Francesco Tamagno & Antonio Cotogni?

Francesco Tamagno (1850-1905) was considered the greatest dramatic tenor of his generation. During the last quarter of the 19th century, this legendary singer captured the attention of audiences everywhere with his performances in opera and concert. Born in Turin to a wine merchant and tavern keeper, Tamagno showed early promise as a singer, but was refused entry to the Turin Conservatory when he first applied at the age of seventeen. Not to be dissuaded, the young tenor repeatedly auditioned for the Teatro Regio in his hometown. Eventually he was accepted into the chorus and began studying with celebrated composer and teacher Carlo Pedrotti (1817-1893). As he continued to gain stage experience as a chorister, Tamagno hoped to be given the opportunity to sing roles with the company. He got his wish in February of 1872 when he debuted in the small role of Gaspero in the local premiere of Francesco Cortesi’s opera La Colpa del Cuore. Other comprimario parts followed during the season in such operas as Poliuto and Ruy Blas.
Tamagno’s real breakthrough came about early in 1874 when he sang Riccardo in Un Ballo in Maschera at the Teatro Bellini in Palermo, impressing audience and critics alike. Over the course of the next three years, Tamagno made appearances in Carpi, Ferrara, Venice, Rovigo and Barcelona, building an impressive repertoire of leading roles in such works as Lucia di Lammermoor, Ernani, Il Trovatore, La Traviata, Don Carlo, La Forza del Destino, Robert le Diable, Les Huguenots, Saffo, Martha and even Rossini’s Stabat Mater.
Tamagno’s work with the Teatro Liceo in Barcelona most likely brought him to the attention of La Scala in Milan, where he opened the 1877/78 season as Vasco in L’Africaine. From that point on, La Scala was Tamagno’s artistic home, and he sang there regularly until 1901. The tenor was also a frequent guest to the operatic stages of Naples, Rome, Venice, London, St. Petersburg, Madrid, Seville, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, New York, Paris, Nice and Monte Carlo. He amassed a repertoire of over fifty roles, including the leads in Le Prophète, Guillaume Tell, Aïda, Sansone et Dalila, Andrea Chénier and his greatest role, Verdi’s Otello, which he created at La Scala in 1887.
Unfortunately, Tamagno’s career was not destined to be a lengthy one. As far back as 1887 (during rehearsals for the premiere of Otello), the tenor was suffering from chest pains and shortness of breath. Acute hypertension coupled with arteriosclerosis, eventually caused Tamagno to curtail his activities. After the turn of the century, the fifty year old singer had cut back his stage appearances markedly and began concentrating on concert work. His final performance seems to have been a recital in Turin in March of 1905. Several weeks later, the tenor suffered a serious heart attack and spent the summer convalescing at his villa in Varese. In mid-August, however, Tamagno suffered a massive stroke from which he never recovered. Paralyzed, the great tenor lingered for two weeks before dying from a second stroke on August 31. He was only fifty-four years old.
The recordings of Francesco Tamagno are amazing documents to behold. Although made when the tenor was semi-retired and nearing the end of his life, they reveal an amazingly well controlled voice with trumpet like top notes. The majority of Tamagno’s forty three discs were made in February of 1903 for the Gramophone and Typewriter Company. G&T representative Will Gaisberg agreed to set up a makeshift studio in the music rooms at the tenor’s villa in Ospedaletti in order to produce a stress free environment for the chronically ill Tamagno. In a span of five days (February 7 to 11) the tenor cut some forty discs of titles from Guillaume Tell, Il Trovatore, Andrea Chénier, Samson et Dalila, Hérodiade, Messaline, Le Prophète and, of course, Otello. Most of these titles were given at least two (in some cases, four) takes and those considered worthy of release were issued later that same year. In October, Tamagno joined soprano Giannina Russ to record the duet “Sento una forza indomita” from Il Guarany. However, the resulting disc was marred by a technical flaw and no copies are known to exist. Finally, in April of 1904, Tamagno agreed to travel to the G&T studios in Milan where he recorded two arias from Otello and Andrea Chénier.
This recording was unknown in the Tamagno discography until it was discovered in 2007, over a century after it was recorded. This was one of the discs made during a session at the tenor's villa in 1903. I originally identified the baritone in this recording as Antonio Cotogni (1831-1918). However, evidence brought to light by fellow record collector trrill indicates that the mystery singer is probably Taurino Parvis (1879-1957). Other theories are certainly welcome...

[@ALAINWILLIAM06]

Cotogni was born in 1831 so he was about 75 at the time of this recording

[@johnfalstaff2270]

Now, the question is, if a man of 72 (not 75) was capable to sing like we can hear him here?. Taurino Parvis on the other hand was only 24 in 1903 when this recording was made.

[@josemariadasilveirajunior4786]

É uma maravilha ter um registro da voz de Antonio Cotogni!

[@joseleobardoromeroperez3898]

Grandiosas voces de un siglo para la ópera Voces limpias y naturales. Del monaco y franco corelli la escepcion.

[@giovic9802]

The best tenor and the best baritone ever recorded together? Wow

[@natise5457]

Thank you very much for this recording. It was especially interesting because of Cotogni, because there was only two recordings published from his performances.

[@dariobussolino1384]

Ascoltando Tamagno in questa ed altre registrazioni di inizio secolo!!!abbiamo avuto una serie impressionante di passaggi vocali raramente ascoltati e magnifici. Visitando nel CIMITERO di Torino la tomba mausoleo di FRANCESCO TAMAGNO NON SI PUÒ NON ACCOSTARE QUESTA GRANDIOSITÀ AI FASTI DELLA SUA PRODIGIOSA VOCE!! i

[@umbertolazazzara1897]

credo che sia del 1890 la registrazione!

[@G.Andrea_Piras]

Splendide voci.

[@christopherhosford7805]

Whoever the baritone is, I find it fascinating that Iago is miked up so close. Yes, Otello is doing his thing, blah blah, and Francisco does it magnificently, but in the foreground, what's going on? Iago (whoever the singer is) is calculating and modulating, and doing his thing in the audio FOREGROUND. Never heard this concept of balance, and I like it. Good on you, Mr. Baritone, and the balance guys in the studio, whatever balance meant in those days.

[@ivanscotton6163]

Sabiam que quem fez o Conde Fabiano Fabianni na estréia da Maria Tudor de Carlos Gomes foi Francesco Tamagno .?

[@Garwfechan-ry5lk]

It is Cotogni, he recorded in Patti's home at Craig Y Nos in the 1900's as well. On a Visit they are in a Music Collection. certainly not Taurino Parvis. This voice is very like him.

[@antoniocfilho9544]

PARABENS LINDAS OPERAS NAO PODEMOS DEIXAR NO ESQUECIMENTOS

[@purisermonisamator]

Спасибо за замечательную находку. Голос Яго напоминает Котоньи; впрочем, пожалуй, вибрато у последнего было сильнее выражено. В любом случае эта запись заслуживает возвращения к ней.

[@ronaldgoff7499]

old but great history of what they were after their prime zenatello more like tamagno than caruso

[@margheritatamagno5303]

Sono Margherita Talamona Tamagno la pronipote del grande tenore.Avrei piacere di essere contattata.Grazie

[@antoninomaniscalco2454]

Lei la sua tecnica di canto la sa? Intendo del grande tamagno

[@urbexmorgan5651]

Buongiorno Margherita, sono un'appassionato di Francesco tamagno e della figlia Margherita, sono di Varese, mi piacerebbe sapere la storia della figlia del grande tenore, su di lui c'è la storia, mentre su Margherita purtroppo non c'è, la ringrazio buona giornata

[@margheritatamagno5303]

@@urbexmorgan5651 se vuole mi può chiamare il mio telefono è 3483664632.sarei molto felice di parlare della mia nonna

[@urbexmorgan5651]

@@margheritatamagno5303 gentilissima, la ringrazio tanto, appena posso la contatto, buona domenica

[@margheritatamagno5303]

@@urbexmorgan5651 anche a lei grazie

[@johnfalstaff2270]

The question is, if a 72 year old man (Antonio Cotogni) was capable to sing like we can hear him here?. Taurino Parvis on the other hand was only 24 in 1903 when this recording was made.

[@ronaldgoff7499]

great tenor old when this was made pre caruso

[@Melicflucius]

It doesn't sound like Parvis; from what we know of Cotogni's voice (Re di Lahore-"O casto fior" and Duet w/Marconi from I Mulatieri), I can hear the resemblance. (I wrote this as a quick reaction, before reading any of the statements below. I guess it means i agree with the boss! :) .. and yes, I have heard the Tamagno relative hypothesis, but also disagree with the idea that a man of that age necessarily could not have sung that well for the reasons speculated. It is a good observation, but generalizes and eliminates the possibility for case-by-case exceptions, of which there always ave been in the singing world. .

[@trrill]

The baritone here is not Parvis, no. I've only made the point that the Gastaldon song was not famous or well known, having been recorded by *this* baritone and separately by Parvis.

[@umbertolazazzara1897]

Ma era mezzo tono piu' basso o era dovuta al diapason a 432?

[@user-ff1cp5lt9n]

А этот тенор ? есть у вас записи ? it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angelo_Masini

[@volkerkuhne6143]

Cotogni war Lehrer der Größten !

[@ransomcoates546]

Tamagno lost his low notes?

[@johnfalstaff2270]

His low notes were not well developed. Especially here in 1903, when he was close to his death. The same concerns voices of Mattia Battistini and Titta Ruffo. Huge voices but with rather narrow scale.

[@EricTDubin]

This is not Cotogni singing, but rather one of Tamagno's family members.

[@deadtenorssociety2973]

+Eric T. Dubin Despite what has been written by others, I am convinced that this is NOT Giovanni Tamagno. Giovanni Tamagno only sang publicly a couple of times as a very young man before giving up singing altogether. At the time this recording was made (February, 1903), Giovanni Tamagno had not sung professionally in twenty years. I just do not hear this as representative of the voice or the artistry of an amateur singer who had not experienced a career of any sort. Additionally, Giovanni Tamagno was most likely still living in Buenos Aires at the time of this recording. I simply feel that there are too many points that rule him out as the baritone heard in this recording. As to the case for Antonio Cotogni, I have done side by side comparisons to the recording of the duet "I Mulattierri", which was recorded with Cotogni and tenor Francesco Marconi in 1908. Making allowances for the passage of five years in a septuagenarian voice, I firmly believe that the two baritones are the same man. Yes, this is guesswork on my part and I realize that many record collectors will disagree with me on this point and I welcome your arguments.

[@EricTDubin]

+Dead Tenors' Society Indeed this may very well be Cotogni singing, however, without difinitive proof of that, best to state that as you own opinion somewhere in your discription of the recording. You should put your response to me on your discription, seeing as it is very interesting regarding the validity of this indeed being Cotogni. I'm still not quite sure that this is Cotogni singing due to the limited recording that one has to compare it to. Thank you for your response.

[@EricTDubin]

+Dead Tenors' Society I, likewise, should have stated my response as opinion. My apologies...let keep opera alive!

[@deadtenorssociety2973]

+Eric T. Dubin Not at all, Eric. Thank you for having the passion for this wonderful art form to make your (very valid) opinion heard! VIVA OPERA!!!

[@deadtenorssociety2973]

+Dead Tenors' Society My failure to explain my identification of Cotogni as the baritone heard in this recording in my original description was due to a lack of space. I very much wanted to explain my reasoning but I simply ran out of room. Perhaps I get a bit too long winded at times!

[@gregrechesy4178]

The baritone really doesn't sound like he's 24 years old, whoever it may be...

[@paoladatodi8626]

comunque, una voce di una certa età, non di un giovanissimo come in certe ipotesi; sarà mai risolto questo suggestivo " giallo"?

[@alfredbernasek3912]

GROSSARTIG