Pagliacci - Prologo

[@raphabenbenjamin]

I heard him when my mother took me to a community concert in Pasadena, Texas. How could that sound come out of ONE human being? One of the many ways that God allows us to see his wonders displayed so gloriously.

[@highcking]

The first time I heard him in person (Traviata), at age 16, I almost jumped out of my seat. His voice was three times the size of the soprano and tenor. It was like a rolling wave of sound.

[@merictalay4695]

😂

[@xxsaruman82xx87]

I'm so jealous!

[@cimbassovr]

ROBERT MERRILL una delle più belle voci da baritono di sempre! Grazie del filmato

[@GermanOperaSinger]

Who cares about the bad video? If it bothers you that much just close your eyes and listen to the wonderful sound! I'm happy enough with the recording of this great voice, thanks for posting.

[@pepeelsordo]

I don't know if people today know what a sound of a opera singer is or WAS. Nobody sings like this today. There are voices, no doubt, but who teaches them? And why are they hired? This is the glorious sound of a true extrordinary singer, like they should be if they sing at the Met, Scala, etc.

[@ivanbendana551]

Robert Merrill was a great baritone, as were Giusppe Danise, John Charles Thomas, Lawerence Tibbett, Leonard Warren, Cornell MacNeil and Sherill Milnes, but do not forget those old times baritones, such as Titta Ruffo, Gino Bechi, Riccardo Stracciari, Giuseppe de Luca and many others. As any opera singer, Merrill had some vocal imperfections, as his squeezed high notes. His voice was so rich. Although his law and middle voice was very powerful, his high vocal register was smaller in comparison with those of Warren, MacNeil Milnes or Bastianini. Also Merrill excels by his beautiful voice, his consistent vibrato and his expressive singing. Greetings,

[@legatofancier]

Say what you will about Robert Merrill's linguist skill or his depth as an interpreter, his voice was not only beautiful but it has an unmistakable glamour. There's no other word for it - glamour. It's a quality granted to only a chose few.

[@andymanland]

True))

[@65attila]

Great performance. I happily saw this great baritone @ 7 times. He was a small man whose voice was large, unforced, even and beautiful. He obviously knew what and how to sing. Thanks for posting and regards-John

[@Greg07623]

What a great artist, and what a lovely man he was.

[@peterboldizsar]

I'm happy that there are lots of people who enjoy this posting. As of those people who just aren't happy with the quality of the video....what can I say. I just can agree what "GermanOperaSinger" said....

[@michaelmontgomery5818]

Péter Boldizsár people who complain about old videos are just silly. They are what they are. They don't understand the evolution of technology.

[@michaelmontgomery5818]

And you probably won't see this because it's eight years after your original post and this is like a time warp. Best of life to you!

[@xxsaruman82xx87]

Thank you so much for this! Merrill is a GOD!!!!

[@Giovannifabuloso]

Robert Merill had one of the most magnificent voices. What a beautful rich dramatic sound. He makes you feelis singing.

[@Sabininho]

I can hear a lot of twang in his voice! A proof that any voice type needs to be ringing like mad

[@MpLMx]

I never heard Robert Merrill before... the performance is awsome! Magnificent voice!

Not only was he a perfect technician and a very gifted interpreter, but was also very smart when it comes to singing. He knew the boundaries of his body and acted (sang) according to them - you can never hear a shortage of air or ugly, constricted sounds in his singing. Love him

[@joeasmythe]

Arguably the best the Met ever had. Thank you..

[@pattyfarrell]

So beautiful! He came out to Portland in 1987 to fill in for our failed MacBeth. My very first performance in a professional opera chorus. Never forgotten!

[@gauss2005]

What a great baritone Merrill was! Listen to him in Pearl Fishers Duet with Bjorling. For a 1955 video the sound engineers did an unbelievable work; I wish all old videos had this excellent quality.

[@stephenjoeagi]

What a glorious voice !!!!!!!! One of the greatest ever. Brings tears in my eyes.

[@tyfranklin1]

He was awesome! Thank you for posting this. I met him in 1985, and he was as nice as a person can be.

[@michaelmontgomery5818]

A phenomenal technician, and a voice made of steel balls.

[@cognefred]

quelle voix ! what a voice !

[@aleiv]

this is class singing. And what a coscience of text! Meraviglioso, che sfumature, non sfugge nulla. Una voce da sogno. Grazie for posting this. :))

[@lucabernard489]

Fantastic

[@reallyharried]

I first heard him when I was little; Merrill's the very first baritone I ever heard, (in my memory).

[@giampierone010]

Altri tempi purtroppo!!! Artista MERAVIGLIOSO!!! Grazie

[@redsguy]

Robert Merrill was truly a magnificant voice!

[@jeffmuenster9457]

goldenthroat....that magnificent sound of his had a certain sense of natural ease to it, which, I think, is why he was so good at singing other songs outside the operatic repertory, and I don't just mean at baseball games. His voice was remarkably versatile, more than most people know. If you haven't, you should hear his recording of Begin the Begiune.

[@federic017]

Una delle più belle voci baritonali di tutti tempi...e che acuti,da vero baritono...un cantante di prima grandezza...saluti

[@321abcable]

Merrill and Tibbett are the 2 greatest American baritones IMO.

[@raphabenbenjamin]

The only question I have arises when you consider the short career Ruffo had. It seems that the ones that are so bright it is hard to look at them as human (Alexander the Great, Lord Byron, Elvis, James Dean, Marilyn, etc.) just burn themselves up as they courageously try to handle all they see and express their sight to us. Thanks Titta Ruffo (Titto Ruffa), thanks Robert Merrill and a special thanks to Luciano, who helped us to become childlike via his sheer joy of being a singer.

[@hiyadroogs]

if you watch carefully, you can see that the mouth positions exactly match the sung phrases you have heard a few seconds earlier. I don't know how or why the film & soundtrack have become disconnected, but it's very obvious that this was a live performance at the time it was filmed.

[@JeffW77]

I think the credit at the end says 1955. Recording looks like a kinescope. I just read Merrill's biography "Between Acts." Great collection of his reminiscences about opera, theater, TV and radio. I remember seeing him once on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson--probably in the '80s.

[@raythespian]

Rudolph Bing said that Merrill would have been the No. 1 baritone in any other opera house in the world, but at The Met, he was No. 2 because Warren was No. 1. I saw and heard both of them throughout their careers, and I absolutely agree.

[@beatakiss6044]

Gyönyörű hang.szeretem.

[@caninbar]

We can certainly excuse his memory problems with such a glorious sound!

[@photo161]

What a sound!

[@xzxz619]

Great singing.

[@LibbySingsMezzo]

God, what a beautiful voice he had!

[@Jeshem1014]

Perfection✨

[@seanhughes4681]

beyond awesome

[@Tom1948]

Fabulous singer. Still the greatest baritone but almost a tenor I have ever heard. Wonderful with Bjorling.

[@VolV8]

beautiful. and the world turns on.

[@sgnmath1234]

Well done, Mr. Merrill !

[@ykaiilah]

My favorite baritone ever!!! What a fantastic voice, fuck!!!

[@kman1111]

This Sound Quality Is So Good It Scares Me

[@golden-63]

Quite possibly the most beautiful Italianate baritone voice ever. Merrill wasn't always the most profound interpreter and his languages could be meh, but his performances were always stylish. And, my God...that voice!

[@bradleyjenks]

I have to say.... any opera nerd saying anything at all against this, particularly in favor of Captain Squeezy - Loenard Warren, whose voice wasn't half as nice or singing half as healthy as this...or in favor of Ruffo, whose recordings are scratchy as hell.... needs to be branded for the opera geek they are. This is gorgeous. That's it. Few sing so well. Some do. But they are few. Arguing is worthless.

[@TS57ovr4]

I couldn't disagree more with regards to Leonard Warren's technique, but that "Captain Squeezy" bit cracked me up.

[@Tom1948]

You are right but add Jussi Bjorling and one or two others. There was little or no electronic help those days. Can you just imagine being in the audience to see this performance ? I wish I was there now !

[@seanhughes7777]

super amazing.

[@gallferi]

I think you wanted to write: "cantava", right? Merrill was famous for forgetting things; with me he forgot his "venti scudi" and only stuck his finger in my palm during performance. "ecco ne dieci" - he said, and I softly whispered to him: "dove?" For revenge when he later asked: "ei qui rimane?" - instead of "si" I sang "no", but he couldn't give a hoot and kept on with "alla mezzanotte ritorneró".

[@TS57ovr4]

"Not having much luck with those words today, huh Bob?" lol Still, just unbelievably wonderful singing

[@seanhughes7777]

yes please

[@angelamariarigoli6997]

voci che non torneranno più!

[@paulostroff99]

Awesome! TY

[@SuperMoshe77]

Quelle splendeur !!! SuperMoshe77

[@wadimbychkov1306]

Bravo

[@joetursi9573]

Oh my God!!

[@VictorStarita]

Grazie !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!victorstarita

[@docmalthus]

My God, what an instrument he had!

[@MicahandModesta]

3:42... I just...

[@emeric1952]

Vidio o.k. Voice GREAT.

[@LibbySingsMezzo]

And today on TV we get . . . ? Then network executives wonder why people have fled to the internet.

[@hswatnik]

Sure sounds good to me!!

[@hiyadroogs]

Thanks! It's so obvious isn't it?

[@oclhie]

¿quien es? me encanta

[@Agorante]

We almost lost Merrill. He defied Bing to go to Hollywood to film "Aaron Slick from Pumpkin Crik". Bing fired him and wouldn't take him back. Merrill had to beg. This, this great singer with probably the most gorgeous, rich baritone sound ever heard anywhere was to be banished. But he was let back in and sang at the Met for nearly another twenty years.

[@wippocarter]

Wow! que bella voce! Vorrei cantare al meno um po come lui! E evidente che l'italiano non era sua lingua natale.

[@johnfalstaff2270]

Among of all post WWII prologue interpreters, my favorite are Warren, Merrill and Romanian Nicolae Herlea. I like Bastianini and Taddei, but not in Pagliacci.

[@hiyadroogs]

Of course he's not miming!! The sound & picture have simply become out of step. No-one is so bad at miming that he would keep his mouth shut while his own voice is ringing at full volume! He is a whole phrase behind the sound track, not just a split second. Of course he is singing live!

[@ronaldgoff7499]

great singer better live than on records duets with tucker now history

[@tempo986]

good singing but the best Prologo is that of Cesare Bardelli!! it's on KZbin !

[@raymondede8388]

You forgot to insert 'in my opinion'.

[@luigicardone2200]

Tiemp bell e na vot

[@ElisabettaVS]

haha! Herlea is great, you're right ^^

[@90sNickNostalgia]

This is what real singing sounds like! Not that auto-tuned crap...

[@seanhughes7777]

over nine thousand

[@Neurozumim]

Bad sync. Is it a youtube thing again? When will youtube stop desyncing videos?

[@baritone_rahul]

Fabulous tone and amazing strength but I sense a lack of breath that inhibits the length of some phrases here. I also think his Italian is a little strange in spots. But what an Ab! Check out the Gobbi renditions of the same track.

[@turnercm100]

isnt that from Watchmen?

[@bogdybaciu]

listen to herlea ... and beat him :-) Oh, you cannot beat herlea ? I thought so ....

[@mrright911]

How is it possible in the year of 1955 they could not produce an opera film that looks professional. This looks like it was made in someones basement. My God they did not have on hand a better film and audio team. My friends and I had an 8mm camera and we made better films? I mean your filming one of the greats in opera a little professionlism..

[@AlexSuciu]

naaa..he's good but if you really want to hear this superb aria singed execelent listen to Nicolae Herlea. I think its here on you tube. Herlea is well above merrill both in voice and class.