Tito Gobbi (24 October 19135 March 1984) was an Italian operatic

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the ...

with an international reputation. He made his operatic debut in

Gubbio Gubbio () is an Italian town and '' comune'' in the far northeastern part of the Italian province of Perugia (Umbria). It is located on the lowest slope of Mt. Ingino, a small mountain of the Apennines. History The city's origins are very ancient. ...

in 1935 as Count Rodolfo in Bellini's '' La sonnambula'' and quickly appeared in Italy's major opera houses. By the time he retired in 1979 he had acquired a repertoire of almost 100 operatic roles. They ranged from

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

's mid-range baritone roles through

Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards ...

's Barber through Donizetti and the standard Verdi and Puccini baritone roles to Alban Berg's '' Wozzeck''. He had a worldwide career as operatic baritone, appearing in (or recording the singing role) for over 25 films and, from the mid-1960s onward, was the stage director for about ten different operas which were given close to 35 productions throughout Europe and North America, including a significant number in Chicago for the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Gobbi and his wife, Tilde De Rensis, had a daughter, Cecilia, who now runs the "Associazione Musicale Tito Gobbi", an organization devoted to preserving and celebrating the record of her father's contribution to opera. He was also the brother-in-law of one of his famous colleagues at Covent Garden, the Bulgarian-born

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

Boris Christoff Boris Christoff ( bg, Борис Кирилов Христов, Boris Kirilov Hristov, ; 18 May 1914 – 28 June 1993) was a Bulgarian opera singer, widely considered one of the greatest basses of the 20th century. Early life He was born ...

. Gobbi retired in 1979 and died in Rome in 1984, aged 70.

Early life

Tito Gobbi was born in Bassano del Grappa. He began his studies in law at the

University of Padua The University of Padua ( it, Università degli Studi di Padova, UNIPD) is an Italian university located in the city of Padua, region of Veneto, northern Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from ...

and, during that time, his talent was discovered by a family friend, Baron Agostino Zanchetta, who suggested that he study singing. To do so, Gobbi moved to Rome in 1932 to study under Giulio Crimi, a well-known Italian tenor of a previous generation, who had sung in the first performances of Puccini's '' Il trittico'' as well as in

Zandonai Riccardo Zandonai (28 May 1883 – 5 June 1944) was an Italian composer. Biography Zandonai was born in Borgo Sacco, Rovereto, then part of Austria-Hungary. As a young man, he showed such an aptitude for music that he entered the Pesaro Conser ...

's ''

Francesca da Rimini Francesca da Rimini or Francesca da Polenta (died between 1283 and 1286) was a medieval noblewoman of Ravenna, who was murdered by her husband, Giovanni Malatesta, upon his discovery of her affair with his brother, Paolo Malatesta. She was a co ...

''. Accompanying Gobbi on the piano at his first audition was Tilde De Rensis, daughter of musicologist Raphael De Rensis. In 1937, she became his wife.

Operatic career

Early years

After his 1935 debut in Gubbio singing the role of Count Rodolfo in Vincenzo Bellini's '' La sonnambula'', in 1937 he sang Germont in ''

La traviata ''La traviata'' (; ''The Fallen Woman'') is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on '' La Dame aux camélias'' (1852), a play by Alexandre Dumas ''fils'' adapted from his ow ...

'' for the first time in Rome at Teatro Adriano. But working at

La Scala La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...

in Milan for the 1935–1936 season as an understudy, gave him a breadth of experience and his first appearance there on stage was as the Herald in Ildebrando Pizzetti's ''Orsèolo''. In 1942, he debuted at the house in the role of Belcore in Donizetti's ''

L'elisir d'amore ''L'elisir d'amore'' (''The Elixir of Love'', ) is a ' (opera buffa) in two acts by the Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Felice Romani wrote the Italian libretto, after Eugène Scribe's libretto for Daniel Auber's ' (1831). The opera pre ...

'' conducted by Tullio Serafin. It was under Serafin's guidance and direction that the young Gobbi prepared many roles, including some that would become crucial to his later career; these included Scarpia, Rigoletto, Simon Boccanegra. He also appeared at the Rome Opera from 1938 onward in stage productions such as singing the role of Sharpless in ''

Madama Butterfly ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story " Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Lu ...

'' under conductor Victor de Sabata. Other significant Italian venues in these pre-war years included La Fenice in Venice where, in 1941 he appeared as Marcello in '' La bohème'' and in 1942 as Sharpless. At the Teatro Communale in Florence in 1941 he sang the role of Hidraot in

Gluck Christoph Willibald (Ritter von) Gluck (; 2 July 1714 – 15 November 1787) was a composer of Italian and French opera in the early classical period. Born in the Upper Palatinate and raised in Bohemia, both part of the Holy Roman Empire, he ...

's '' Armide'', while at the

Teatro Verdi Teatro Verdi may refer to: * Teatro Verdi (Brindisi), Brindisi * Teatro Giuseppe Verdi, Busseto * Teatro Verdi (Florence), Florence * Teatro Verdi (Padova), Padova, by architect Achille Sfondrini * Teatro Verdi (Pisa), Pisa * Teatro Verdi (Sal ...

in Trieste in 1942 and 1943 there were other performances, including those as the title character in '' L'Orfeo''. In Rome in 1942 he performed his first '' Falstaff'' at La Scala under de Sabata and, in direct contrast, was the protagonist in

Alban Berg Alban Maria Johannes Berg ( , ; 9 February 1885 – 24 December 1935) was an Austrian composer of the Second Viennese School. His compositional style combined Romantic lyricism with the twelve-tone technique. Although he left a relatively sm ...

's '' Wozzeck'' sung in November. These performances made him famous in the first Italian performances of Berg's opera. He sang the role again later in Italy and in Vienna under Karl Böhm. During these years, Gobbi also kept busy working in films, some of which were filmed operas such as Cilea's '' L'arlesiana'' with

Licia Albanese Licia Albanese (July 22, 1909 – August 15, 2014) was an Italian-born American operatic soprano. Noted especially for her portrayals of the lyric heroines of Verdi and Puccini, Albanese was a leading artist with the Metropolitan Opera from 1940 ...

in 1938.

Post-World War II

Gobbi's international career blossomed after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, with appearances in 1948 at the San Francisco Opera. He performed for the first time at London's

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) 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. It is the home of The Royal ...

, Covent Garden, in 1950 and sang with the Lyric Opera of Chicago from 1954 until 1974. He made his

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is opera ...

debut in 1956 as Scarpia in

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. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1887 French-language dramati ...

. The year 1974 also saw the last of Gobbi's numerous appearances at Covent Garden, where he had been much admired by the public and critics alike for his sensitive musicianship as well as for his acting talent and interpretive insights. There was, however, one incident in his relationship with

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 si ...

which caused a stir. In 1955 he had been engaged as Iago in a major new production of Verdi's ''

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, first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on 5 February 1887. ...

'' but was delayed in reaching the theatre for rehearsal. The new music director, Rafael Kubelík, determined to impose discipline on singers, sacked him. The company baritone

Otakar Kraus Otakar Kraus OBE (10 December 1909 — 28 July 1980) was a Czech (later British), operatic baritone and teacher. He was born in Prague and studied there with Konrad Wallerstein and in Milan with Fernando Carpi. He himself was the teacher of a numb ...

, already scheduled to sing some performances, took on all of them. However, a few weeks later Gobbi and Kubelik met at a party and Kubelik made an unqualified apology. The general feeling was that Kubelik was right in principle as some star singers were often reluctant to rehearse, but chose the wrong singer and circumstances, as few were more professional than Gobbi. He was back at Covent Garden as Rigoletto the following summer.

Gobbi's career in films

Early in his career he appeared in a number of motion pictures between 1937 and 1959, including some filmed operas such as ''

The Barber of Seville ''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( it, Il barbiere di Siviglia, ossia L'inutile precauzione ) is an '' opera buffa'' in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was ba ...

'' (in 1946 starring Ferruccio Tagliavini) as well a contemporary drama in 1946, ''

Before Him All Rome Trembled ''Before Him All Rome Trembled'' (Italian: ''Avanti a lui tremava tutta Roma'') is a 1946 Italian musical war melodrama film directed by Carmine Gallone and starring Anna Magnani, Tito Gobbi and Hans Hinrich. Ada and Marco are a pair of opera sing ...

''. There was also the popular 1949 British drama set in wartime Italy, '' The Glass Mountain'', which made him known to a wide public. Also, in 1950, he played himself, in the British film ''

Soho Conspiracy ''Soho Conspiracy'' is a 1950 British musical drama film directed by Cecil H. Williamson and starring Jacques Labrecque, Zena Marshall and Peter Gawthorne. Premise A young man attempts to stage a charity concert in order to raise funds to refur ...

''. By the time of his death, Gobbi had appeared in some 25 films, in both singing and speaking parts. Beginning in the 1940s, Gobbi provided the singing voice for Anthony Quinn as Alfio in the film '' Cavalleria rusticana'' (1953), as well as the voice of the title character in the 1957 film ''Rigoletto e la sua tragedia''.

Gobbi as stage director

During the 1960s, Gobbi diversified into stage directing, a notable example being the December 1965 production of Verdi's '' Simon Boccanegra'' at Covent Garden, which was intended to be his first, but which he staged for Chicago a short while before. In addition, he sang the title role in each of three productions he directed, the last being in Rome in 1975. It has been observed that Gobbi's evident love of the opera "both on stage and on disc...was one of his most towering achievements". Overall, between 1965 and 1982, he directed productions of about ten different operas, the largest number of which were of ''Tosca''. Others included ''

'' (presented three times in Chicago between 1969 and 1977); ''

'' (with three productions in Pasadena, California (1966), Chicago (1966), and Thessalonika, Greece in 1978); and '' Gianni Schicchi'' (given in Florence and at the

Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh F ...

in 1969; at the Chicago Lyric in 1970; and in Zurich (1974) and Monaco in 1982). The ten operas were staged for a total of nearly forty times by opera companies in Europe and North America, most notably in America for the Lyric Opera of Chicago for which he directed nine of the ten.

Famous roles

According to Gobbi, he sang the part of Scarpia in Puccini's ''

'' "nearly a thousand times". One significant production was the "event of worldwide interest" (as Gobbi himself describes it),

Franco Zeffirelli Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli (12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019), was an Italian stage and film director, producer, production designer and politician. He was one of the most significant opera and theatre directors of the post-World War II era, ...

's production of ''Tosca'' at the

, Covent Garden in London in February 1964. In a return to that house,

Soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880& ...

Maria Callas Maria Callas . (born Sophie Cecilia Kalos; December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977) was an American-born Greek soprano who was one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Many critics praised her ''bel cant ...

sang the title role, conducted by Carlo Felice Cillario. Act 2 of the production was broadcast live on British television on 9 February 1964 in what must be one of the most acclaimed dramatic interpretations of all recorded operatic repertoire. It is now preserved on DVD. Gobbi and Callas had previously sung ''Tosca'' together in a classic 1953 EMI recording of the opera made in Milan, with Giuseppe Di Stefano as Cavaradossi and Victor de Sabata conducting. That 1953 album was re-issued on long-playing gramophone record and, later, on CD. It is considered by many to be the finest recording of a complete opera ever made. It went out of print only once, after Callas recorded the role again in stereo in 1964; but the 1953 mono version was soon re-released and is the one that remains readily available to this day. Gobbi was a close friend, collaborator, and admirer of Callas, and he was interviewed several times about their various stage collaborations, noting in his book that "with Maria it was not performing but living". He was also famous for his many performances in the roles of Iago and Falstaff, several of which are available on CD. Less well-known but equally impressive are his performances of Mozart roles, in particular the title role in ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; Köchel catalogue, K. 527; Vienna (1788) title: , literally ''The rake (stock character), Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Pon ...

'' and the role of the Count in '' The Marriage of Figaro''. In 1968 he participated in the first opera telecast in Australia (''Tosca'', with

Marie Collier Marie Elizabeth Collier (16 April 19278 December 1971) was an Australian operatic soprano. Marie Collier was born in Ballarat, Victoria, to Thomas Robinson Collier (1894–1962), a railway employee, and his wife Annie Marie (née Bechaz). She ...

in the title role and Donald Smith as Cavaradossi).

Publications

In retirement, Gobbi turned to writing and produced two books, the first of which, ''Tito Gobbi: My Life'', was his autobiography. With this he was helped by the ghost-writer Ida Cook; it appeared in 1979. Five years later, he wrote ''Tito Gobbi and His World of Italian Opera'' in which he examined many of the operas in which he either performed or which he directed (or both) and provided background information on them and their composers as well as discussing the productions themselves. In the case of ''Tosca'', he devotes a chapter in ''Tito Gobbi and His World of Italian Opera'' to an analytical examination of each character in the opera (even the minor ones) and, for Scarpia, whom he states "I can fairly claim to know pretty well.." he devotes three pages to a detailed examination of the character as Gobbi has observed and played him over many years.

Abridged discography

* Berg: '' Wozzeck ''(Dow, Munteanu, Tajo, Picchi; Sanzogno, 1954) Myto * Donizetti: ''

''(Carosio, Monti; Santini, 1952) EMI * Donizetti: '' Lucia di Lammermoor ''(Callas, Di Stefano; Serafin, 1953) EMI * Giordano: ''

Fedora A fedora () is a hat with a soft brim and indented crown.Kilgour, Ruth Edwards (1958). ''A Pageant of Hats Ancient and Modern''. R. M. McBride Company. It is typically creased lengthwise down the crown and "pinched" near the front on both side ...

''(Olivero, Del Monaco; Gardelli, 1969)

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American Decca's president. ...

* Leoncavallo: ''

Pagliacci ''Pagliacci'' (; literal translation, "Clowns") is an Italian opera in a prologue and two acts, with music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo. The opera tells the tale of Canio, actor and leader of a commedia dell'arte theatrical company, who ...

''(Callas, Di Stefano; Serafin, 1954) EMI * Leoncavallo: ''Pagliacci'' (Amara, Corelli; Matačić, 1960) EMI * Franco Leoni: ''L'oracolo ''(Sutherland, Tourangeau; Bonynge, 1975) Decca Records * Mascagni: '' Cavalleria rusticana ''(Souliotis, Del Monaco; Varviso, 1966) Decca Records *

: ''

'' ( Welitsch, Schwarzkopf, Kunz, Seefried, Greindl;

Furtwängler Furtwängler is a German surname, originally meaning a person from Furtwangen. Notable people with the surname include: * Adolf Furtwängler (1853–1907), archaeologist and art historian * Maria Furtwängler (born 1966), physician and actress * Ph ...

, 1950) Archipel *

: '' The Marriage of Figaro'' A live performance from Covent Garden, 1963, conducted by Georg Solti. Gobbi plays the Count. Published by operadepot.com. * Puccini: '' La bohème ''(Scotto, Poggi; Votto, 1961) Deutsche Grammophon * Puccini: '' Gianni Schicchi'' (de los Ángeles, del Monte; Santini, 1958) EMI * Puccini: ''Gianni Schicchi'' (Cotrubas, Domingo; Maazel, 1976)

CBS/Sony , often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Group Corporation and is opera ...

* Puccini: ''

'' (de los Ángeles, Di Stefano; Gavazzeni, 1954) EMI * Puccini: '' La fanciulla del West'' (Corelli, Frazzoni, Ricciardi; Votto 1956) IMD * Puccini: ''

Il tabarro ''Il tabarro'' (''The Cloak'') is an opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giuseppe Adami, based on 's play ''La houppelande''. It is the first of the trio of operas known as '' Il trittico''. The first performance was giv ...

'' (Mas, Prandelli; Bellezza, 1955) EMI * Puccini: ''

'' (Callas, Di Stefano; de Sabata, 1953) EMI * Puccini: ''Tosca'', Act 2. Live video recording at the Royal Opera House, London, 1964 * Puccini: ''Tosca'' (Callas, Bergonzi; Prêtre, 1964) EMI * Puccini: '' Le Villi ''(Scotto, Domingo, Nucci; Maazel, 1979) CBS/Sony *

: '' Il barbiere di Siviglia ''(Callas, Alva; Galliera, 1957) EMI *

Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, and violinist. Considered a leading composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras, he has been described as a successor of Richard Wag ...

: ''

Salome Salome (; he, שְלוֹמִית, Shlomit, related to , "peace"; el, Σαλώμη), also known as Salome III, was a Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II, son of Herod the Great, and princess Herodias, granddaughter of Herod the Great, a ...

'' (Fiorenzo Tasso, Maria Benedetti, Lily Djanel; Alfredo Simonetto, 1952) MYTO * Verdi: '' Aida ''(Callas, Barbieri, Tucker; Serafin, 1955) EMI * Verdi:''

Un ballo in maschera ''Un ballo in maschera'' ''(A Masked Ball)'' is an 1859 opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The text, by Antonio Somma, was based on Eugène Scribe's libretto for Daniel Auber's 1833 five act opera, '' Gustave III, ou Le bal masqué''. Th ...

''(Callas, Ratti, Barbieri, Di Stefano; Votto, 1956) EMI * Verdi: ''

Don Carlos ''Don Carlos'' is a five-act grand opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French-language libretto by Joseph Méry and Camille du Locle, based on the dramatic play '' Don Carlos, Infant von Spanien'' (''Don Carlos, Infante of Spain'') by Fried ...

'' (Stella, Nicolai, Filippeschi, Christoff; Santini, 1954) EMI * Verdi: ''

'' (Brouwenstijn, Vickers, Christoff, Barbieri; Giulini 1958) MYTO * Verdi: '' Falstaff'' (Schwarzkopf; Karajan, 1956) EMI * Verdi: ''

Nabucco ''Nabucco'' (, short for Nabucodonosor ; en, "Nebuchadnezzar") is an Italian-language opera in four acts composed in 1841 by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Temistocle Solera. The libretto is based on the biblical books of 2 Kings, J ...

''(Souliotis, Prevedi; Gardelli, 1965) Decca Records * Verdi: ''

''(Rysanek, Pirazzini, Vickers; Serafin, 1960) RCA * Verdi: '' Rigoletto ''(Callas, Di Stefano; Serafin, 1955) EMI * Verdi: '' Simon Boccanegra ''(de los Ángeles, Campora, Christoff; Santini, 1957) EMI * Verdi: ''

''(Stella, Di Stefano; Serafin, 1955) EMI

Selected filmography

* ''

Forbidden Music ''Forbidden Music'' (Italian: ''Musica proibita'') is a 1942 Italian drama film directed by Carlo Campogalliani and starring Tito Gobbi, María Mercader and Giuseppe Rinaldi.Bayman p.138 An elderly composer recalls his youthful romance with a wom ...

'' (1942) * ''

'' (1946) * '' O sole mio'' (1946) * ''

'' (1947) * '' Mad About Opera'' (1948) * '' The Lady of the Camellias'' (1947) * '' The Glass Mountain '' (1949) * '' The Force of Destiny'' (1950) * ''

'' (1950) * '' The Firebird'' (1952)

References

Notes Sources * * *

External links

Associazione Tito Gobbi (Tito Gobbi Association)
* * * * *
30 June 1979: Tito Gobbi

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC's ...

, '' Desert Island Discs'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Gobbi, Tito 1913 births 1984 deaths People from Bassano del Grappa Italian operatic baritones Italian male film actors 20th-century Italian male actors 20th-century Italian male opera singers