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Francesco Tamagno - Opera Singer (1850-1905)
The son of an innkeeper, he began his career in the choir of the Teatro Regio in Turin, Italy. He sang his first major operatic role in 1874 in Palermo and Venice. He made his international debut in Barcelona in 1875, and in 1877 made his first appearence at La Scala, beginning a major career as a reknowned tenor. He sang in all the major Italian theatres and made several visits to major opera houses in Madrid, Lisbon, London, Moscow, Buenos Aires, and Chicago. He was known for his powerful high notes, but also somewhat controversially for rather weak acting skills.
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Andreas Dippel - Opera Singer (1866-1932)
Originally a banker, he took singing lessons and first performed professionally in Bremen, Germany. He also performed in London, Munich, and Bayreuth. He made his American debut in 1890 at the Metropolitan Opera in New York where he performed through twelve seasons. His vast repertoire consisted of over 150 roles, though he was best known as an accomplished Wagnerian tenor. In 1908 he became the administrative manager of the Metropolitan, and in 1910 founded the Chicago Opera which he managed for three seasons.
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Giovanni Rubini - Opera Singer (1795-?)
He was a famed Italian opera singer, acknowledged as the originator of a vibratto singing style known as 'messe di voce'. Known in his time as the 'King of the Tenors'.
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Jean de Reszke - Opera Singer (1855-1917)
Polish-born opera tenor. His brother Edouard was also a reknowned tenor and in the 1890s they performed together at New York's Metropolitan Opera on opening night in four successive seasons.
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Adelina Patti - Opera Singer (1843-1919)
Born in Madrid of Italian parents, she debuted as a soprano in New York in 1859, but spent most of her career in London. She was considered one of the 19th Century's best 'coloratura' singers, a vocal style characterized by ornamental runs and trills performed in a high voice.
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Fritzi Scheff - Opera Singer (1879-1954)
She was born in Austria but achieved early notoriety as a mezzo-sporano opera singer performing in the United States. Later in her career she was also a well-known stage entertainer and silent film actress.
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Lillian Russell - Opera Singer & Actress (1861-1922)
Her original name was Helen Louise Leonard. She first appeared in light opera in 1879. By the early 1880s her performances in New York City launched her career as The American Beauty. She achieved great popularity in comic opera, variety theater and burlesque. She was noted for her flamboyant personality and for her love of
jewelry. She reportedly had a passionate affair with Diamond Jim Brady, the famous financier who owned thousands of jewels.
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Antonio Scotti - Opera Singer (1866-1936)
An Italian-born baritone, he made his debut in Naples in 1889, then
performed in Malta, Madrid, Buenos Aires and Moscow. He first appeared at La Scala in Milan
in 1898, and thereafter primarily sang in the U.S. and England. Scotti was known for his
smooth delivery, fine legato, and vocal ability in the upper register. He made his American debut
in Chicago in 1899. From 1899 to 1933 he was immensely popular at the Metropolitan Opera,
both for his acting and for his vocal artistry.
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Ambroise Thomas - Composer (1811-1896)
One of the foremost French operatic composers of the 1800s. Among his major works was 'Hamlet', an opera based on Shakespeare's play, but with several twists. In Thomas' original operatic version, Hamlet decides not to kill himself. The opera was quite popular in France, earning the composer directorship of the Paris Conservatory. Ironically, when the opera was performed in England the London audiences reportedly demanded the traditional Shakespearean ending with Hamlet committing suicide.
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Franz Liszt - Pianist and Composer (1811-1886)
Born in Hungary, he was a virtuoso pianist who achieved fame for his revolutionary playing style. Trained in Vienna and Paris, his career began at age thirteen with a stunning debut in Paris. He toured throughout Europe as a pianist and composer. His work spanned a wide variety of sacred and secular music, including symphonies, sonatas, choral works, and oratorios. One of his children married the famous German composer Richard Wagner.
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Pietro Mascagni - Composer (1863-1945)
Regarded as one of the most important Italian composers of the turn of the last century, his first masterpiece, a one act opera known as Cavalleria Rusticana, opened in Rome in 1890, met with wide public acclaim and was soon being performed throughout Italy. Gustav Mahler conducted its performance in Budapest. He toured Russia in 1900 and later, the United States and South America.
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Ludwig van Beethoven - Composer (1770-1827)
Considered by many to be the greatest composer that has lived, he was German, but of Flemish descent. He studied with Wolfgang Mozart, Franz Haydn and Antonio Salieri. In his late twenties he began losing his hearing and by age forty-nine was totally deaf. He is acknowledged to have vitually perfected many forms of classical music including symphony, quartet and sonata.
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