Attilio Salvaneschi (1873–1938) 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 ...

.''The unknown Callas: the Greek years'' by N. Petsalēs-Diomēdēs and George Henry Hubert Lascelles Harewood, page 619 He had an active international singing career from the late 1890s until his retirement in 1924. He then embarked on a second career as a

voice teacher A voice teacher or singing teacher is a musical instructor who assists adults and children in the development of their abilities in singing. Typical work A voice teacher works with a student singer to improve the various skills involved in sing ...

, first in Italy and later in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. Possessing a voice of remarkable beauty, he made recordings for

Blue Amberol Records Blue Amberol Records was the trademark name for phonograph cylinder, cylinder records manufactured by Thomas A. Edison, Inc. in the United States, US from 1912 to 1929. They replaced the 4-minute black wax Amberol cylinders introduced in 1908, w ...

His Master's Voice His Master's Voice is an entertainment trademark featuring a dog named Nipper, curiously peering into the horn of a wind-up gramophone. Painted by Francis Barraud in 1898, the image has since become a global symbol used across consumer elect ...

, and

Odeon Records Odeon Records is a record label founded in 1903 by Max Straus and Heinrich Zuntz of the International Talking Machine Company in Berlin, Germany. The label's name and logo come from the Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe in Paris. History Straus a ...

Career

After singing with mostly minor Italian

opera house An opera house is a theater building used for performances of opera. Like many theaters, it usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, backstage facilities for costumes and building sets, as well as offices for the institut ...

s for some years, Salvaneschi toured North America in performances with Mario Lombardi's opera troupe in 1907. He was also heard that year in operas in Havana. He made appearances at the

New German Theatre The State Opera (Czech: Státní opera) is an opera house in Prague, Czech Republic. It is part of the National Theatre of the Czech Republic, founded by Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic in 1992. The theatre itself originally opened i ...

in Prague in 1908, 1910, and 1914. Also in 1914, he performed as a guest artist at the

Odessa Opera The Odesa National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre () is the oldest theatre in Odesa, Ukraine. The Theatre and the Potemkin Stairs are the most famous edifices in Odesa. The first opera house was opened in 1810 and destroyed by fire in 1873. T ...

, the

Royal Swedish Opera Royal Swedish Opera () is an opera and ballet company based in Stockholm, Sweden. Location and environment The building is located in the centre of Sweden's capital, Stockholm, in the borough of Norrmalm (borough), Norrmalm, on the eastern si ...

, and the Teatro Corso in Bologna. For the 1914-1915 season, Salvaneschi was engaged at the Italian Opera in the

. He returned briefly to Italy in early 1915 to portray the Duke of Mantua in

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for List of compositions by Giuseppe Verdi, his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma ...

's ''

Rigoletto ''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play '' Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had c ...

'' at

La Fenice Teatro La Fenice (; "The Phoenix Theatre") is a historic opera house in Venice, Italy. It is one of "the most famous and renowned landmarks in the history of Italian theatre" and in the history of opera as a whole. Especially in the 19th cen ...

with

Mario Sammarco (Giuseppe) Mario Sammarco (13 December 1873 – 24 January 1930) was an Italian operatic baritone noted for his acting ability. Biography Sammarco was born in Palermo, Sicily. At a young age he joined a choral class and took a few singing lesso ...

in the title role. Due to the difficulties in Italy during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he decided to return to the Netherlands; working as a member of the Theatre Royal in

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

from 1915-1919. He returned to Italy in 1919, and arrived 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 ...

the following year. With the La Scala orchestra and chorus he notably recorded the role of Cavardossi in

Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Puccini (22 December 1858 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for List of compositions by Giacomo Puccini#Operas, his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he ...

's ''

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 dell'Opera di Roma, Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1 ...

'' in 1920 with

Carlo Sabajno Carlo Sabajno (1874 in Rosasco, Italy – 1938 in Milan) was an Italian conductor. From 1904 to 1932, he was the Gramophone Company's chief conductor and artistic director in Italy, responsible for some of the earliest full-length opera reco ...

conducting and

Valentina Bartolomasi Valentina Bartolomasi (1889–1932) was an Italian soprano whose opera career spanned from 1910 to 1927. She appeared on the recordings made of Umberto Giordano's ''Andrea Chénier'' (as Maddalena de Coigny), Giacomo Puccini's ''Tosca'' (in the ti ...

as the title heroine. In 1921 Salvaneschi found great success in a series of performances of the Duke of Mantua at a variety of theatres, including the

Teatro Adriano The Teatro Adriano (i.e. "Adriano Theater"), also known as Politeama Adriano and Cinema Adriano, is a cinema and former theatre located in Piazza Cavour, Rome, Italy. It was built by Pio Gallas and Romeo Bisini on a project by architect Luigi Ro ...

in Rome and the rebuilt Teatro Verdi di Padova (with

Toti dal Monte Antonietta Meneghel (27 June 1893 – 26 January 1975), better known by her stage name Toti Dal Monte, was a celebrated Italian operatic lyric soprano. She may be best remembered today for her performance as Cio-cio-san in Puccini's ''Madama Butt ...

and

Mattia Battistini Mattia Battistini (27 February 1856 – 7 November 1928) was an Italian operatic baritone, referred to as the "King of Baritones" in multiple publications.Steane, J.B., 1998. Singers of the Century, vol. 2. Amadeus Press, Portland, pp. ...

). In 1924 he retired from the stage after an unsuccessful throat operation. He spent the next four years teaching

singing Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

in Italy, and then moved in 1928 to The Hague where he continued to teach voice.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Salvaneschi, Attilio 1873 births 1938 deaths Italian operatic tenors Italian voice teachers 19th-century Italian male opera singers 20th-century Italian male opera singers