Casa Paoli
Encyclopedia
Casa Paoli on 2648 Mayor Street, Ponce, Puerto Rico
, is nationally significant as the birthplace of Antonio Emilio Paoli y Marcano
(1871–1946), a tenor
who was the "first Puerto Rican
to reach international recognition in the performing arts" and one of the most outstanding opera
singers of all times. Paoli was introduced to art and opera at this house during his formative years. Casa Paoli is currently used as a museum to honor the career of Antonio Paoli. The building was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
on October 1, 2009. The listing was announced as the featured listing in the National Park Service
's weekly list of October 9, 2009.
The house had been a wedding gift for Paoli's parents, who married at the Ponce Cathedral
after the birth of the first five of their eight children. Antonio, their seventh child, was born in the house, as were two of his siblings. The house is located in barrio Tercero
.
with other 20th century elements. The house was built as a wooden structure before 1864, when it was acquired by Domingo Paoli, the father of Antonio Paoli. By 1870, the house had been upgraded into a wood and brick masonry residence. In 1914 it was upgraded into the current brick and stucco structure by the prominent local architect and civil engineer Manuel V. Domenech
.
, some six blocks from this house. An inspiring performance there by the Italian tenor, Pietro Baccei helped him decide what he wanted to be “when he grew up”. His parents nurtured his ambition by enrolling him in a voice training school. When Antonio was just 12 years old his parents died. Antonio moved to Spain to live with his sister, Amalia, who was also a singer. Amalia also encouraged her younger brother to pursue his dream of becoming an opera singer.
in Madrid
, Spain, and the Academia de Canto La Scala in Milan
, Italy
, Paoli made his debut in Paris. Antonio Paoli went on to earn numerous honors and awards around the world. He came to be known affectionately as both “The King of Tenors” and as “The Tenor of the Kings”. He then returned to Puerto Rico in 1917. Antonio and Amalia established a voice training school in San Juan. They also helped in theater productions at San Juan’s Municipal Theater. The San Juan Municipal Theater was renamed The Antonio Paoli Theater in his honor in 1934.
Antonio Paoli is considered to be the first Puerto Rican to achieve international fame in the musical arts. The museum at Casa Paoli gives visitors insight into the fascinating life story and achievements of Puerto Rico’s “Tenor of the Kings”.
art and a history of the city of Ponce.
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
, is nationally significant as the birthplace of Antonio Emilio Paoli y Marcano
Antonio Paolí
Antonio Paoli was a Puerto Rican tenor. He was known at the height of his fame as "The King of Tenors and The Tenor of Kings." He is considered to be the first Puerto Rican to reach international fame in the musical arts...
(1871–1946), a tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
who was the "first Puerto Rican
Puerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...
to reach international recognition in the performing arts" and one of the most outstanding opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
singers of all times. Paoli was introduced to art and opera at this house during his formative years. Casa Paoli is currently used as a museum to honor the career of Antonio Paoli. The building was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on October 1, 2009. The listing was announced as the featured listing in the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
's weekly list of October 9, 2009.
The house had been a wedding gift for Paoli's parents, who married at the Ponce Cathedral
Ponce Cathedral
The Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe or simply, Ponce Cathedral, is the cathedral for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ponce located in downtown Ponce, Puerto Rico. The cathedral lies in the middle of Ponce's town square, known as Plaza Las Delicias, located at the center of the Ponce Historic...
after the birth of the first five of their eight children. Antonio, their seventh child, was born in the house, as were two of his siblings. The house is located in barrio Tercero
Tercero (Ponce)
Tercero is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Primero, Segundo, Cuarto, Quinto, and Sexto, Tercero is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
.
Significance
The house is significant as it is the birthplace of one of the greatest opera singers of all times. It was the house Paoli occupied during his formative years. Just a few blocks from Teatro La Perla, Casa Paoli provided easy access for Poli to Ponce's single most important theatrical arts venue. For his powerful and lyric voice, Antonio Paoli was considered the King of the Tenors. As he sang for numerous kings around the world, Paoli is also known as the Tenor of the Kings.Architecture
The front facade of the residence consists of eye-catching peach and white brick masonry and stucco front porch with a main arched balcony crowned by a female face. A second, smaller, arched entrance is the main entryway into the porch and house. Early 1900s ironworks gracefully separate the front porch from the front street sidewalk. The front doors of the house are wooden louvered characteristic of the middle-to-late 19th century. A circular front wall wind hole with decorative molding accentuates the porch; another smaller circular opening decorates high above the archway into the porch. The interior consists of nine rooms, a long, sunny, lateral hallway with multiple wooden veneer shutters, and an external cobble-stone foyer leading to the back courtyard.Construction
The architectural style is described as Neo-classicalNeoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
with other 20th century elements. The house was built as a wooden structure before 1864, when it was acquired by Domingo Paoli, the father of Antonio Paoli. By 1870, the house had been upgraded into a wood and brick masonry residence. In 1914 it was upgraded into the current brick and stucco structure by the prominent local architect and civil engineer Manuel V. Domenech
Manuel V. Domenech
Manuel V. Domenech was a Puerto Rican politician and engineer.-Early years:Domenech was born in Isabela, Puerto Rico...
.
Early years
He was born in this house on April 14, 1871. From a young age, he would accompany his parents to opera performances at the La Perla TheaterLa Perla Theater
Teatro La Perla is a historic theater in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Inaugurated in 1864, it is the second oldest theater of its kind in Puerto Rico, but "the largest and most historic in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean." The theater was named La Perla in honor ofthe Virgin of Montserrat ,...
, some six blocks from this house. An inspiring performance there by the Italian tenor, Pietro Baccei helped him decide what he wanted to be “when he grew up”. His parents nurtured his ambition by enrolling him in a voice training school. When Antonio was just 12 years old his parents died. Antonio moved to Spain to live with his sister, Amalia, who was also a singer. Amalia also encouraged her younger brother to pursue his dream of becoming an opera singer.
Training
After studying at the Royal Monastery of El EscorialEl Escorial
The Royal Seat of San Lorenzo de El Escorial is a historical residence of the king of Spain, in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, about 45 kilometres northwest of the capital, Madrid, in Spain. It is one of the Spanish royal sites and functions as a monastery, royal palace, museum, and...
in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain, and the Academia de Canto La Scala in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Paoli made his debut in Paris. Antonio Paoli went on to earn numerous honors and awards around the world. He came to be known affectionately as both “The King of Tenors” and as “The Tenor of the Kings”. He then returned to Puerto Rico in 1917. Antonio and Amalia established a voice training school in San Juan. They also helped in theater productions at San Juan’s Municipal Theater. The San Juan Municipal Theater was renamed The Antonio Paoli Theater in his honor in 1934.
Later years and death
Antonio died on August 24, 1946, and was buried in the Puerto Rico Memorial Cemetery of Isla Verde. On April 13, 2005, his remains were exhumed and transferred to Ponce’s Roman Baldorioty de Castro National PantheonPanteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de Castro
The Panteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de Castro is a tract of land in Barrio Segundo of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, originally designed as the city's cemetery, but later converted into what has come to be a famous burial place. Established in 1842, it is Puerto Rico's first national pantheon...
Antonio Paoli is considered to be the first Puerto Rican to achieve international fame in the musical arts. The museum at Casa Paoli gives visitors insight into the fascinating life story and achievements of Puerto Rico’s “Tenor of the Kings”.
Puerto Rico Center for Folkloric Research
Today Casa Paoli functions as a research center on Puerto Rican culture. The building is the headquarters of the Puerto Rico Center for Folkloric Research. The Center’s mission is to foster Puerto Rico’s cultural traditions as well as popular arts. The Center purchased the property in 1987 from Antonio Penna Salicrup and his family. This is where the great tenor Antonio Paoli was born and raised. The Center preserves the history of this great lyrical singer and his outstanding family.Museum
The museum consists of three spacious exposition rooms where photographs, correspondence in the form of post cards, etc., and other memorabilia are displayed. Among the offerings of this museum is a shop displaying colorful papier-mache masks used in Ponce's annual Carnival celebrations. The current museum exhibits documents and other memorabilia from the life of this well respected singer, along with examples of Puerto RicanPuerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...
art and a history of the city of Ponce.
See also
- Antonio PaoliAntonio PaolíAntonio Paoli was a Puerto Rican tenor. He was known at the height of his fame as "The King of Tenors and The Tenor of Kings." He is considered to be the first Puerto Rican to reach international fame in the musical arts...
- Corsican immigration to Puerto RicoCorsican immigration to Puerto RicoCorsican immigration to Puerto Rico came about as a result of various economic and political changes in the mid-19th century Europe; among those factors were the social-economic changes which came about in Europe as a result of the Second Industrial Revolution, political discontent and widespread...
- National Register of Historic Places listings in southern Puerto RicoNational Register of Historic Places listings in southern Puerto RicoThis is a list of properties and districts in the southern municipalities of Puerto Rico that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It includes places along the southern coast, and on islands, and in the peaks and on the south slope of Puerto Rico's Cordillera Central.The area...