Description

FERNANDO DE LUCIA (NAPLES, 11 OCTOBER, 1860 – NAPLES, 21 FEBRUARY, 1925)

 

 

 

 

He studied at the Naples Music Conservatory with Vincenzo Lombardi and Beniamino Carelli. He made his debut at the Teatro di San Carlo, Naples, as Gounod’s Faust in 1885. Over the next two or three years he sang in Spain, South America and in the smaller Italian opera houses, in Linda di Chamounix, Dinorah, L’elisir d’amore, Fra Diavolo and La sonnambula. While in Madrid he was hired by Augustus Harris and Herman Klein for his first London appearances in the Drury Lane season of 1887; but although Klein liked his Alfredo, he went comparatively unnoticed due to the British debut of the charismatic tenor Jean de Reszke. His Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia (a role later closely associated with him) was described as “truly detestable” by The Times newspaper. On October 31, 1891, De Lucia took part in the world premiere of L’amico Fritz, singing the role of Fritz Kobus opposite the French diva Emma Calvé. The opera had been composed by the up-and-coming musician Pietro Mascagni and its debut occurred in Rome at the Costanzi Theatre. For a singer later upheld (by some) as the rarified model of bel canto style the situation was originally quite otherwise; De Lucia was, in fact, famous during his career not as a bel canto stylist, but as a performer of Mascagni and Ruggero Leoncavallo’s earthy, melodramatic verismo characters. De Lucia capitalized on Europe’s Mascagni craze of the early 1890s. Accordingly, in November 1892, he was engaged by the Florence opera house to create the tenor lead in Mascagni’s third opera, I Rantzau. Appearing with him in the work was the virtuoso baritone Mattia Battistini. De Lucia’s verismo-opera career continued apace with the first English performance (on 19 May 1893, with Enrico Bevignani conducting), of Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, opposite Nellie Melba and Mario Ancona. De Lucia sang the part of Canio, which had been created a year earlier in Milan by Fiorello Giraud. Klein describes an audience breathless with excitement, and De Lucia’s burning intensity in the role as a triumph of realism. Mascagni made his own London debut at Covent Garden, conducting L’amico Fritz on June 19, 1893 with Calvé and, of course, De Lucia in the cast. Soon afterwards, again with Calvé, and accompanied by the song composer Paolo Tosti, De Lucia sang excerpts from Cavalleria rusticana for Queen Victoria at Windsor. On July 7 of that year, appearing in a cast which included soprano Nellie Melba and the baritones Mario Ancona and David Bispham, he gave the first British performance of I Rantzau at Covent Garden. (The opera was not a great success.).  In 1893-94, De Lucia sang in New York City at the Metropolitan Opera. He repeated his Canio with Melba and Ancona, and this was esteemed; but he was disliked as Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni and as the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto. He did not repeat the experience. In London in 1894, he performed both Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci (together on the one night) at Covent Garden, with Ancona in the lead baritone parts. Shawadmired the “‘altogether exceptional dramatic force” which their performances gave to the pair of works. That season he was also in a bilingual (French-Italian) Faust, with Melba, Ancona and Bauermeister. De Lucia sang at La Scala in 1895 in the world premiere of Mascagni’s Silvano, and also appeared in the first Milan performances of Puccini’s La bohème and Massenet’s La Navarraise. The American baritone David Bispham thought De Lucia admirable in Fra Diavolo that year. The cast of Auber’s light-hearted opera featured Bispham and Mme Amadi (as Lord and Lady Allcash) and Marie Engle (as Zerlina), as well as the bass Vittorio Arimondi and the buffo baritone Antonio Pini-Corsi (as brigands). In 1896, in Milan, De Lucia appeared as Cavaradossi in Tosca, and again as Almaviva. The next year, he sang in a state concert at London’s Buckingham Palace to mark Queen Victoria’s Royal Jubilee. At the Costanzi Theatre, Rome, on 22 November 1898, he created the role of Osaka in Mascagni’s Iris, and at Covent Garden on 12 July 1900 he played Cavaradossi in the first performance of Tosca in England, supporting the Floria Tosca of Milka Ternina, with Antonio Scotti as Scarpia and Luigi Mancinelli conducting. De Lucia was also admired in London as Don Jose in Bizet’s Carmen. He appeared, too, in the same composer’s I pescatori di perle and in various works by Rossini, Bellini and Verdi. His last London season would be in 1905, in an outstanding operatic company assembled by Henry Russell for the Waldorf Theatre (now the Novello Theatre). In 1916, De Lucia delivered his farewell performance at La Scala as Rodolfo. He said goodbye to his loyal Neapolitan supporters the following year at the Teatro di San Carlo. De Lucia’s final appearance before the public occurred at the funeral of the incomparable Enrico Caruso in Naples in 1921. In his later years, De Lucia dwelt in Naples and taught at the conservatory there, in which he himself had been trained. His most famous pupil was the French tenor Georges Thill. He died in his native city of Naples.

 

His career evolved as follows:

 

1888 Madrid  Teatro Reale  Barbiere di Siviglia (Almaviva)

1891 Napoli  Teatro San Carlo Carmen (Don Jose)

1891 Napoli  Teatro San Carlo Cavalleria Rusticana (Turiddu)

1891 Roma  Teatro Costanzi Cavalleria Rusticana (Turiddu)

1892 Madrid  Teatro Reale  Barbiere di Siviglia (Almaviva)

1895 St. Petersburg Acquarium Barbiere di Siviglia (Almaviva)

1895 Napoli  Teatro San Carlo Cavalleria Rusticana (Turiddu)

1895 Montevideo  Nuovo Politeama Cavalleria Rusticana (Turiddu)

1896   Napoli  Teatro San Carlo Boheme (Rodolfo)

1897 Napoli  Teatro San Carlo Cavalleria Rusticana (Turiddu)

1897  Buenos Ayres  Teatro dell’Opera Boheme (Rodolfo)

1897  Montevideo  Teatro Solis Boheme (Rodolfo)

1898  Napoli  Teatro San Carlo Boheme (Rodolfo)

1898 Lisbon Teatro San Carlo Boheme (Rodolfo)

1899 London Covent Garden Boheme (Rodolfo)

1899 Lisbon Teatro San Carlo Boheme (Rodolfo)

1900 London Covent Garden Barbiere di Siviglia (Almaviva)

1901 Napoli  Teatro San Carlo Boheme (Rodolfo)

1902 Napoli  Teatro San Carlo Barbiere di Siviglia (Almaviva)

1903 Palermo  Teatro Massimo Boheme (Rodolfo)

1904 Lisbon Teatro San Carlo Carmen (Don Jose)

1905 Milan La Scala Barbiere di Siviglia (Almaviva)

1906 Napoli  Teatro San Carlo Barbiere di Siviglia (Almaviva)

1908 Roma  Teatro Costanzi Barbiere di Siviglia (Almaviva)

1916 Milan La Scala Boheme (Rodolfo)

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

‘A canaria (Lama) C1978 Phonotype, Napoli 1918-08-19
A suon di baci (Baldelli) M1746 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-05-24
Adriana Lecouvreur (Cilea) Mi basta il tuo perdono… No, più nobile C2113 Phonotype, Napoli 1919-07-06
Africaine (Meyerbeer) Mi batte il cor… O paradiso! M1766 M17662 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-07-29
Africaine (Meyerbeer) O Selika, io t’adoro (w. de Lucia) C1778 1778C Phonotype, Napoli 1917-07-01
Aida (Verdi) Celeste Aida M1763 M1763 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-06-03
Amico Fritz (Mascagni) Ed anche Beppo amò… O amore, o bella luce M1844 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-11-11
Amico Fritz (Mascagni) Suzel, buon dì…Tutto tace (w. de Angelis) M2153 M2154 Phonotype, Napoli 1919-10-05
Amor fa morire! (Rotoli) C2456 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-11-07
Amour! (Tosti) C2433 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-10-24
Andrea Chénier (Giordano) Colpito qui m’avete… E volli pien d’amore pregar C2531 C2532 Phonotype, Napoli 1921-02-06
Andrea Chénier (Giordano) Come un bel dì di maggio C2392 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-08-15
Apri (Tosti) C2510 Phonotype, Napoli 1921-01-23
Aprile (Tosti) C2435 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-10-24
Ave Maria (Bach-Gounod) M1880 M1880 Phonotype, Napoli 1918-01-20
Bohème (Puccini) Che gelida manina C1767 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-06-17

Bohème (Puccini) Che gelida manina Phontype M2234 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-04-18
Bohème (Puccini) Quest’ è Mimì C2396 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-08-15
Caro mio ben (Giordani) C2508 Phonotype, Napoli 1921-01-23
Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) Mamma, quel vino è generoso M1774 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-07-01
Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) O Lola (Siciliana) M1765 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-06-17
Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) O Lola C2393 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-08-15
Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) Tu qui, Santuzza… Ah! io vedi che hai tu detto (w. de Angelis) M1779 M1780 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-07-01
Don Pasquale (Donizetti) Cercherò lontana terra C2371 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-05-16
Don Pasquale (Donizetti) Com’ è gentil C2370 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-05-16
Don Pasquale (Donizetti) Sogno soave e casto C2369 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-05-16
Dopo! (Tosti) C2404 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-09-12
Elisir d’amore (Donizetti) Adina quest’oggi… Adina, credimi C2368 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-05-16
Elisir d’amore (Donizetti) Quanto è bella C2367 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-05-16
Elisir d’amore (Donizetti) Una furtiva lagrima M1754 M17542 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-06-24
Elisir d’amore (Donizetti) Una parola, o Adina… Chiedi al rio (w. de Angelis) M2223, M2224 Phonotype, Napoli 1919-11-23
Ernani (Verdi) Mercè, diletti amici… Come rugiada al cespite M1811 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-09-02

Faust (Gounod) Qual turbamento… Salve, dimora…O bei lochi (O nature) M1804 M1805 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-08-19
Faust (Gounod) Tardi si fa… Sempre amar (w. de Angelis) C1775, C1776 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-07-01
Favorita (Donizetti) Una vergine C1745 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-05-24
Favorite (Donizetti) Spirto gentil C2529 Phonotype, Napoli 1921-02-06
Favorite (Donizetti) Spirto gentil M1759 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-05-31
Fenesta che lucive (Cottrau) C2574 Phonotype, Napoli 1921-05-01
Forza del destino (Verdi) Solenne in quest’ora (w. Antonio Armentano Anticorona) M1783 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-07-15
Forza del destino (Verdi) La vita è inferno… O tu che in seno M1797, M1798 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-08-05
Forza del destino (Verdi) Le minaccie… Non si placa il mio furore (w. Armentano) C1784, C1785 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-07-15
Funiculì, funiculà (Denza) C2725 Phonotype, Napoli 1921-09-11
Gioconda (Ponchielli) Cielo e mar C2035 Phonotype, Napoli 1918-09-15
Gioconda (Ponchielli) Cielo e mar M1756 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-05-31
Gioconda (Ponchielli) Enzo Grimaldo!… O grido di quest’anima (w. Franci) C2340, C2340, C2341, C2341, Phonotype, Napoli 1920-04-11

Guarany (Gomez) Pery! Che brami.. Sento una forza… Ah! Lo sguardo tuo… Ma deh! Che a me (w. de Angelis) C1789, C1790 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-07-29
Huguenots (Meyerbeer) O qual soave vision… Bianca al par M1812 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-09-02
Huguenots (Meyerbeer) Stringe il periglio (w. de Angelis) M1816 M1816 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-09-16
Ideale (Tosti) C2405 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-09-12
In mare (Tosti) C2460 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-11-07
Iris (Mascagni) Apri la tua finestra C2452 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-11-07
La gondola nera (Rotoli) C2437 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-10-24
La mia bandiera (Rotoli) C2409 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-09-12
La mia canzone (Tosti) C2453 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-11-07
La serenata (Tosti) C2434 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-10-24
L’alba (Rotoli) C2457 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-11-07
L’avessi tu compreso (Denza) C2450 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-11-07
Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti) M’odi e trema… Sulla tomba (w. de Angelis) M1818 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-09-30
Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti) Tu che a Dio C2120 Phonotype, Napoli 1919-07-27
Luisa Miller (Verdi) Quando le sere al placido M1792 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-07-29
L’ultima canzone (Tosti) C2506 Phonotype, Napoli 1921-01-23
Malia (Tosti) C2407 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-09-12

Manon (Massenet) Io son solo… Ah! dispar vision M1794 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-08-05
Manon (Massenet) O dolce incanto… Chiudo gli occhi (Il sogno) M1752 M1752 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-05-31
Manon Lescaut (Puccini) Donna non vidi mai C2558 Phonotype, Napoli 1921-04-17
Manon Lescaut (Puccini) Tra voi belle C2559 Phonotype, Napoli 1921-04-17
Marechiare (Tosti) C2571 Phonotype, Napoli 1921-05-01
Mattinata (Leoncavallo) C2455 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-11-07
Mefistofele (Boito) Ascolta… Colma il tuo cor C2344 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-04-18
Mefistofele (Boito) Dai campi, dai prati M1750 M1750 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-05-24
Mefistofele (Boito) Forma ideal purissima C2343 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-04-18
Mefistofele (Boito) Giunto sul passo estremo M1751 M1751 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-05-24
Mignon (Thomas) Ah! non credevi tu! M1757 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-05-31
Musica proibita (Gastaldon) C2431 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-10-24
Musica proibita (Gastaldon) C2431 Phonotype, Napoli 1921-01-23
Napulitanata (Costa) C2575 Phonotype, Napoli 1921-05-01
Ncopp’ ‘a ll’onna (Fassone) C2100 Phonotype, Napoli 1919-05-24
Ninon (Tosti) C2459 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-11-07
Nu mazzo ‘e sciure (de Meglio) C2727 Phonotype, Napoli 1921-09-11
‘O munasterio (Costa) C1869 C1869 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-12-30

‘O sole mio (di Capua) C2573 Phonotype, Napoli 1921-05-01
Oblio! (Tosti) C2511 Phonotype, Napoli 1921-01-23
Occhi di fata (Denza) C2406 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-09-12
Otello (Verdi) Niun mi tema M2117 Phonotype, Napoli 1919-07-27
Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) Bada, Pagliaccio… Un tal gioco M1843 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-11-11
Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) No, pagliaccio non son C2561 Phonotype, Napoli 1921-04-17
Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) O Colombina C2562 Phonotype, Napoli 1921-04-17
Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) Recitar!… Vesti la giubba C2560 Phonotype, Napoli 1921-04-17
Palummella zompa e vola (Cottrau) C2726 Phonotype, Napoli 1921-09-11
Pêcheurs de perles (Bizet) Mi par d’udir ancora C2394 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-08-15
Pêcheurs de perles (Bizet) Mi par d’udir ancora M1758 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-05-31
Pêcheurs de perles (Bizet) Non hai compreso (w. de Angelis) M1820 Phonotype, Napoli 1919-09-07
Pietà, Signore (attr Rossini) M1879 Phonotype, Napoli 1918-01-20
Povera mamma! (Tosti) C2454 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-11-07
Puritani (Bellini) A te, o cara C2528 Phonotype, Napoli 1921-02-06
Puritani (Bellini) Nel mirarti (w. de Angelis) C1809 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-09-02
Quando tu sarai vecchia (Tosti) C2432 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-10-24
Rigoletto (Verdi) La donna è mobile M1749 M1749 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-05-24

Rigoletto (Verdi) Questa o quella C1761 C1761 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-06-03
Rimpianto (Toselli) M1860 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-11-18
Ruy Blas (Marchetti) Ah, tu mi fuggivi… O dolce voluttà (w. de Angelis) M1786 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-07-15
Salve Maria, pt 1 and pt 2 (Mercadante) C2018 C2019 Phonotype, Napoli 1918-09-11
Scetate (Costa) C1982 C19822 Phonotype, Napoli 1919-07-06
Se tu m’ami (attr Pergolesi) C2509 Phonotype, Napoli 1921-01-23
Segreto (Tosti) C2436 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-10-24
Sérénade (Quand tu chantes) (Gounod) C1881 Phonotype, Napoli 1918-01-20
Serenata mediovale (Silvestri) M2114 Phonotype, Napoli 1919-07-06
Sogno (Tosti) C2403 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-09-12
Sonnambula (Bellini) Perdona, o mia diletta… Prendi, l’anel ti dono (w. Perugino) M2020 Phonotype, Napoli 1918-09-11
Sonnambula (Bellini) Prendi, l’anel ti dono C2115 Phonotype, Napoli 1919-07-06
Sonnambula (Bellini) Sposi or siamo (w. Perugino) C2021 Phonotype, Napoli 1918-09-11
Tosca (Puccini) E lucevan le stelle C2233 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-01-18
Tosca (Puccini) Recondita armonia M1787 M1787 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-07-29
Tosca (Puccini) Tu.. di tua man l’uccidesti… O dolci mani (w. NN, probably de Angelis) C2220 Phonotype, Napoli 1919-11-23
Traviata (Verdi) Invitato a qui seguirmi (Scena della borsa) (w. de Angelis) M1815 M1815 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-09-16

Amour! (Tosti) unpubl C2433 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-10-24
Autunno (de Curtis) unpubl C1867 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-12-30
Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) All’idea di quel metallo… Numero quindic (w. Schottler) unpubl, unpubl, M1781, M1782 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-07-15
Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) Ecco ridente in cielo M1744 M1744 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-
Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) Se il mio nome M1748 M1748 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-05-24
Caro mio ben (Giordani) C2508 C2508 Phonotype, Napoli 1921-01-23
In mare (Tosti) unpubl, C2460 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-11-07
Leggenda Valacca (Braga) M1898 M1898 Phonotype, Napoli 1918-02-03
Lohengrin (Wagner) Da voi lontan M1802 M1802 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-08-19
Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti) Fra poco a me ricovero M1814 M1814 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-09-02
Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti) Tombe degli avi miei M1813 M1813 Phonotype, Napoli 1917
Marechiare (Tosti) unpubl C3148 Phonotype, Napoli 1922-09-24
Ninon (Tosti) unpubl C2459 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-11-07
Pêcheurs de perles (Bizet) Del tempio al limitar (w. Schottler) unpubl M1845 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-11-11
Traviata (Verdi) Lunge da Lei… De’ miei bollenti spiriti M1762 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-06-03
Traviata (Verdi) Parigi, o cara (w. de Angelis) M1771 M1771 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-06-24
Traviata (Verdi) Sempre libera (w. Ottein) C2304 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-03-30
Traviata (Verdi) Un dì felice, eterea (w. de Angelis) M1770 M1770 Phonotype, Napoli 1917
Tristezza (Tosti) C2430 Phonotype, Napoli 1920-10-24
Trovatore (Verdi) Ah! si, ben mio coll’essere M1791 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-07-29
Vorrei (Tosti) C2507 Phonotype, Napoli 1921-01-23
Werther (Massenet) Ah! non mi ridestar M1755 Phonotype, Napoli 1917-05-31