Beniamino Gigli (1890-1957)
A Short Biography
Beniamino Gigli enjoyed many years of musical success and is claimed to be the only true successor of Enrico Caruso.
Early Life
Gigli was born at the end of the 19th Century in Recaniti, a small town on the Italian Adriatic coast. His father was a shoe maker who adored opera, a passion which would be passed on to his son. Gigli demonstrated a keen interest in singing from an early age and successfully secured a place in the cathedral choir before his seventh birthday. His first stage appearance occurred in the provincial town of Macerata when he was 17 years old.
Despite his obvious talent, Gigli was refused entry to the Schola Contorum in Rome possibly due to his age – the age limit was 15. Gigli however, secured a scholarship to study at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia. Here he was coached by several renowned vocal teachers and singers. Gigli had to work and study as his family were unable to support him financially and he worked at a pharmacy and as a domestic servant. He served his military duty in Rome which meant he did not have to interrupt his studies. In 1914 he came first in an international singing competition, a success which led to several important debuts.
Singing Career
Gigli played several first performances following his international success. Following the death of the great Italian tenor, Enrico Caruso in 1921, Gigli rose to greater popularity within the world of opera. He preferred to be call ‘Gigli Primo’, although his fans often referred to him as ‘Caruso the Second’.
Gigli continued to tour Italy and performed in all the important regional opera houses including Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa and La Scala in Milan. In the early 1920’s Gigli started to appear outside Italy including South America He also made appearances in Barcelona and Madrid in Spain.
He eventually took up the mantle left empty by the death of Caruso and appeared at the opening night of La Traviata in 1921 at the Met, the first time in 18 years that Caruso performing as the first night tenor. He went on to further his success at Berlin, Wien, and Budapest and Covent Garden
His career at the Met ended over a dispute over pay in 1932. The Met wanted to cut the salaries of the singers and many refused. Gigli had offered to sing several concerts for free instead, which would have made a bigger saving that a pay cut, but the offer was not taken up.
Later Years
Gigli returned to Italy and continued to perform throughout his home country. He also achieved success in Buenos Aries, Salzburg and London in the 1930’s. He became much admired by Mussolini who described Gigli as his favourite tenor.
Gigli made a huge number of recordings during his later career and also enjoyed his first experience of cinema. However, for a short while his popularity faded due to his sympathy with Nazi occupants and he was not allowed to perform for fear of repercussions. The ban did not last long and he was soon forgiven and returned to the stage.
His last performance was in Messina in Italy, performing a double bill which followed a punishing schedule of concerts. This was to have a detrimental effect on his health and he died two years later at the age of 67.
Beniamino Gigli had it is said, one of the most beautiful tenor voice and is often referred to as ‘honeyed’. He used the power of emotions in his performances which would delight his fans and annoy those who disliked his style. But he was also a hard working tenor. Within his long career of 41 years he recorded more than 400 records, had starred in 20 films and had taken part in 2249 opera performances.
References
Wikipedia
Beniamino Gigli
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