Ferruccio Corradetti - O sommo Carlo [Ernani] - 1905
Another wonderful product of the Scuola Romana. 'Although, throughout his career, Corradetti was to be heard occasionally in such roles as Rigoletto, di Luna, Barnaba and Iago, by the turn of the century he seems to have realized that, with his lovely but comparatively lightweight voice, it was futile to compete in such heavy parts with the likes of Ruffo, Amato, Stracciari and Magini-Coletti, to name just four of his many prodigiously-endowed contemporaries. Instead, he began to concentrate his energies on three areas of the repertory to which his particular gifts were ideally suited: the bel canto operas (especially Donizetti); such star buffo turns as Verdi's Fra Melitone; and the lighter baritone leads of the flourishing verismo movement. This shrewd decision resulted in a steady demand for his services as, on the one hand, Figaro, Malatesta and Belcore and, on the other, de Siriex in Fedora, Cascart in Zazà and Michonnet in Adriana Lecouvreur. Puccini, of course, offered congenial roles in Manon Lescaut, Boheme and Butterfly (on 7 November, 1911, the admiring composer presented this "spirited Lescaut" and "unsurpassed Marcello" with his signed photograph).' ..................................... This channel is primarily about vocal emission—aural examples of basically correct singing, correct impostazione—chiaroscuro, vowel clarity, firm and centered pitch, correct vibrato action, absence of throatiness or thickness, sounds free from constriction and from the acoustic noise that accompanies it—with occasional video examples that demonstrate what the body, face, mouth, jaw, and tongue look like when used with correct impostazione—the vocal emission of the one and only Italian school. Caveat: I'm biased in favor of baritones and baritone literature, but if you want to learn about and listen to all the greatest singers in the old-school tradition, explore this spreadsheet (voice parts are separated by tabs): https://bit.ly/2W4qmE3
Another wonderful product of the Scuola Romana. 'Although, throughout his career, Corradetti was to be heard occasionally in such roles as Rigoletto, di Luna, Barnaba and Iago, by the turn of the century he seems to have realized that, with his lovely but comparatively lightweight voice, it was futile to compete in such heavy parts with the likes of Ruffo, Amato, Stracciari and Magini-Coletti, to name just four of his many prodigiously-endowed contemporaries. Instead, he began to concentrate his energies on three areas of the repertory to which his particular gifts were ideally suited: the bel canto operas (especially Donizetti); such star buffo turns as Verdi's Fra Melitone; and the lighter baritone leads of the flourishing verismo movement. This shrewd decision resulted in a steady demand for his services as, on the one hand, Figaro, Malatesta and Belcore and, on the other, de Siriex in Fedora, Cascart in Zazà and Michonnet in Adriana Lecouvreur. Puccini, of course, offered congenial roles in Manon Lescaut, Boheme and Butterfly (on 7 November, 1911, the admiring composer presented this "spirited Lescaut" and "unsurpassed Marcello" with his signed photograph).' ..................................... This channel is primarily about vocal emission—aural examples of basically correct singing, correct impostazione—chiaroscuro, vowel clarity, firm and centered pitch, correct vibrato action, absence of throatiness or thickness, sounds free from constriction and from the acoustic noise that accompanies it—with occasional video examples that demonstrate what the body, face, mouth, jaw, and tongue look like when used with correct impostazione—the vocal emission of the one and only Italian school. Caveat: I'm biased in favor of baritones and baritone literature, but if you want to learn about and listen to all the greatest singers in the old-school tradition, explore this spreadsheet (voice parts are separated by tabs): https://bit.ly/2W4qmE3