User:Skyesings/Luisa Tetrazzini

Early Life
Luisa was born on June 29, 1871 in Florence, Italy. Her father was a military tailor, and she had two sisters and two brothers. Reportedly, she began singing at the age of three. Luisa, herself, recalled singing early on as child and reminisced that her father was the first person to ever compare her to the famous bel canto soprano, Adelina Patti. Luisa first studied singing with her oldest sister, Eva Tetrazzini (1862–1938)(it). Eva was also a prima donna soprano who made a name for herself internationally. While doing chores, Luisa was known to practice entire acts of operatic roles and to sing every voice part. She began studies at the Insituto Musicale between the age of ten and thirteen with Professor Ceccherini. She married Giuseppe Santino Alberto Scalaberni on October 14, 1889.

Career
Through a stroke of luck, she stepped in for an ailing prima donna and made her operatic debut in Florence on October 21, 1890 as Inez in Meyerbeer's L'Africaine at age nineteen. Tetrazzini reminisces that after her debut, “The pavements from the theatre to my home were lined, even at that late hour, with large numbers of people, all of whom seemed to be shouting congratulations to me.” Next, she sang Inez in Rome on December 26, 1890 for the King and Queen of Italy. She was then invited by the Queen to sing the Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde, as it was the Queen’s favorite opera. She travelled with Pietro Cesare, who became her lover of nearly 14 years, to Buenos Aires where she was offered £280 per month to sing. While in Buenos Aires, her husband, Alberto, followed her to attempt to return her to Florence. She refused to reconcile. He left for Florence without her in October, and she made her debut a few days later as Annetta in Crispino e la comare. When Alberto died on June 4, 1905, they were still separated.

Tetrazzini first sang Lucia di Lammermoor in Buenos Aires on November 21, 1892. It was her favorite opera, as well as the Argentinian President, Dr. Luis Saenz Pena’s, favorite. He was her avid fan. By the time of her fourth season in Buenos Aires, she was engaged to receive £5,500 per month. Along with performing in Argentina, she toured South America. She continued to sing there until 1895.

She returned to sing in Europe in 1896. Next she debuted in St. Petersburg with Battistini in Un ballo in maschera on December 31, 1896. After her first season in St. Petersburg ended in 1897, she finished the year performing in Madrid, Milan, Turin and Odessa. In 1898, she sang in Odessa and Bologna before returning to perform in various South American countries. The Winter season of 1899 brought Tetrazzini back to St. Petersburg. This is where she first performed with the famous tenor, Enrico Caruso, who sang Edgardo to her Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor on February 22, 1899. Her 1890s' repertory consisted primarily of lyric-coloratura parts such as Violetta, Philine, Oscar, Gilda, and Lucia.

From 1899-1903, she sang in Italy, Germany, Poland, and Russia. Her Mexican debut as Lucia came on October 22, 1903. A little over a year later, her performance of Lucia on December 8, 1904 was fortuitous. William H. ‘Doc’ Leahy, the impresario of the San Franciscan theatre, the Tivoli was in attendance. He was in Mexico visiting his friend, Ettore Patrizi, who was conducting Tetrazzini at the time. Leahy invited her to come to San Francisco. She made her debut at the Tivoli as Gilda in Rigoletto on January 11, 1905.

Due to Nellie Melba’s absence, an opening came for Tetrazzini to be hired at the esteemed Covent Garden in England. Although she had established a career throughout South America and much of Europe, to English audiences, she was practically unknown. Tetrazzini’s debut at Covent Garden as Violetta on November 2, 1907 was critically acclaimed. E. A Baugham in the Daily News wrote, “The quality of tone produced by Tetrazzini ravished the sense. It is soft and golden and yet has non of the impersonal and chilling perfection of the ordinary light soprano...I have never seen the pathos of Verdi’s heroine realized with such grip and sincerity... I do not think I am exaggerating when I say that Mme Tetrazzini has the voice of the century and stands out from even the great Italian singers we know...” Additional reviews were similarly complimentary of Tetrazzini’s abilities, even comparing her to the famous Adelina Patti. Tetrazzini idolized Patti greatly. She remarks that Patti saw her performance and invited her to a lunch in which she confirmed the press’s clamoring that Tetrazzini would continue her legacy. Tetrazzini and Patti became great friends thereafter and were frequent correspondents until Patti’s death. Tetrazzini remarks about a particular letter about one of her performances from Patti that she prized as her greatest treasure saying, “Praise from a mixed audience is very gratifying after one has given it of her best. But, praise, and such praise, from Patti is far more than the passing pleasure of a public ovation.”

Tetrazzini’s New York debut as Violetta occurred with Oscar Hammerstein’s Manhattan Opera Company on January 15, 1908. She received her Metropolitan Opera debut on December 27, 1911 as Lucia. During World War I, she stayed in Italy. After, she only sang concerts.

Tetrazzini gave benefit concerts in South America and San Francisco. Some of her well-known roles included: Rosina (Il Barbiere di Seviglia), Violetta (La Traviata), and Gilda (Rigoletto). She sang her favorite role, Lucia, over 100 times. She wrote a memoir, My Life of Song, in 1921 and a treatise, How to Sing, in 1923. She taught voice in her homes in Milan and Rome after retirement in 1934 and named Lina Pagliughi her successor. Tetrazzini’s recordings range from 1904-1920.

Tetrazzini’s thirty-two year career accrued her enormous wealth. Critics described her as singing with youthful abandon, while noting her solid vocal technique. Her emotional interpretation of roles catapulted her to fame and led to comparisons with Patti, Lind, and Melba. (Italian article) She was married three times and had many passionate affairs during her life. She was plagued by legal battles with her third husband, which substantially impacted her finances towards the end of her life. What money and belongings she did have, she generously gave away. Tetrazzini left little behind when she died in Milan on April 28, 1940. She was buried in a mausoleum with an epitaph from Lucia: “Alfin son tua.”