Antonio Giuglini (16 or 17 January 1825 – 12 October 1865) was an Italian
opera
Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
tic
tenor
A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...
. During the last eight years of his life, before he developed signs of mental instability, he earned renown as one of the leading stars of the operatic scene in London. He created several major roles for British audiences, appearing in the first London performances of
Gounod
Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...
's ''
Faust
Faust ( , ) is the protagonist of a classic German folklore, German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust (). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a deal with the Devil at a ...
'' and
Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma, to a family of moderate means, recei ...
's ''
Un ballo in maschera''. In London, he was the usual stage partner of the great dramatic
soprano
A soprano () is a type of classical 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 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...
Thérèse Tietjens
Thérèse Carolina Johanne Alexandra Tietjens (17 July 1831, Hamburg3 October 1877, London) was a leading opera and oratorio soprano. She made her career chiefly in London during the 1860s and 1870s, but her sequence of musical triumphs in the ...
.
Early career in Italy
Guiglini was born at
Fano
Fano () is a city and ''comune'' of the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Marche region of Italy. It is a beach resort southeast of Pesaro, located where the ''Via Flaminia'' reaches the Adriatic Sea. It is the third city in the region by pop ...
in Italy's middle/north-east. He studied in his home country with Francesco Cellini, and made his debut in opera at
Fermo
Fermo (; ancient: Firmum Picenum) is a town and ''comune'' of the Marche, Italy, in the Province of Fermo.
Fermo is on a hill, the Sabulo, elevation , on a branch from Porto San Giorgio on the Adriatic coast railway.
History
The oldest huma ...
.
According to the impresario
Benjamin Lumley
Benjamin Lumley (1811 – 17 March 1875 in London) was a British North America-born British people, British opera manager and solicitor. Born Benjamin Levy, he was the son of a Jewish merchant, Louis Levy.
Beginnings at His Majesty's Theatre
Lu ...
, Giuglini had been destined for the priesthood. He began in the choir of the metropolitan church of Fermo, where his excellence as a treble, and then as a tenor, attracted attention. He firmly resisted many inducements to appear on the stage, until one day he took the place of a member of the Theatre orchestra who fell ill. Soon afterwards the principal tenor also fell ill, and Giuglini took his place as Jacopo in ''
I due Foscari
' (''The Two Foscari'') is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the 1821 historical play, ''The Two Foscari (Byron), The Two Foscari'' by Lord Byron.
After his success with ''Ernani'', ...
''. He was immediately successful, and then had brilliant successes at other theatres. This led him to Milan, where he came to the attention of the Emperor of Austria, who conferred on him the title of chamber-singer (Kammersänger) to his court, and wanted to engage him for Vienna. However Lumley had already booked him for three years in London, but the Viennese court then secured him in advance for the year 1860.
His first season at
La Scala
La Scala (, , ; officially , ) is a historic opera house in Milan, Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as (, which previously was Santa Maria della Scala, Milan, a church). The premiere performa ...
,
Milan
Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
, in early 1855, was witnessed by
Charles Santley
Sir Charles Santley (28 February 1834 – 22 September 1922) was an English opera and oratorio singer with a ''bravura''From the Italian verb ''bravare'', to show off. A florid, ostentatious style or a passage of music requiring technical skill ...
[C. Santley, ''Student and Singer'' (London: Edward Arnold, 1892), 69-70.] who observed that he created 'a perfect furore' and was the hero of the day.
Santley saw him there as Raoul (''
Gli Ugonotti''), in which he sang charmingly but lacked the fire and manliness for the role, as Arturo in ''
I Puritani
' (''The Puritans'') is an 1835 opera by Vincenzo Bellini. It was originally written in two acts and changed to three acts before the premiere on the advice of Gioachino Rossini, with whom the young composer had become friends. The music was set ...
'', which rivetted the attention completely, and in selection evenings, when he sang the trio 'Pappataci' from ''
L'italiana in Algeri
''L'italiana in Algeri'' (; ''The Italian Girl in Algiers'') is an operatic ''dramma giocoso'' in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Angelo Anelli, based on his earlier text set by Luigi Mosca. It premiered at the Teatro San ...
'' with Scheggi (buffo) and
Ignazio Marini (bass), so popular it had to be repeated throughout the season. On 26 December 1855 he appeared at
Teatro Regio di Parma
Teatro Regio di Parma, originally constructed as the Nuovo Teatro Ducale (New Ducal Theatre),Martini, "Before the Teatro Regio", pp. 56 is an opera house and opera company in Parma, Italy.
Replacing an obsolete house, the new Ducale achieved pro ...
in the first performance of ''Giovanna de Guzman'', the first Italian version of Verdi's ''
Les vêpres siciliennes
LES or Les may refer to:
People
* Les (given name)
* Les (surname)
* L.E.S. (producer), hip hop producer
Space flight
* Launch Entry Suit, worn by Space Shuttle crews
* Launch escape system, for spacecraft emergencies
* Lincoln Experimental ...
''.
London 1857–1858
Giuglini made his debut in London for
Benjamin Lumley
Benjamin Lumley (1811 – 17 March 1875 in London) was a British North America-born British people, British opera manager and solicitor. Born Benjamin Levy, he was the son of a Jewish merchant, Louis Levy.
Beginnings at His Majesty's Theatre
Lu ...
on 14 April 1857, at
Her Majesty's Theatre
His Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated in the Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The building, designed by Charles J. Phipps, was constructed in 1897 for the actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who ...
, as Fernando in ''
La favorita
''La favorite'' (''The Favourite'', frequently referred to by its Italian title: ''La favorita'') is a grand opera in four acts by Gaetano Donizetti to a French-language libretto by Alphonse Royer and Gustave Vaëz, based on the play ''Le com ...
'', with Mlle Spezia and Sig. Vialetti. Giuglini took the London palms, and was immediately approved by the London audience. He joined an already celebrated company which included artists such as
Maria Piccolomini
Marietta Piccolomini (; 5 March 1834 – 11 December 1899)The birthdate given in this article is stated by the Register of baptisms — year 1834 — number 215 — of the former Parish of Saints Quiricus and Julitta in Sienna, while the death dat ...
,
Marietta Alboni
Maria Anna Marzia (called Marietta) Alboni (6 March 1826 – 23 June 1894) was an Italian contralto opera singer. She is considered "one of the greatest contraltos in operatic history".
Biography
Alboni was born at Città di Castello, in Umbria ...
and
Thérèse Tietjens
Thérèse Carolina Johanne Alexandra Tietjens (17 July 1831, Hamburg3 October 1877, London) was a leading opera and oratorio soprano. She made her career chiefly in London during the 1860s and 1870s, but her sequence of musical triumphs in the ...
. This house was in competition with the newly rebuilt Covent Garden theatre, where
Giulia Grisi
Giulia Grisi (22 May 1811 – 29 November 1869) was an Italian opera singer. She performed widely in Europe, the United States and South America and was among the leading sopranos of the 19th century.
Her second husband was Giovanni Matteo Mario ...
and
Mario
Mario (; ) is a Character (arts), character created by the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the star of the ''Mario (franchise), Mario'' franchise, a recurring character in the ''Donkey Kong'' franchise, and the mascot of the Ja ...
led the cast and the box-office under
Michael Costa for
Frederick Gye
Frederick Gye (the younger) (1810–1878) was an English businessman and opera manager who for many years ran what is now the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
Life
Gye, son of Frederick Gye (the elder), was born at Finchley, Middlesex, in 181 ...
. ''La favorita'' was followed by ''
La traviata'' with Mlle Piccolomini, and Giuglini was received with even greater excitement than before: and in ''
I puritani
' (''The Puritans'') is an 1835 opera by Vincenzo Bellini. It was originally written in two acts and changed to three acts before the premiere on the advice of Gioachino Rossini, with whom the young composer had become friends. The music was set ...
'', chosen for the debut of
Angiolina Ortolani, he stole the laurels from his partner. His Edgardo in ''
Lucia di Lammermoor
''Lucia di Lammermoor'' () is a (tragic opera) in three acts by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian-language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's 1819 historical novel '' The Bride of Lammermoor''. ...
'', with Piccolomini, was a further sensation:
As
Manrico, opposite
Maria Spezia-Aldighieri and with
Marietta Alboni
Maria Anna Marzia (called Marietta) Alboni (6 March 1826 – 23 June 1894) was an Italian contralto opera singer. She is considered "one of the greatest contraltos in operatic history".
Biography
Alboni was born at Città di Castello, in Umbria ...
as Azucena, he still held the centre of attention. In the revival of ''
Don Giovanni
''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; full title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanish legen ...
'', with Piccolomini (Zerlina), Mlles Spezia (Donna Anna) and Ortolani (Elvira), Belletti (Leporello), 'the music of Don Ottavio was warbled by the beautiful voice of Giuglini as few had heard it warbled before. The noble air "Dalla sua Pace" was restored by Giuglini on this occasion, and he made a marked sensation by his tender, expressive delivery of it.' He took part in an Italian version of
Balfe's ''
The Bohemian Girl
''The Bohemian Girl'' is an English language Romantic opera composed by Michael William Balfe with a libretto by Alfred Bunn. The plot is loosely based on a Miguel de Cervantes' tale, ''La gitanilla''.
The best-known aria from the piece is "I D ...
'' (as, ''La Zingara''), with Piccolomini, Alboni, Vialetti and Belletti: 'Giuglini's singing of "
Then you'll remember me
The tenor aria known as "Then you'll remember me" from its refrain (less commonly as "When other lips" or "When other lips and other hearts" from its first words) is one of the most noted and lastingly popular collaborations of the Irish composer ...
", in Italian brought with it a pleasure never to be forgotten by those who heard it.' He also gave a 'Festival Performance' of ''
La sonnambula
''La sonnambula'' (; ''The Sleepwalker'') is an opera semiseria in two acts, with music in the ''bel canto'' tradition by Vincenzo Bellini set to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani, based on a scenario for a ''ballet-pantomime'' written by Eu ...
'' with Mlle Piccolomini and Sig. Belletti.
With Mapleson and Smith, 1858–1861
Lumley's 1858 season did not begin until after Easter, and for its launch, when the future was very uncertain, he gave a lavish production for the London debut of Thérèse Tietjens, with Giuglini, in ''
Les Huguenots
() is an opera by Giacomo Meyerbeer and is one of the most popular and spectacular examples of grand opera. In five acts, to a libretto by Eugène Scribe and Émile Deschamps, it premiered in Paris on 29 February 1836.
Composition history
'' ...
''. Even during rehearsal there was tremendous interest, when Tietjens' artistic efforts called forth a response from her Raoul:
Tietjens and Giuglini next sang ''
Il trovatore'', and both productions, attended by the Queen and court, had wildly enthusiastic receptions. On 3 June 1858, for Lumley, he appeared as Rodolfo in the first UK performance of Verdi's ''
Luisa Miller
''Luisa Miller'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play '' Kabale und Liebe'' (''Intrigue and Love'') by the German dramatist Friedrich von Schiller.
Verdi's initial idea f ...
'', opposite Piccolomini.
[H. Rosenthal and J. Warrack, ''Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera'' (London: OUP, 1974).]
However, as Lumley's management soon afterwards collapsed,
Colonel J.H. Mapleson, hoping to revive Her Majesty's company, set up a company at Drury Lane, acquiring some of Lumley's artistes, and in its second season (1858) Giuglini appeared again as Fernando for the debut of
Carolina Guarducci, who made a sensational debut despite never having studied the part which she sang (i.e. Leonora), and was afterwards coached by Mme Tietjens.
[J.H. Mapleson, ''The Mapleson Memoirs'' (Belford, Clarke and Co, Chicago 1888),I, 9, 17.] At Drury Lane in July 1859 Giuglini created the role of Arrigo in the first London production of Verdi's ''
Les vêpres siciliennes
LES or Les may refer to:
People
* Les (given name)
* Les (surname)
* L.E.S. (producer), hip hop producer
Space flight
* Launch Entry Suit, worn by Space Shuttle crews
* Launch escape system, for spacecraft emergencies
* Lincoln Experimental ...
'', opposite Tietjens.
[Rosenthal and Warrack 1974.]
With
Edward Tyrrel Smith
Edward Tyrrel Smith (1804–1877) was a versatile British entrepreneur and showman, best known as an opera and theatrical manager.
Life
He was the illegitimate son of the Irish naval officer Edward Tyrrell Smith (died 1824). His mother is suppose ...
the ''Her Majesty's'' project was resumed, and in 1860 Tietjens and Giuglini were available to Smith and Mapleson as part of a £16,000 deal with Lumley.
[Mapleson 1888, I, 23-27.] English and Italian opera companies were run on alternate nights, and Giuglini, Tietjens, Mme Lemaire and Sig. Vialetti in ''Il trovatore'' were alternated with
George Alexander Macfarren
Sir George Alexander Macfarren (2 March 181331 October 1887) was an English composer and musicologist.
Life
George Alexander Macfarren was born in London on 2 March 1813 to George Macfarren, a dancing-master, dramatic author and journalist, wh ...
's ''Robin Hood'', starring
Helen Lemmens-Sherrington
Helen Lemmens-Sherrington (4 October 1834 – 9 May 1906) was an English concert and operatic soprano prominent from the 1850s to the 1880s. Born in northern England, she spent much of her childhood and later life in Belgium, where she studied a ...
(her début),
John Sims Reeves
John Sims Reeves (21 October 1821 – 25 October 1900) was an English operatic, oratorio and ballad tenor vocalist during the mid-Victorian era.
Reeves began his singing career in 1838 but continued his vocal studies until 1847. He soon establ ...
and
Charles Santley
Sir Charles Santley (28 February 1834 – 22 September 1922) was an English opera and oratorio singer with a ''bravura''From the Italian verb ''bravare'', to show off. A florid, ostentatious style or a passage of music requiring technical skill ...
.
[J. Sims Reeves, ''The Life of Sims Reeves written by himself'' (London: Simpkin Marshall, 1888), 220-221.] But the management partnership split, and Mapleson again dealt with Lumley to obtain Giuglini and Tietjens for a new project at the Lyceum Theatre.
Mapleson's Lyceum season, 1861
Meanwhile, Mapleson had also recruited
Adelina Patti
Adelina Patti (19 February 184327 September 1919) was a Spanish-Italian opera singer. At the height of her career, she was earning huge fees performing in the music capitals of Europe and America. She first sang in public as a child in 1851, a ...
, but she was immediately poached by Gye for Covent Garden. The Lyceum company opened on 8 June 1861 with ''Il trovatore'' with Giuglini, Tietjens, Alboni,
Enrico Delle Sedie (who had sung with Giuglini in Milan) and Édouard Gassier, under
Luigi Arditi
Luigi Arditi (16 July 1822 – 1 May 1903) was an Italian violinist, composer and conductor.
Life
Arditi was born in Crescentino, Piemonte, Kingdom of Sardinia. He began his musical career as a violinist, and studied music at the Milan Cons ...
. The second night was ''
Lucrezia Borgia
Lucrezia Borgia (18 April 1480 – 24 June 1519) was an Italian noblewoman of the House of Borgia who was the illegitimate daughter of Pope Alexander VI and Vannozza dei Cattanei. She was a former governor of Spoleto.
Her family arranged ...
'', with the same cast, Tietjens' greatest role. Soon afterwards Giuglini led a cast in the very successful first London production of ''
Un ballo in maschera'', just beating Covent Garden to it, after all-night rehearsals for weeks through productions of ''Les Huguenots'', ''Lucrezia Borgia'' and ''
Norma Norma may refer to:
* Norma (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
** Norma Lizbeth Ramos, a Mexican bullying victim
Astronomy
*Norma (constellation)
* 555 Norma, a minor asteroid
* Cygnus Arm or Norma Arm, a spiral ...
'' (Giuglini as Pollione, opposite Tietjens), all with Arditi conducting. The end of the season was crowned with an evening of excerpts, in which Giuglini and Tietjens sang the grand duet from ''Les Huguenots''.
[Mapleson 1888, I, 29-39.]
Her Majesty's, and a Cantata
In 1862 Mapleson finally obtained the lease of Her Majesty's Theatre, with the continued services of Tietjens and Giuglini.
Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma, to a family of moderate means, recei ...
's ''Cantata'', rejected for the opening of the 1862 London Exhibition, was performed, and productions of ''
Semiramide
''Semiramide'' () is an opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini.
The libretto by Gaetano Rossi is based on Voltaire's tragedy ''Sémiramis (tragedy), Semiramis'', which in turn was based on the legend of Semiramis of Assyria. The opera was first ...
'', ''
Oberon
Oberon () is a king of the fairy, fairies in Middle Ages, medieval and Renaissance literature. He is best known as a character in William Shakespeare's play ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', in which he is King of the Fairies and spouse of Titania ...
'', ''
Robert le Diable
''Robert le diable'' (''Robert the Devil'') is an opera in five acts composed by Giacomo Meyerbeer between 1827 and 1831, to a libretto written in French by Eugène Scribe and Germain Delavigne. ''Robert le diable'' is regarded as one of the first ...
'', ''
Lucrezia Borgia
Lucrezia Borgia (18 April 1480 – 24 June 1519) was an Italian noblewoman of the House of Borgia who was the illegitimate daughter of Pope Alexander VI and Vannozza dei Cattanei. She was a former governor of Spoleto.
Her family arranged ...
'' and ''
Il trovatore'' followed. During this season Giuglini began to be difficult, spending much time in Brighton with a notorious lady, but being brought to heel by the threat of being replaced as Manrico. He however made it a condition of his continued service, that Mapleson should present a new ''Cantata'' which he, Giuglini, had written, including a lugubrious role for Tietjens, and a scene in which no fewer than 120 windows should appear in a stage set, from each of which at a given signal (i.e., the
Garibaldi
Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as (). In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as () or (). 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, revolutionary and republican. H ...
hymn) an Italian flag should appear. Mapleson complied: the ''cantata'' was performed for one night only.
[Mapleson 1888, I, 43-45.] The 1862 season also included Giuglini in the opera ''
Martha
Martha (Aramaic language, Aramaic: מָרְתָא) is a Bible, biblical figure described in the Gospels of Gospel of Luke, Luke and Gospel of John, John. Together with her siblings Lazarus of Bethany, Lazarus and Mary of Bethany, she is descr ...
''.
Following an incident in which Mme Tietjens accidentally struck Giuglini on the nose with a drumstick when sounding a gong during a performance of ''Norma'', causing the tenor's nose to bleed on stage, Giuglini conceived a hatred for that opera and swore a solemn oath never to appear in it again. However, during a breakdown in a series of ''Il trovatore'', owing to the indisposition of the contralto, Mapleson was obliged to stage ''Norma'' and engaged another tenor, knowing Giuglini's objection, and that this performance was supernumerary to his contract. Having attempted to extort additional fees, Giuglini at the last minute had the rival forcibly divested of his costume backstage, and sang the role himself, but to little financial advantage, and without the drumstick.
[Mapleson 1888, I, 47-57.]
The 1863 season opened with ''Il trovatore'', and in May was the premiere of Schira's opera ''
Niccolo de' Lapi'' with Giuglini as Lamberto, Tietjens,
Zélia Trebelli
Zelia Trebelli-Bettini (1836–1892) also known as Zelia Gilbert or by her stage name Trebelli, was a French operatic mezzo-soprano. Born Zélie Thérèse Caroline Gillebert in Paris, she died in Etretat.
Mme Trebelli's artistry was greatly admi ...
and Santley. However the highlight of that season was the first London ''
Faust
Faust ( , ) is the protagonist of a classic German folklore, German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust (). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a deal with the Devil at a ...
'', launched 11 June at Her Majesty's, in which he took the title role: the opera was thereafter produced at Covent Garden in every year until 1911. The premiere was with Tietjens (Margherita), Trebelli (Siebel), Edouard Gassier (Mephistopheles) and Charles Santley (Valentin), Arditi conducting. (On one occasion Giuglini was hissed for a late appearance in the church scene.
[Santley 1892, 199.]) It was given for ten nights in succession, after which Gye opened it at Covent Garden on July 2 with
Enrico Tamberlik
Enrico Tamberlik (16 March 1820 – 13 March 1889) was an Italian tenor who sang to great acclaim at Europe and America's leading opera venues. He excelled in the heroic roles of the Italian and French repertories and was renowned for his po ...
, and with Mario in the following year. In later productions Mapleson replaced Giuglini in the role with the tenor
Alessandro Bettini, and with Sims Reeves.
[Mapleson 1888, I, 66-76.] Giuglini again sang ''The Bohemian Girl'', this time with Santley, Vialetti and
Louisa Pyne
Louisa Bodda-Pyne (30 April 1828 – 20 March 1904) was an English soprano and opera company manager.
Biography
Life and career
Born into a theatrical family as Louisa Fanny Pyne, she was the youngest daughter of the alto George Griggs Pyne (1 ...
.
[C. Santley, ''Reminiscences of my Life'' (London: Isaac Pitman, 1909), 15-16.]
In 1864, Tietjens and Giuglini performed ''Lucrezia Borgia'' at Her Majesty's, in the gala performance in the presence of
Garibaldi
Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as (). In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as () or (). 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, revolutionary and republican. H ...
, and surpassed themselves.
[Mapleson 1888, I, 81.] They led the cast in a new production of ''
The Merry Wives of Windsor
''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' or ''Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare first published in 1602, though believed to have been written in or before 1597. The Windsor of the play's title is a ref ...
'' of Nicolai (as Mistress Ford and Fenton), with Bettini, Gassier, Santley and
Caroline Bettelheim
Caroline von Gomperz-Bettelheim, or C(K)aroline Bettelheim, ''pseudonym: Tellheim'' (; 1 June 1845, in Pest – 13 December 1925, in Vienna) was a Hungarian-Austrian court singer and member of the Royal Opera, Vienna. Her younger brother was ...
, which ran for many nights. Both appeared in Buckingham Palace concerts in that year. Giuglini was also Vincenzo in
Gounod
Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...
's ''
Mireille
Mireille () is a French given name, derived from the Provençal Occitan name ''Mirèio'' (or ''Mirèlha'' in the classical norm of Occitan, ). It could be related to the Occitan verb ''mirar'' "to look, to admire" or to the given names ''Miriam'' " ...
'', in a fight scene of which, owing to insufficient rehearsal, he received a resounding blow on the head from Santley, playing Ourrias.
[Santley 1892, 208-209.]
At St Petersburg
Late in 1864 Giuglini accepted an engagement for a season in
St Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
, but arrived to find that he was not required for ''Faust'' as
Enrico Tamberlik
Enrico Tamberlik (16 March 1820 – 13 March 1889) was an Italian tenor who sang to great acclaim at Europe and America's leading opera venues. He excelled in the heroic roles of the Italian and French repertories and was renowned for his po ...
had contrived to take that role. His debut as Faust there was, therefore, delayed, and when he was finally asked, Patti (the Marguerite) was rumoured to be indisposed, to be replaced by a débutante. Giuglini was unnerved, and became indisposed himself. When at the end of his contract a sum was deducted for that evening because he had taken a walk and left his house on that night, he threw his payment into a stove in fury, and thereafter his reason began to desert him. He returned to London in spring 1865, where Mapleson awaited him for a
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
tour. All his valuable clothes and fur coats had been stolen in the journey back from Russia, and all the precious stones removed from his property and jewellery.
[Mapleson 1888, I, 82-85.]
Illness and death
At home in Welbeck Street, Giuglini sat eating oysters and refused to put on his trousers. Mapleson placed him in the care of a doctor at
Chiswick
Chiswick ( ) is a district in West London, split between the London Borough of Hounslow, London Boroughs of Hounslow and London Borough of Ealing, Ealing. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist Wi ...
, and in a later visit, with Tietjens, the tenor seemed rational, and sang 'Spirito gentil' and M'appari' for them divinely. His condition deteriorated, and having made a sea voyage to Italy that autumn for his health, he died at
Pesaro
Pesaro (; ) is a (municipality) in the Italy, Italian region of Marche, capital of the province of Pesaro and Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the ...
.
[Mapleson 1888, I, 84-86, 89-90]
Character
According to Mapleson, Giuglini had a childlike and sometimes mischievous nature. He was often prey to unscrupulous young women who used their charms to play on his sensitive nature to bring him under their influence. In this he was protected by his manager
Mme Puzzi ('Mamma Puzzi' as he called her), who was frequently summoned by letter or telegraph to rescue him at a moment's notice, and never failed to do so. Giuglini was very fond of flying kites, which he often did in the
Brompton Road
Brompton Road is a street located in the southern part from Knightsbridge and in the eastern part from Brompton, London, Brompton in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and partly the City of Westminster in London.
It starts from ...
at the risk of being crushed to death by passing omnibuses, and became known to the drivers who indulgently avoided him.
[Mapleson 1888, I, 51.]
Lumley noted one of Giuglini's obsessions in 1857: "At this period the principal passion of the great tenor was for making and letting off fireworks! It was one of those passions which almost amounted to a mania, and engrossed all his thoughts when not occupied with his art. He had come to be a considerable adept in fire work-making..." Mme Tietjens told of a hazardous journey with him back from a performance in the theatre at Dublin, in a cab stuffed full of fireworks, with excited but unaware fellow travellers smoking pipes and cigars around them. Giuglini himself was a cigar-smoker, and enjoyed gossip and conspiracy among his companions.
[Mapleson 1888, I, 49-53.]
According to a story published in 1951 purporting to be based in historical reality,
[Donald MacAndrew, 'Mr and Mrs Windham: a mid-Victorian Melodrama from Real Life', ''The Saturday Book - 11th Year'' (Hutchinson, 1951)]
Read here
from around 1858 to 1863 Giuglini openly maintained a relationship with a married woman, Mrs Agnes Windham (formerly Agnes Willoughby), wife of 'Mad' Windham of
Felbrigg Hall
Felbrigg Hall is a 17th-century English country house near the village of that name in Norfolk. Part of a National Trust property, the unaltered 17th-century house is noted for its Jacobean architecture and fine Georgian interior. Outside ...
in Norfolk, which caused a frisson of public scandal. Mrs Windham was very attached to Giuglini and set up house with him in London, despite the fact that her husband appeared from time to time to create embarrassing scenes, and threatened her with divorce.
A critique
Santley, who had admired him in Milan, felt afterwards that he was not so fine a singer as
Italo Gardoni
Italo Gardoni (12 March 1821 – 26 March 1882) was a leading operatic tenor, tenore di grazia singer from Italy who enjoyed a major international career during the middle decades of the 19th century. Along with Giovanni Mario, Gaetano Fraschini, ...
, the tenor who succeeded him in London.
Santley also wrote:
In 1893,
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...
could still write of his own time as the 'post-Giuglinian days'; and Giuglini's name was often coupled with that of the great tenor
Mario
Mario (; ) is a Character (arts), character created by the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the star of the ''Mario (franchise), Mario'' franchise, a recurring character in the ''Donkey Kong'' franchise, and the mascot of the Ja ...
.
[G.B. Shaw, ''Music in London 1890-1894'' (London: Constable, 1932), III, 41.]
Notes
Sources
* J.H. Mapleson, ''The Mapleson Memoirs'', 2 vols (Chicago: Belford, Clarke & Co, 1888).
* H. Rosenthal and J. Warrack, ''Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera'' (London: OUP, 1974 printing).
* C. Santley, ''Student and Singer - The Reminiscences of Charles Santley'' (London: Edward Arnold, 1892).
* C. Santley, ''Reminiscences of my Life'' (London: Isaac Pitman, 1909).
* G.B. Shaw, ''Music in London 1890-1894'', 3 vols (London: Constable,1932).
* J. Sims Reeves, ''The Life of Sims Reeves written by himself'' (London: Simpkin Marshall, 1888).
External links
1861 Mayer Brothers photograph of Giuglini in Victoria and Albert Museum, Cat. Item S.144:100-2007
{{DEFAULTSORT:Giuglini, Antonio
1825 births
1865 deaths
Italian operatic tenors
Artists from Fano
Österreichischer Kammersänger
19th-century Italian male opera singers
Chamber singers of the Emperor of Austria