Biography of Enrico Caruso

Great voices and great stories

25 February 1873
August 2, 1921
Enrico Caruso was born in Naples on 25 February 1873. Marcello's father is a mechanic and his mother Anna Baldini a housewife. After primary school, he employs as a mechanic in various workshops. He attended the Oratory of Joseph Bronzetti, where he sings as contraltino; Thanks to evening classes continued his education. His promising voice and music lessons, all amateur nature, allow it to begin on the scenes of Don Bronzes in speck of a janitor in the musical farce "the robbers in the garden of Don Raffaele" (by a. Campanelli and a. Faiva).
The beautiful voice and the particular stamp, which will then become his hallmark, allow it to be used as a singer and performing in private homes, in cafes and in the round, with a repertoire of Neapolitan songs together with other singers like Cedeno or ' Dyer and Gerardo Dutch, best known as nurse profession which plays really Ascalesi hospital. It's the Dutch leading Enrico Caruso to sing in the famous Caffè Gambrinus and at the bathing establishment Risorgimento.
Here he was noticed by the baritone Eduardo Missiano which offers the possibility, in 1891, to follow regular lessons with the singing master William Virgin. Henry and his master shall conclude a deal whereby the young will repay music lessons with earnings that will get in the future with the whole business. Thanks to the possibility to be represented by his brother in fulfilling their military obligations, remains in the artillery regiment of Rieti only 45 days. During this period she sings in the Baron's House Costa, a music enthusiast, pointing at Enrico Caruso the work that best suits his singing, Pietro Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana. The first attempt at professional debut doesn't have much success: Enrico is protested by opera director who would interpret at teatro Mercadante in Naples.
Thanks to this step, however, enters the world of small businesspeople, Neapolitans and thanks in particular to one of these, the Sicilian Zucchi, fighting for two years. He made his debut in repertoire at the teatro Cervantes of Caserta in April 1895. Thus began his musical career: is confirmed in Caserta and then in Salerno, where it becomes engaged also with the daughter of theatre director, and faces his first trips abroad. His repertoire is very broad and ranges from Giacomo Puccini (Manon Lescaut) in Ruggero Leoncavallo (Pagliacci) from Ponchielli to French Bizet (Carmen) and Gounod (Faust), including obviously Giuseppe Verdi (Traviata and Rigoletto) and Bellini. His resourcefulness enables him to come into contact with the composer Giacomo Puccini, in which revise the portion of Rodolfo in "La Bohème" getting even "air" is lowered by a half step Gelida manina.
During the staged Enrico Caruso falls in love with the singer Ada Giachetti Casks who plays Mimi. Their relationship lasts eleven years and they had two sons; the first, Rodolfo, was founded in 1898, only a year after their meeting. The turning point in his career is done with triumphant success talking the "Arlesiana" by Cilea. Latin America and Russia open their theaters to accommodate the young Italian tenor who sings in Petersburg and Moscow, Bueons Aires and Montevideo, where he faces for the first time the "Tosca" and "Manon Lescaut" in Massenet's version. The first La Scala debut with la Tosca, is not a success. However, there are extenuating circumstances deriving from non-conciliatory of maestro Arturo Toscanini.
But Henry is instinctive, sensitive person, so failure makes him suffer. You take the right rematch with great success in "Elisir D'amore". Then for the third tour in Buenos Aires with maestro Toscanini. In 1901 he finds himself facing his debut in Naples, with the tried and tested elixir of love. But the audience, led by a group of snobs that Henry has not given the penalty to win, ruin the execution; vows never to sing ever again in his Naples, promise that it will keep until the end of his days sealing it with the execution of the song "Addio mia bella Napoli".
His career became triumphant: Caruso wins the audience with his performance of the Anglo-Saxon "Rigoletto", affects the discs accompanied on piano by Ruggero Leoncavallo and debuted at the Metropolitan in New York, where he will sing for ben 607 times in seventeen seasons. Private life unfortunately does not go quite as well: despite the birth of second son Henry in 1904, his wife follows him almost as much, preferring to live in their villa in Siena. Henry meanwhile was accused of disorderly conduct by a woman probably suffering from hysteria or involved in a blackmail attempt.
Comes out unscathed from the process, but is separated from his wife in 1908. Enter meanwhile become part of his entourage a not well defined spiritual Assistant. The following summer he works in Milan of nodular laryngitis, which probably has a nervous nature. The crisis began in 1911 when content becomes a victim, because of his wealth, a series of attempted extortion at the hands of both the ex-wife and other shady characters, from which ends up protecting the American underworld.
Keep singing around the world for astonishing figures, although during the war she performed again for noble causes. On 20 August 1918 he married the young American Dorothy Benjamin by whom she has a daughter, Gloria. His personal and artistic crisis escalates: he wants to retire but continue with touring and increasing discomfort due to a replica despite pulmonary empyema, which will be diagnosed until later. Is operated in December 1920; in June of the following year back in Italy with his wife, his daughter and loyal Secretary Bruno Zirato. Enrico Caruso dies in his Naples on 2 August 1921, at the age of 48 years.
Article contributed by the team of collaborators.