Carlo Sabajno (1874 in

Rosasco Rosasco is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pavia in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 50 km southwest of Milan and about 45 km west of Pavia. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 691 and an area of 19.8&n ...

, Italy – 1938 in

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 ...

) was an Italian conductor. From 1904 to 1932, he was the

Gramophone Company The Gramophone Company Limited was a British phonograph manufacturer and record label, founded in April 1898 by Emil Berliner. It was one of the earliest record labels. The company purchased the His Master's Voice painting and trademark righ ...

's chief conductor and artistic director in Italy, responsible for some of the earliest full-length opera recordings, most of them with the orchestra of

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 and prominent singers there. Particularly outstanding among these are his stately, authoritative late-1920s and early-1930s electrical recordings of Don Pasquale (with Tito Schipa in his only complete opera recording as Ernesto), Traviata (sadly limited by more than the usual cuts, but with silvery-voiced Alessandro Ziliani as Alfredo), Aida (with Irene Minghini-Cattaneo's Amneris and

Aureliano Pertile Aureliano Pertile (9 November 1885 – 11 January 1952) was an Italians, Italian lyric tenor. Many critics consider him one of the most exciting operatic artists of the inter-war period, and one of the most important tenors of the 20th century. ...

's Radamès), Otello (with

Apollo Granforte Apollo Granforte (20 July 1886, Legnago – 11 June 1975, Milan) was an Italian opera singer and one of the leading baritones during the inter-war period of the 20th century. Early years and education At 9 o'clock on the morning of 22 July 1 ...

as a formidable Iago) and Bohème (a superb understated, but highly distinguished, collaboration with excellent, if lesser-known, singers).

Discography

1907 *1907

Leoncavallo Ruggero (or Ruggiero) Leoncavallo (23 April 18579 August 1919) was an Italian opera composer and librettist. Throughout his career, Leoncavallo produced numerous operas and songs but it is his 1892 opera ''Pagliacci'' that remained his lasting co ...

: ''

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 mu ...

'' – Antonio Paoli, Giuseppina Huguet,

Ernesto Badini Ernesto Badini (born San Colombano al Lambro, 14 September 1876; died Milan, 6 July 1937) was an Italian opera singer that sang in the baritone range. He was trained at Milan Conservatory and made his debut as Matteo (in '' Frà Diavolo'') at Lod ...

; Orchestra and Chorus of

, Milan *1907

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 ...

: ''

Aida ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is a tragic opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 De ...

'' - Teresa Chelotti, Orazio Cosentino, Vittoria Colombati, Giovanni Novelli, Alfredo Brondi; Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan 1915 - 1919 *1915 Mascagni: ''

Cavalleria rusticana ''Cavalleria rusticana'' (; ) is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, adapted from an 1880 Cavalleria rusticana (short story), short story of the same name and subsequent ...

'' – Giorgina Ermolli, Franco Tuminello, Eugenio Perna; Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan *1915 Verdi: ''La traviata'' – Margherita Bevignani, Franco Tuminello, Ernesto Badini; Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan *1916-17 Verdi: ''

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 ...

'' – Giuseppe Danise, Ayres Borghi-Zerni, Carlo Broccardi, Ernesto Badini, Olga Simzis; Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan *1917 Leoncavallo: ''Pagliacci'' – Luigi Bolis, Anita Conti, Giuseppe Montanelli; Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan *1917

Puccini Giacomo Puccini (22 December 1858 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long line of composers, s ...

: ''

La bohème ''La bohème'' ( , ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions '':wikt:quadro, quadri'', ''wikt:tableau, tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto b ...

'' –

Gemma Bosini Gemma Bosini (1890 – 2 February 1982) was an Italian operatic soprano who had an active international performance career in 1909–1930. She is especially associated with the role of Alice Ford in Giuseppe Verdi's ''Falstaff (opera), Falstaff' ...

, Reno Andreini, Ernesto Badini, Adalgisa Giana; Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan *1918-19 Puccini: ''

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 ...

'' – Lya Remondini, Carlo Broccardi, Dario Zani; Grande Orchestra and Chorus *1919 Puccini: ''Tosca'' – Valentina Bartolomasi, Attilio Salvaneschi, Adolfo Pacini; Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan *1919

Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. He gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano p ...

: ''

Il barbiere di Siviglia ''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( ) is an ''opera buffa'' (comic opera) in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's French comedy '' ...

'' – Ernesto Badini, Malvina Pereira, Edoardo Taliani; Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan *1919 Verdi: ''Aida'' – Valentina Bartolomasi, Enrico Trentini, Rosita Pagani, Adolfo Pacini, Guido Fernandez; Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan *1920 Giordano: ''

Andrea Chénier ''Andrea Chénier'' () is a verismo opera in four acts by Umberto Giordano, set to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica, and first performed on 28 March 1896 at La Scala, Milan. The story is based loosely on the life of the French poet An ...

'' – Luigi Lupato, Valentina Bartolomasi, Adolfo Pacini; Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan 1920 - 1930 *1920

Bizet Georges Bizet (; 25 October 18383 June 1875) was a French composer of the Romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, '' Carmen'', which has become ...

: ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the O ...

'' - Fanny Anitùa, Luigi Bolis,

Ines Maria Ferraris Ines Maria Ferraris (also Ina Maria Ferraris; 6 May 1882, in Turin – 11 December 1971, in Milan) was an Italian people, Italian operatic soprano and pianist who sang for more than two decades at La Scala in addition to appearances on the intern ...

, Cesare Formichi; Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan *1920 Gounoud: ''

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 ...

'' – Giuliano Romagnoli, Fernando Autori, Gemma Bosini, Adolfo Pacini, Gilda Timitz; Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan *1921 Puccini: ''

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 ...

'' – Ottavia Giordano, Santo Santonocito, Ginevra Amato, Adolfo Pacini; Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan *1927-1928 Verdi: ''Rigoletto'' – Luigi Piazza, Lina Pagliughi, Tino Folgar; Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan *1928 Puccini: ''La bohème'' – Rosina Torri, Aristodemo Giorgini, Ernesto Badini, Thea Vitulli; Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan; *1928 Verdi: ''Aida'' – Dusolina Giannini,

, Irene Minghini-Cattaneo, Giovanni Inghilleri, Luigi Manfrini; Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan *1929 Verdi: ''

Requiem A Requiem (Latin: ''rest'') or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead () or Mass of the dead (), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is ...

'' - Maria Luisa Fanelli, Irene Minghini-Cattaneo, Franco Lo Giudice,

Ezio Pinza Ezio Fortunato Pinza (May 18, 1892May 9, 1957) was an Italian opera singer. Pinza possessed a rich, smooth and sonorous voice, with a flexibility unusual for a bass. He spent 22 seasons at New York's Metropolitan Opera, appearing in more than 75 ...

; Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan *1929 Leoncavallo: ''Pagliacci'' – Alessandro Valente, Adelaide Saraceni,

; Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan *1929-30 Mascagni: ''Cavalleria rusticana'' – Delia Sanzio, Giovanni Breviario, Piero Biasini; Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan *1929-30 Puccini: ''Madama Butterfly'' –

Margaret Burke Sheridan Margaret Burke Sheridan (15 October 1889 – 16 April 1958) was an Irish opera singer (lyric soprano). Born in Castlebar, County Mayo, she was known as ''Maggie from Mayo'' and is regarded as Ireland's second prima donna, after Catherine Hayes ( ...

Lionello Cecil Lionello Cecil (20 September 1893 – 13 November 1957) was an Australian operatic tenor. Much of his training and early career took place in Italy. Early life and career Lionello Cecil was born in Waverley, in Sydney, as Lionel Cecil Sherwo ...

, Ida Mannarini, Vittorio Weinberg; Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan *1929-30 Puccini: ''Tosca'' –

Carmen Melis Carmen Melis (15 August 1885 – 19 December 1967) was an Italian operatic soprano who had a major international career during the first four decades of the 20th century. She was known, above all, as a verismo soprano, and was one of the most int ...

, Piero Pauli,

; Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan 1930 - 1932 *1930 Verdi: '' Il trovatore'': – Aureliano Pertile, Maria Carena, Irene Minghini-Cattaneo, Apollo Granforte; Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan *1930-31 Verdi: ''La traviata'' – Anna Rosza, Alessandro Ziliani, Luigi Borgonovo; Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan *1931 Bizet: ''Carmen'' –

Gabriella Besanzoni Gabriella Besanzoni (20 September 1888 – 8 July 1962) was an Italian opera singer (mezzo-soprano and contralto). Early life Gabriella Besanzoni was born in Rome and studied at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. Career Besanzoni had her ...

, Piero Pauli, Maria Carbone, Ernesto Besanzoni; Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan *1931-32 Verdi: ''

Otello ''Otello'' () is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on William Shakespeare, Shakespeare's play ''Othello''. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, first performed at the La Scala, Teatro alla Scala, M ...

'' – Nicola Fusati, Maria Carbone, Apollo Granforte; Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan *1932

Donizetti Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was an Italian Romantic composer, best known for his almost 70 operas. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, he was a leading composer of the ''bel canto'' opera ...

: ''

Don Pasquale ''Don Pasquale'' () is a Gaetano Donizetti opera buffa, or comic opera, in three acts, with an Italian libretto completed largely by Giovanni Ruffini as well as the composer. It was based on a libretto by Angelo Anelli for Stefano Pavesi's oper ...

'' – Ernesto Badini, Tito Schipa, Adelaide Saraceni, Afro Poli; Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan

Sources

*Centre for the History and Analysis of Recorded Music
"The House Conductor: Carlo Sabajno"
Accessed 26 February 2009. *Gaisberg, Frederick William, ''Music on Record'', 3rd Edition, Hale, 1948, p. 158. *Garbutt, Tony
"Letters: Gramophone conductors"
''

Gramophone A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration waveforms are recorded as corresponding physic ...

'', May 1990, p. 5

External links

Carlo Sabajno recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database catalog of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The 78rpm era was the time period in which any flat disc records were being played at ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sabajno, Carlo 20th-century Italian conductors (music) 20th-century Italian male musicians Italian male conductors (music) People from the Province of Pavia 1874 births 1938 deaths