ABSTRACT
Italian baritone, born in Rome. He sang in Piacenza in 1897, then at La Scala in 1903. His Metropolitan Opera debut was in Barbiere di Siviglia on 25 Nov 1915; he stayed with the company until 1935. He made his first commercial records for G&T in 19031904, after which he was primarily a U.S. Victor artist. From 1917 to 1925 he made 36 Red Seals, including a famous version of the Rigoletto Quartet with Amelita Galli-Curci and Enrico Caruso (#10000), which sold for a premium price. The reverse side offered a great recording of the Lucia Sextette, with Galli-Curci, Caruso, De Luca, and Marcel Journet. Later he rerecorded both ensembles, with Beniamino Gigli, Louise Homer, and Ezio Pinza (#10012).
