Description

CARLO GALEFFI (MALAMOCCO, 4 JUNE, 1884 – ROME, 22 SEPTEMBER, 1961)

 

 

 

 

He studied with the pedagogues Di Como and Sbriscia, later becoming a pupil of Antonio Cotogni in Rome. He made his debut in 1903 at the Teatro Quirino in Rome as Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor. He subsequently appeared there and in Naples as Rigoletto and as Amonasro in Aida. During the 1908–09 season, he enjoyed highly successful engagements in Florence and Palermo. In 1909, he participated in the premiere of E. Mascheroni’s opera La Perugina at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples.

By 1910, he had joined the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where he sang only one role, Germont-père in La Traviata, partnering Nellie Melba. However, he enjoyed even greater success at the Boston Opera House, in roles such as Marcello in La Bohème, Barnaba in Ponchielli’s La Gioconda, and Count di Luna in Verdi’s Il trovatore. On November 2, 1911, he sang in the world premiere of Mascagni’s Isabeau at the Teatro Coliseo in Buenos Aires. In 1914, he sang Amfortas in the South American premiere of Parsifal at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires.

In 1912, he took part in the world premiere of Puccini’s La fanciulla del West. At La Scala in Milan, he achieved brilliant success as the title character in Verdi’s Nabucco in 1913. That same year, on April 10, he created the role of Manfredo in the premiere of Montemezzi’s L’Amore dei tre Re at La Scala, and on December 15 he appeared in Mascagni’s Parisina. As in Buenos Aires, he also sang Amfortas in the Italian premiere of Parsifal at La Scala in 1914.

He appeared with the Chicago Opera in 1914 and again between 1919 and 1921. From the 1920s, he was one of the most prominent artists at La Scala, frequently chosen by Toscanini for important productions. On May 1, 1924, he created the role of Fanuel in the world premiere of Boito’s Nerone at La Scala. From 1922 onward, he was a regular guest at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, where he also participated in the 1920 world premiere of Felipe Boero’s Ariana e Dioniso. In 1921, he appeared at the Lexington Theatre in New York in the American premiere of Gino Marinuzzi’s opera Jacquerie.

In 1933, he was acclaimed as Nabucco at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence. In 1938, he took part in the world premiere of Gaspare Scuderi’s Donata at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa. Guest appearances brought him to Covent Garden in London, the Paris Opéra, and the opera houses of Brussels, Amsterdam, and Vienna. As late as 1954, he sang the title role in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi at the Teatro Colón. He retired from the stage in Florence in 1955 and later taught singing in Argentina, before finally settling in Rome.

A baritone voice of rare fullness and dramatic intensity, he was also endowed with finely nuanced expressiveness.

Literature:

Celletti: Carlo Galeffi e La Scala (Rome, 1971)

Marchetti: Carlo Galeffi: una vita per il canto (Rome, 1973)

Recordings: He recorded for HMV (including Nerone, 1924), with additional acoustic recordings for Columbia and Edison cylinders, and electrical recordings for Columbia (complete operas including La Traviata, Pagliacci, and Andrea Chénier, as well as Spanish zarzuelas). Alongside individual zarzuela excerpts, a complete recording of Amadeo Vives’s Maruxa was issued on Spanish Odeon.

 

Chronology of some appearances

 

1907 Roma  Teatro Quirino Pagliacci (Tonio)

1908 Roma  Teatro Adriano Amica (Rinaldo)

1908 Palermo Teatro Massimo Ballo in maschera (Renato)

1908 Messina Teatro Vittorio Emanuele Pagliacci (Tonio)

1908 Roma Teatro Adriano Carmen (Escamillo)

1910 Lisbona Teatro San Carlos Carmen (Escamillo)

1910  Buenos Ayres  Teatro Coliseo Pagliacci (Tonio)

1910 Buenos Ayres  Teatro Coliseo Rigoletto (Rigoletto)

1910 Rosario di Santa Fè  Teatro Colon Pagliacci (Tonio)

1910 Boston  Opera House Pagliacci (Tonio)

1911 Philadelphia  Teatro Metropolitan Pagliacci (Tonio)

1911 Rio de Janeiro  Teatro Municipal Amica (Rinaldo)

1912 Milano Teatro alla Scala Lohengrin (Tetralmondo)

1913 Firenze Politeama Fiorentino Ballo in maschera (Renato)

1914 San Pietroburgo  Teatro Petit Pagliacci (Tonio)

1915 Montevideo  Teatro Solis Carmen (Escamillo)

1916 Pesaro Salone Pedrotti Barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro)

1917 Genova Politeama Genovese Barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro)

1918 Roma Teatro Costanzi Ballo in maschera (Renato)

1919 Firenze  Teatro Della Pergola Barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro)

1919 Chicago Civic Opera House Barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro)

1920 New York Lexington Theater Barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro)

1920 Buenos Ayres  Teatro Colon Lohengrin (Tetralmondo)

1921 Buenos Ayres  Teatro Colon Barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro)

1921 Buenos Ayres  Teatro Colon Ballo in maschera (Renato)

1922 Milano  Teatro La Scala Lohengrin (Tetralmondo)

1924 Milano  Teatro La Scala Lohengrin (Tetralmondo)

1925 Milano  Teatro La Scala Ballo in maschera (Renato)

1925 Lisbona Coliseo Recrejos Pagliacci (Tonio)

1927 Buenos Ayres  Teatro Colon Lohengrin (Tetralmondo)

1929 Milano  Teatro La Scala Ballo in maschera (Renato)

1929 Milano  Teatro La Scala Lohengrin (Tetralmondo)

1930 Buenos Ayres  Teatro Colon Boheme (Marcello)

1930 Buenos Ayres  Teatro Colon Cavalleria Rusticana (Alfio)

1935 Buenos Ayres  Teatro Colon Ballo in maschera (Renato)

1936 Trieste Teatro Verdi Ballo in maschera (Renato)

1938 Buenos Ayres  Teatro Colon Carmen (Escamillo)

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

Nerone (Boito) Or tutto e confessato… Laggiù tra i giunchi (w. Bertana) DB732, DB732, Ck1483-3, Ck1484-3 HMV, Milano 1924-05-15

Otello (Verdi) Credo D 17556 74807 Columbia, Milano 1916

Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) Prologo BA 28134 4M-30041-1 Edison 4-min cylinders, Milano 1911

Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) Prologo, pt 1 and pt 2 GQX10016 GQX10016 WBX817 WBX822 Columbia, Milano 1930-05

Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) Prologo, pt 1 D12526 WB1167 Columbia, Milano 1927

Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) Prologo, pt 2 D12526 WB1168 Columbia, Milano 1927

Rigoletto (Verdi) Bella figlia dell’amore (w. Stignani, Granda & Gentile) L2310 WBX301 Columbia

Rigoletto (Verdi) Compiuto pur quanto a fare mi resta (w. Gentile) D18055 BX293 Columbia 1928

Rigoletto (Verdi) Cortigiani vil razza dannata D 16389 74801 Columbia, Milano 1916

Rigoletto (Verdi) Cortigiani, vil razza donnata D18055 BX297 Columbia 1928

Rigoletto (Verdi) E l’ami… La donna è mobile (w. Granda & Gentile) L2310 WBX303 Columbia, Milano 1928

Rigoletto (Verdi) Pari siamo D 16389 74800 Columbia, Milano 1916

Rigoletto (Verdi) Pari siamo D18011 BX66 Columbia 1926

Rigoletto (Verdi) Quel vecchio maledivami (w. Dominici) D18053 BX291 Columbia 1928

Traviata (Verdi) Di Provenza il mar BA 28115 Edison 4-min cylinders, Milano 1911

Traviata (Verdi) Di Provenza il mar D 14486 BX 363 Columbia, Milano 1928

Trovatore (Verdi): Duet, act 4, pt 1, pt 2 (w. Arangi-Lombardi) D18047, D18047, WBX257, WBX258 Columbia, Milano 1928-03-29

Trovatore (Verdi) Il balen 30043 BA 28148 Edison 4-min cylinders, Milano 1911

Trovatore (Verdi) Il balen D12489 WB1007 Columbia, Milano 1927