Giuseppe De Luca (Baritone) (Rome 1876 - New York 1950)

                                                                 Amleto

                                                               Valentino

He early evinced promise as a singer, entering a singing school at the age of eight appearing in its choir as a boy s. of astonishing range. He entered the Santa Cecilia Accademia as early as 1892, when he was only fifteen. He studied five years with Venceslao Persichini (one of the most important coaches of the time). He was soon the prize pupil of the class (Tita Ruffo was another student at the same institute). In 1897, shortly before his twenty-first birthday, he made his début singing Valentin in Piacenza. The next important step was Milan. He appeared at the Teatro Lirico and La Scala for eight seasons. In 1907, 1910, 1911 he made guest appearances at Covent Garden and he also visited Poland and Russia. He was in formidable company where br.s were concerned: Scotti, Ruffo, Pacini and Sammarco were all on the roster of La Scala at his time. After 1915 he joined the ensemble of the Met and remained there as leading br. until 1946 (more than thirty years). He regularly appeared in South America, Spain, England, Russia, Germania and Austria. He created roles in several operas: Massenet’s Grisélidis and Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur in 1902, in 1903 Giordano’s Siberia and Sharpless in Puccini’s Madame Butterfly. Among his most frequent partners were Caruso, Rosa Ponselle, Claudia Muzio, Giovanni Martinelli, John McCormack, Adamo Didur and José Mardones. He sang Sancho Panza opposite Chaliapin at the world première of Massenet’s Don Quichotte in 1910. He had a repertoire of nearly 100 roles! He was an outstanding actor and was particularly acclaimed in character- and buffo roles. He sang the whole Verdi and Puccini repertoire. Apart from that he was successful as Wolfram and Beckmesser. He was a great Mozart singer (Don Giovanni, Figaro). His career lasted almost five decades! Comment: Clemens Höslinger writes: “De Luca’s recordings are among the most treasured belcanto documents known to to posterity. He was an artist who combined exquisite musicality and taste with a voice of rare distinction. His cultivated tone production, his legato technique and, not least, his pellucid diction make him paragon of vocal virtues...” De Luca was a master of legato singing. He used his voice with great skill. There is a wonderful nobility in his manner, and his singing commands attention by virtue of it as well as by its beauty. He had a strong sense of duty and always sang what was within the possibilities of his voice. De Luca was a prolific recording artist (he recorded from the very beginning until the end of his career). I cannot mention all his great recordings, but as a start I would recommend the Fonotipia recordings from 1905 and 1907. His voice got extremely well with the recording process. He makes the buffo- and character roles to the best ever recorded (Malatesta, Barbiere and... ). But also the more dramatic arias (in Andrea Chénier, Zazà, Rigoletto, Erodiade, Renato and... ) are superbly sung.

Chronology of some appearances

Il barone Scarpia 12/28/1915, Tonio 3/14/1916, Figaro 3/21/1916, Le grandprêtre de Dagon 11/28/1916, Plunkett 12/19/1916, Escamillo 1/9/1917, Rigoletto 3/6/1917, Sparafucile 3/6/1917, Giorgio Germont 2/5/1918, 2/5/1918, Rigoletto 3/12/1918, Il conte di Luna 4/16/1918, Mârouf 11/19/1918, Il suo visir 11/19/1918, Belcore 11/26/1918, Gianni Schicchi 12/17/1918, Ser Amantio di Nicolao 12/17/1918, Amonasro 1/7/1919, Figaro 2/4/1919, Il conte di Luna 3/4/1919, Don Carlo di Vargas 3/25/1919, Rigoletto 4/8/1919, Sparafucile 4/8/1919, Belcore 12/2/1919, Rigoletto 1/20/1920, Lord Enrico Asthon 4/13/1920, Ye vgeny Onegin 4/20/1920, Rodrigo 1/25/1921, Deputy 1/25/1921, 1/25/1921, Rigoletto 3/15/1921, Rodrigo 2/7/1922, Deputy 2/7/1922, 2/7/1922, Giorgio Germont 2/14/1922, 2/14/1922, Le grand-prêtre de Dagon 4/18/1922, Escamillo 3/13/1923, Giorgio Germont 4/3/1923, Lord Enrico Asthon 2/5/1924, Plunkett 2/19/1924, Magd 2/19/1924, Scindia 3/18/1924, Coppélius 12/2/1924, Dr. Miracle 12/2/1924, Dapertutto 12/2/1924, Sharpless 1/13/1925, Hoël 2/3/1925, Mercutio 2/17/1925, Plunkett 11/10/1925, Sancho Panza 4/6/1926, Ping 11/30/1926, Tonio 12/20/1927, Sharpless 1/3/1928, Figaro 1/31/1928, Dapertutto 2/14/1928, Rigoletto 12/4/1928, Lescaut 1/1/1929, Lord Enrico Asthon 3/26/1929, L’ondino 10/29/1929, Miller 1/14/1930, Mercutio 1/28/1930, Valentin 2/18/1930, Belcore 3/25/1930, Tonio 11/18/1930, Figaro 1/27/1931, Lescaut 3/24/1931, Giorgio Germont 12/1/1931, Rigoletto 1/19/1932, Marcello 2/2/1932, Figaro 3/22/1932, Rigoletto 2/7/1933, Lescaut 3/7/1933, Gianni Schicchi 1/23/1934, Lescaut 1/30/1934, Mercutio 2/20/1934, Marcello 2/13/1940, Giorgio Germont 2/27/1940, Rigoletto 5/21/1946 (in Filadelfia).

RECORDINGS FOR SALE

G&T, Milano 1902-12

Adriana Lecouvreur (Cilea): Monologo di Michonet 52420 2881b

Re di Lahore (Massenet): O casto fior 52422  2884b

Favorita (Donizetti): Vien Leonora  52423 2885b

Ballo in Maschera (Verdi): Eri tu che macchiavi 52424 2886b

Amleto (Thomas): Come il romito fior 52425 2887b

Don Giovanni (Mozart): Serenate  52426 2889b

Favorita (Donizetti): A l’altro ardor with Elvira Ceresoli 54021 2933b

Don Pasquale (Donizetti): Bella siccome un angelo 52444 2935b

G&T, Milano 1903-11/12
Siberia (Giordano): O mia bella with Gaetano Pini-Corsi, Oreste Gennari and Vittorio Pozzi-Camolla 054039 Con749

Siberia (Giordano): Quest'orgoglio with Rosina Storchio 54048 Con394
Siberia (Giordano): La conobbie 52773 Con391

Fonotipia, Milano 1905-04

Damnation de Faust (Berlioz): Canzone della pulce 39165 xPh 207  

Damnation de Faust (Berlioz): Su queste rosa 39170 xPh 208

Damnation de Faust (Berlioz): E che fai tú 39168 xPh 211  

Zaza (Leoncavallo): Zaza, piccola zingara  39366  xPh 227

Occhi di fata (Denza) 39169 xPh 228

Fonotipia, Milano 1907-01-12

Don Pasquale (Donizetti): Cheti, cheti immantinente with Ferruccio Corradetti 39975 XPh2294

Don Pasquale (Donizetti): Aspetta, aspetta cara sposina with Ferruccio Corradetti 39976 XPh2295

Don Pasquale (Donizetti): Bella siccome un angelo 39939 xPh 2296  

Rigoletto (Verdi): Pari siamo! 39947 xPh 2297  

Faust (Gounod): Dio possente 39949 XPh2298

Fonotipia, Milano 1907-01-14

Pikova Dama (Tchaikovsky): Se all'egual di vaghi augelli 39936 XPh2302

Trovatore (Verdi): Il balen 39943 xPh 2304  

Pastorale (Leva): 59075 xPh 2303  

Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini): Largo al factotum 39951 xPh 2306

Ernani (Verdi): O! de’verd’anni miei  39944 xPh 2307

Favorita (Donizetti): Vien Leonora 39935 xPh 2308

Ballo in Maschera (Verdi): Eri tu, che macchiavi 39945 xPh 2305

Fonotipia, Milano 1907-01-15

Don Giovanni (Mozart): Deh, vieni alla finestra 39940 XPh2312

Dinorah (Meyerbeer): Sei vendicata assai 39952 xPh 2313  

Re di Lahore (Massenet): O casto fior 39953 xPh 2314  

Herodiade (Massenet): Visione fuggitiva 1907 xPh 2315  39954

Favorita (Donizetti): A tanto amor 39955 xPh 2316

Ballo in Maschera (Verdi): Alla vita che t’arride 39946 xPh 2317

Fonotipia, Milano 1907-01-16

Brilla la luna (Morlacchi) 39980 xPh 2324

Dolce Madonna (De  Luca) 59076 xPh 2325  

Hamleto (Thomas): Come il romito fior 39979 xPh 2326  

Mia sposa sarа (Rotoli) 39978 xPh 2327

Gioconda (Ponchielli): O monumento! 39950 XPh2328

Fonotipia, Milano 1907-01-23

Traviata (Verdi): Di Provenza il mar 39948 xPh 2356

Linda di Chamounix (Donizetti): Ambo nati in questa valle   39956 xPh 2357  

Le Nozze di Figaro (Mozart): Aprite un po’ quegl’ochi 39941 xPh 2358  

Le Nozze di Figaro (Mozart): Se vuol ballare? 39942 xPh 2359

Fonotipia, Milano 1907-01-28

Guillaume Tell (Rossini): Resta immobile 39983 xPh 2366

Ideale  (Tosti) 39982 xPh 2367  

Due Ciabatini (Ruggi ) with Ferruccio Corradetti 62002 xPh 2368

Fonotipia, Milano 1907-01-29

Impressioni campestri (E voi passate nel vial) (de Leva) 39986 xPh 2370

Lungi а amor (Aria antica) (Fasolo) 39984 xPh 2371  

Zaza (Leoncavallo): Buono Zaza del mio buon tempo 3998 5xPh 2372

Germania: Ferito prigionier 39977 xPh 2379  

Fonotipia, Milano 1907-01-31

Tannhauser (Wagner): O tu bell'astro 39987 XPh2385

Don Pasquale (Donizetti): Pronta io son with Aida Gonzaga 62010 XPh2386

Don Pasquale (Donizetti): Convien far la semplicetta with Aida Gonzaga 62011 XPh2387