Giuseppe Campanari
Encyclopedia
Giuseppe CampanariCooke (1921) gives his date of birth as 17 November 1858 but this is unlikely given the d.o.b. of his brother Leandro
. was an Italian
-born opera
tic baritone
and cellist
. He later became an American citizen.
Campanari performed initially as a cellist at Milan
's La Scala
and on tour in other parts of Europe
, but he later emigrated to the United States
, where he played first solo cello for the Boston Symphony Orchestra
, and was subsequently appointed professor of cello at the New England Conservatory of Music
in Boston
. He resigned from both positions to devote himself to singing, which he had studied as a second 'instrument' for years, becoming a major opera star with the Metropolitan Opera
.
In addition, he appeared at most of the major opera houses in Europe, including several seasons spent at the Royal Opera
in London
's Covent Garden
, and participated in concert tours with the great soprano
s Nordica
, Sembrich
, Melba and
Eames
.
in 1855 and was hailed as a cello virtuoso by the age of nine. He toured Europe with his brother Leandro
, giving concerts in the larger European cities. At the age of seventeen he was appointed first solo cellist at La Scala
in Milan
under conductor Alberto Mazzucato. During his career as a cellist, he appeared frequently in chamber music concerts
with leading artistes such as Joachim
, Wieniawski
and Saint-Saens At the same time, vocal art attracted him greatly and he studied voice on the side. His first attempt as an opera singer was in Un ballo in maschera
at the Teatro Dal Verme
in Milan in 1880. Grove states that he lost his voice and had to return to the orchestra pit but this is contradicted by the New York Times July 7, 1893.http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9901E3DB143EEF33A25751C0A9619C94629ED7CF After singing in the leading Italian cities, he went to Spain.
According to Imdb, his wife was named Mary but this information is questionable.The Imdb has an erroneous entry stating that Giuseppe was married to Persis Bell. This was the spouse of his brother Leandro Campanari
q.v..
by the management of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
and arrived in 1884, again taking the position of first solo cellist under conductor Wilhelm Gericke
. In 1888 he became one of the original members of the Adamowski String Quartet which was led by violinist Timothee Adamowski
.
He first sang Valentine in Faust
with the Emma Juch Opera Company
when their baritone, Alonzo Stoddard, fell ill, but it was not mentioned in the papers so nothing became of it. He continued to play cello but didn't sing professionally for two years. Finally, after the prominent conductor Arthur Nikisch
gave him an opening in Louisville, Kentucky
, he started to receive more engagements.
Campanari made his official operatic debut as Tonio in I Pagliacci with Hinrichs' Opera Company
in New York City
on 15 June 1893, being the first singer to perform the role in the United States.
His New York Metropolitan Opera
debut came on 30 November 1894, when he sang the role of the Count di Luna in Il Trovatore
He had previously sung this role with Hinrichs and the New York Times (May 16, 1893) described that performance as "the most satisfactory work of the evening". with the great heroic tenor
Tamagno
as Manrico. In 1895, he had his first notable success singing Ford in the first American production of Falstaff
, with Victor Maurel
in the title role. He also sang the Met's first Marcello in La Bohème
(1900) and their first Papageno in Die Zauberflöte (1902–1903) which was performed in Italian.
Campanari remained with the Met until 1912. He gave more than 200 performances during his career there.
After his retirement from serious music, he briefly dabbled in vaudeville
but found the two-show-a-day schedule too gruelling at his age. He then taught voice in New York and later in Milan where his daughter Marina achieved success as a soprano. He died in Milan in 1927 at the age of 71.
Campanari made a number of acoustic recordings prior to World War I
. His first recording session was with the Columbia label in 1903. Despite the early date of his discs, they are remarkable for their clarity, and they display the warmth and agility of his fine, steady, well-trained voice to good effect. Some of his recordings are available on CD reissues.
Leandro Campanari
Leandro Campanari Although Baker gives his dob as 1857,The New York Times gives his dob. as October 20, 1859, as does the music magazine The Etude . The Etude biographical note is based on a personal interview. was an Italian violinist, conductor, composer and music teacher...
. was an Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
-born opera
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 baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
and cellist
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
. He later became an American citizen.
Campanari performed initially as a cellist at 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 ,...
's 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...
and on tour in other parts of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, but he later emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where he played first solo cello for the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at the Tanglewood Music Center...
, and was subsequently appointed professor of cello at the New England Conservatory of Music
New England Conservatory of Music
The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, is the oldest independent school of music in the United States.The conservatory is home each year to 750 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate studies along with 1400 more in its Preparatory School as well as the School of...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. He resigned from both positions to devote himself to singing, which he had studied as a second 'instrument' for years, becoming a major opera star 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...
.
In addition, he appeared at most of the major opera houses in Europe, including several seasons spent at the Royal Opera
Royal Opera
Royal Opera or Royal Opera House may refer to:* Khedivial Opera House, Cairo, Egypt; burnt down in 1971* Kungliga Operan, opera house and opera company in Sweden* Opéra Royal de Versailles, France* Opéra Royal de Wallonie, opera house in Liège, Belgium...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's 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...
, and participated in concert tours with the great soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
s Nordica
Lillian Nordica
Lillian Nordica was an American opera singer who had a major stage career in Europe and her native country....
, Sembrich
Marcella Sembrich
Marcella Sembrich was the stage name of the Polish coloratura soprano, Prakseda Marcelina Kochańska...
, Melba and
Eames
Emma Eames
Emma Eames was an American soprano renowned for the beauty of her voice. She sang major lyric and lyric-dramatic roles in opera and had an important career in New York, London and Paris during the last decade of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century.-Early life:The daughter of...
.
Early career
Giuseppe Campanari was born in VeniceVenice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
in 1855 and was hailed as a cello virtuoso by the age of nine. He toured Europe with his brother Leandro
Leandro Campanari
Leandro Campanari Although Baker gives his dob as 1857,The New York Times gives his dob. as October 20, 1859, as does the music magazine The Etude . The Etude biographical note is based on a personal interview. was an Italian violinist, conductor, composer and music teacher...
, giving concerts in the larger European cities. At the age of seventeen he was appointed first solo cellist at 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
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 ,...
under conductor Alberto Mazzucato. During his career as a cellist, he appeared frequently in chamber music concerts
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
with leading artistes such as Joachim
Joseph Joachim
Joseph Joachim was a Hungarian violinist, conductor, composer and teacher. A close collaborator of Johannes Brahms, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant violinists of the 19th century.-Origins:...
, Wieniawski
Henryk Wieniawski
Henryk Wieniawski was a Polish violinist and composer.-Biography:Henryk Wieniawski was born in Lublin, Congress Poland, Russian Empire. His father, Tobiasz Pietruszka, had converted to Catholicism. His talent for playing the violin was recognized early, and in 1843 he entered the Paris...
and Saint-Saens At the same time, vocal art attracted him greatly and he studied voice on the side. His first attempt as an opera singer was in Un ballo in maschera
Un ballo in maschera
Un ballo in maschera , is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi with text by Antonio Somma. The libretto is loosely based on an 1833 play, Gustave III, by French playwright Eugène Scribe who wrote about the historical assassination of King Gustav III of Sweden...
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...
in Milan in 1880. Grove states that he lost his voice and had to return to the orchestra pit but this is contradicted by the New York Times July 7, 1893.http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9901E3DB143EEF33A25751C0A9619C94629ED7CF After singing in the leading Italian cities, he went to Spain.
According to Imdb, his wife was named Mary but this information is questionable.The Imdb has an erroneous entry stating that Giuseppe was married to Persis Bell. This was the spouse of his brother Leandro Campanari
Leandro Campanari
Leandro Campanari Although Baker gives his dob as 1857,The New York Times gives his dob. as October 20, 1859, as does the music magazine The Etude . The Etude biographical note is based on a personal interview. was an Italian violinist, conductor, composer and music teacher...
q.v..
American career
Campanari was invited to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by the management of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at the Tanglewood Music Center...
and arrived in 1884, again taking the position of first solo cellist under conductor Wilhelm Gericke
Wilhelm Gericke
Wilhelm Gericke was an Austrian-born conductor and composer who worked in Vienna and Boston.-Biography:...
. In 1888 he became one of the original members of the Adamowski String Quartet which was led by violinist Timothee Adamowski
Timothee Adamowski
Tymoteusz "Timothee" Adamowski was a Polish-born American conductor, composer, and violinist. Born in Warsaw, he studied in that city's conservatory, later moving on to further studies in Paris. He served as the first conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra...
.
He first sang Valentine in Faust
Faust (opera)
Faust is a drame lyrique in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré from Carré's play Faust et Marguerite, in turn loosely based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust, Part 1...
with the Emma Juch Opera Company
Emma Juch
Emma Juch was a popular soprano opera singer of the 1880s and 1890s from Vienna, Austria. Her married name was Emma Antonia Joanna Juch Wellman. Her name was more properly Von Juch.-Austrian family:...
when their baritone, Alonzo Stoddard, fell ill, but it was not mentioned in the papers so nothing became of it. He continued to play cello but didn't sing professionally for two years. Finally, after the prominent conductor Arthur Nikisch
Arthur Nikisch
Arthur Nikisch ; 12 October 185523 January 1922) was a Hungarian conductor who performed internationally, holding posts in Boston, London and - most importantly - Berlin. He was considered an outstanding interpreter of the music of Bruckner, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and Liszt...
gave him an opening in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, he started to receive more engagements.
Campanari made his official operatic debut as Tonio in I Pagliacci with Hinrichs' Opera Company
Gustav Hinrichs
Gustav Ludwig Wilhelm HinrichsNot to be confused with Gustav Dethlef Hinrichs, a noted scientist of the 19th century, or Gustav Hinrichs, of Berlin, a German historian and classicist who collaborated with the Brothers Grimm in addition to many of his own writings...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on 15 June 1893, being the first singer to perform the role in the United States.
His 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 came on 30 November 1894, when he sang the role of the Count di Luna 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...
He had previously sung this role with Hinrichs and the New York Times (May 16, 1893) described that performance as "the most satisfactory work of the evening". with the great heroic 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...
Tamagno
Francesco Tamagno
Francesco Tamagno was an operatic tenor from Italy who sang with enormous success throughout Europe and America. On 5 February 1887, he cemented his place in musical history by creating the role of Otello in Giuseppe Verdi's masterpiece of the same name...
as Manrico. In 1895, he had his first notable success singing Ford in the first American production of Falstaff
Falstaff (opera)
Falstaff 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 Victor Maurel
Victor Maurel
Victor Maurel was a French operatic baritone who enjoyed an international reputation as a great singing-actor.-Biography:...
in the title role. He also sang the Met's first Marcello 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...
(1900) and their first Papageno in Die Zauberflöte (1902–1903) which was performed in Italian.
Campanari remained with the Met until 1912. He gave more than 200 performances during his career there.
After his retirement from serious music, he briefly dabbled in vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
but found the two-show-a-day schedule too gruelling at his age. He then taught voice in New York and later in Milan where his daughter Marina achieved success as a soprano. He died in Milan in 1927 at the age of 71.
Campanari made a number of acoustic recordings prior to World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. His first recording session was with the Columbia label in 1903. Despite the early date of his discs, they are remarkable for their clarity, and they display the warmth and agility of his fine, steady, well-trained voice to good effect. Some of his recordings are available on CD reissues.