Lina Pagliughi
Encyclopedia
Lina Pagliughi was an Italian-American opera singer. Based in Italy
for the majority of her career, she made a number of recordings and established herself as one of the world's finest lyric coloratura soprano
s of the 1930s and '40s.
, New York
, to Italian immigrants. Her parents took her to live in San Francisco when still a child and she displayed a love of singing at an early age. She was noticed by the legendary soprano Luisa Tetrazzini
who sensed her potential and encouraged her to study toward an operatic career.
At the age of 15, Pagliughi moved to Italy with her family and she took voice lessons from the conductor/pedagogue Gaetano Bavagnoli
in Milan
. She made her debut in 1927, at Milan's Teatro Communale, as Gilda in Rigoletto
. Her success was such that she was immediately engaged to sing the part in a complete recording of the opera, with the baritone Luigi Piazza
and the tenor Tino Folgar
performing the leading male roles.
Pagliughi's fame spread throughout Italy and she was invited to sing at all the major opera centres, including Turin
, Parma
, Venice
, Florence
, Rome
and Naples
. Critics acclaimed her as the successor of Toti dal Monte
(1893-1975) in the Rossini-Donizetti-Bellini
repertory, in which her sweetly limpid voice, agile technique and expressive phrasing were shown to best effect. However, apart from a successful tour of Australia in 1932 and a few performances that she gave in Monte Carlo
and London
during the same decade, she hardly ever sang outside Italy.
She became extremely stout as she grew older, which limited her capacity to be convincing in 'girlish' roles, no matter how well she sang them, and she quitted the stage in 1947; but she continued to be heard on Italian radio RAI
until 1956, when she retired for good and turned to teaching.
During her prime, Pagliughi made fairly frequent visits to the recording studio, committing to disc her interpretations of showpiece operatic arias. She also recorded complete operas for Cetra Records, including such bel canto
works as Lucia di Lammermoor
(opposite Giovanni Malipiero
), La fille du régiment
, Un giorno di regno
, Rigoletto
and, perhaps most notably, La sonnambula
(opposite Ferruccio Tagliavini
and Cesare Siepi
). Many of these recordings are available on CD re-issues.
Pagliughi was married to the tenor Primo Montanari (1895-1972). She died in Rome at the age of 73.
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...
for the majority of her career, she made a number of recordings and established herself as one of the world's finest lyric coloratura soprano
Coloratura soprano
A coloratura soprano is a type of operatic soprano who specializes in music that is distinguished by agile runs and leaps. The term coloratura refers to the elaborate ornamentation of a melody, which is a typical component of the music written for this voice...
s of the 1930s and '40s.
Career
Pagliughi was born in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, to Italian immigrants. Her parents took her to live in San Francisco when still a child and she displayed a love of singing at an early age. She was noticed by the legendary soprano Luisa Tetrazzini
Luisa Tetrazzini
Luisa Tetrazzini was an Italian coloratura soprano of great international fame.Tetrazzini's voice was remarkable for its phenomenal flexibility, thrust, steadiness and thrilling tone...
who sensed her potential and encouraged her to study toward an operatic career.
At the age of 15, Pagliughi moved to Italy with her family and she took voice lessons from the conductor/pedagogue Gaetano Bavagnoli
Gaetano Bavagnoli
Gaetano Bavagnoli was an Italian conductor who was particularly known for his work within the field of opera. He was mainly active within Italy's major opera houses during the first third of the 20th century; although he did conduct at important international stages like the Metropolitan Opera in...
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 ,...
. She made her debut in 1927, at Milan's Teatro Communale, as Gilda in Rigoletto
Rigoletto
Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851...
. Her success was such that she was immediately engaged to sing the part in a complete recording of the opera, with the baritone Luigi Piazza
Luigi Piazza
Luigi Piazza , was an Italian operatic baritone, particularly associated with the Italian repertory, especially the role of Rigoletto.Piazza was born in Bologna, where he studied at the Music Conservatory with Alberoni...
and the tenor Tino Folgar
Tino Folgar
Tino Folgar was a Spanish operatic tenor, primarily active in Spain and Italy.Born Juventino Folgar Ascaso in Barcelona, on January 25, 1892, he studied in his native city with Esteban Pasqual and made his stage debut at the Liceu as Rodolfo in La bohème, in 1922...
performing the leading male roles.
Pagliughi's fame spread throughout Italy and she was invited to sing at all the major opera centres, including Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, Parma
Parma
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
, Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
. Critics acclaimed her as the successor of Toti dal Monte
Toti Dal Monte
Antonietta Meneghel , better known by her stage name Toti Dal Monte, was a celebrated Italian operatic soprano with a sweet and limpid lyric voice. She was a favourite artist of the celebrated conductor Arturo Toscanini...
(1893-1975) in the Rossini-Donizetti-Bellini
Vincenzo Bellini
Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini was an Italian opera composer. His greatest works are I Capuleti ed i Montecchi , La sonnambula , Norma , Beatrice di Tenda , and I puritani...
repertory, in which her sweetly limpid voice, agile technique and expressive phrasing were shown to best effect. However, apart from a successful tour of Australia in 1932 and a few performances that she gave in Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo is an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco....
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
during the same decade, she hardly ever sang outside Italy.
She became extremely stout as she grew older, which limited her capacity to be convincing in 'girlish' roles, no matter how well she sang them, and she quitted the stage in 1947; but she continued to be heard on Italian radio RAI
RAI
RAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...
until 1956, when she retired for good and turned to teaching.
During her prime, Pagliughi made fairly frequent visits to the recording studio, committing to disc her interpretations of showpiece operatic arias. She also recorded complete operas for Cetra Records, including such bel canto
Bel canto
Bel canto , along with a number of similar constructions , is an Italian opera term...
works as Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor is a dramma tragico in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's historical novel The Bride of Lammermoor....
(opposite Giovanni Malipiero
Giovanni Malipiero
Giovanni Malipiero was an operatic tenor who enjoyed a prominent career on stage and on radio in his native Italy during the 1930s and '40s.-Career and recorded legacy:...
), La fille du régiment
La fille du régiment
La fille du régiment is an opéra comique in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti. It was written while the composer was living in Paris, with a French libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Jean-François Bayard.La figlia del reggimento, a slightly different Italian-language version , was...
, Un giorno di regno
Un giorno di regno
Un giorno di regno, ossia il finto Stanislao is an operatic melodramma giocoso in two acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani, based on the play Le faux Stanislas by Alexandre Vincent Pineu-Duval...
, Rigoletto
Rigoletto
Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851...
and, perhaps most notably, La sonnambula
La sonnambula
La sonnambula is an opera semiseria in two acts, with music in the bel canto tradition by Vincenzo Bellini to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani, based on a scenario for a ballet-pantomime by Eugène Scribe and Jean-Pierre Aumer called La somnambule, ou L'arrivée d'un nouveau seigneur.The first...
(opposite Ferruccio Tagliavini
Ferruccio Tagliavini
Ferruccio Tagliavini was an Italian operatic tenor mainly active in the 1940s and 1950s...
and Cesare Siepi
Cesare Siepi
Cesare Siepi was an Italian opera singer, generally considered to have been one of the finest basses of the post-war period. His voice was characterised by a deep, warm timbre, and a ringing, vibrant upper register. On stage, his tall, striking presence and elegance of phrasing made him a natural...
). Many of these recordings are available on CD re-issues.
Pagliughi was married to the tenor Primo Montanari (1895-1972). She died in Rome at the age of 73.
Sources
- Dictionnaire des interprètes, Alain Pâris, (Edition Robert Laffont, 1989). ISBN 2-221-06660-X
- Guide de l’opéra, Roland Mancini & Jean-Jacques Rouveroux, (Fayard, 1995). ISBN 2-213-01563-6