Kristaq Antoniu
Encyclopedia
Kristaq Antoniu also known as Cristache Antoniu in Romanian
, was an Albania
n and Romania
n operetta
tenor
, baritone
, and actor. He was a People's Artist
of the People's Republic of Albania.
Born in Bucharest
to an ethnic Albanian
family, he lived in Romania, graduating from the Mimic Drama College of Bucharest and the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia
in Rome
. He acquired much of his celebrity by acting in Romanian cinema
roles during the late 1920s and early 1930s.
As a concert master and operetta singer, he toured Europe with a group of musicians. He settled in Albania in 1935, and started an expanded on his artistic reputation, being widely esteemed for his accomplished interpretation of classical aria
s and folk songs. A recording of folk songs done for the Columbia society in 1942 was largely arranged by Pjetër Dungu
.
Antoniu died in Tirana
.
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
, was an Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
n and Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
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...
, 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 actor. He was a People's Artist
People's Artist
People's Artist is a honorary title in the Soviet Union, Union republics, in some other Eastern bloc states , as well as in a number of post-Soviet states, modeled after the title of the People's Artist of the USSR....
of the People's Republic of Albania.
Born in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
to an ethnic Albanian
Albanians of Romania
The Albanians are an ethnic minority in Romania. As an officially recognized ethnic minority, Albanians have one seat reserved in the Romanian Chamber of Deputies to the League of Albanians of Romania .-Demographics:In the 2002 census 520 Romanian citizens indicated their ethnicity was Albanian,...
family, he lived in Romania, graduating from the Mimic Drama College of Bucharest and the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia
Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia
The Centro sperimentale di cinematografia was established in 1935 in Italy and aims to promote the art and technique of cinematography and film....
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. He acquired much of his celebrity by acting in Romanian cinema
Cinema of Romania
The cinema of Romania is the art of motion-picture making within the nation of Romania or by Romanian filmmakers abroad.As upon much of the world's early cinema, the ravages of time have left their mark upon Romanian film prints. Tens of titles have been destroyed or lost for good...
roles during the late 1920s and early 1930s.
As a concert master and operetta singer, he toured Europe with a group of musicians. He settled in Albania in 1935, and started an expanded on his artistic reputation, being widely esteemed for his accomplished interpretation of classical aria
Aria
An aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment...
s and folk songs. A recording of folk songs done for the Columbia society in 1942 was largely arranged by Pjetër Dungu
Pjetër Dungu
Pjetër Dungu was an Albanian piano accompanist and composer-arranger of urban folk music. He is known in the history of the music of Albania as the first compiler of Albanian folk songs....
.
Antoniu died in Tirana
Tirana
Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
.
External links
M. Blloshmi, "Kristaq Antoniu, një nga yjet e parë të artit shqiptar", in ShekulliShekulli
Shekulli is a daily newspaper published in Albania. Publishing seven days a week, the paper is owned by the media group Sh.A. Spekter, which also publishes the weekly magazine Spekter and the sports daily Sporti Shqiptar. Its headquarters are located in Tirana, Albania....