely admired by Richard Strauss.- Biography :Panizza was born in Buenos Aires, of Italian parents...
. Some of these trancriptions have been issued on LP and CD.
Several 16mm kinescope films prints of a 1950's TV series hosted by him called Opera Cameos
Opera Cameos
Opera Cameos was a TV series which aired on the DuMont Television Network from November 8, 1953, to January 9, 1955, when DuMont was dropping most of their TV series due to financial troubles caused by Paramount Pictures and the Federal Communications Commission . DuMont often broadcast niche...
are stored at the Paley Center for Media.
Sources
- Roland Mancini and Jean-Jacques Rouveroux, (orig. H. Rosenthal and J. Warrack, French edition), Guide de l’opéra, Les indispensables de la musique (Fayard, 1995). ISBN 2-213-01563-6
- Harold Rosenthal and John Warrack, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera, second edition, (Oxford University Press, London, 1980).
- J. B. Steane, The Grand Tradition (Duckworth, London, 1974).
External links
- Official website (English version to follow)
- History of the Tenor - Sound Clips and Narration
- - Biography