This is a type of posting that I haven’t done for a long time. We are looking at some famous students of a great voice teacher, Antonio Cotogni. For a list of his students, please see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Cotogni
Antonio “Toto” Cotogni was an Italian baritone of the highest distinction. Regarded internationally as being one of the greatest male opera singers of the 19th century, he was particularly admired by the composer Giuseppe Verdi, whom he knew personally. Cotogni made an important second career as a singing teacher after his retirement from the stage in 1894.
The four singers whom we will hear from today are: Guido Ciccolini (tenor), Giacomo Lauri-Volpin(tenor), Virgilio Lazzari (bass), and Ellison van Hoose (tenor.)
Giordano, Fedora, “Amor ti vieta”
Amor ti vieta di non amar…
La man tua lieve che mi respinge,
cerca la stretta della mia man:
la tua pupilla esprime: “T’amo”
se il labbro dice: “Non t’amerò!”
Giordano, Fedora, “Love itself bars you”
Love itself bars you from not loving…
Your light hand that repels me,
still looks for the stroke of my hand:
your eyes exclaim: “I love you”
even when your lips say: “I will not love you!”
Puccini, Tosca, “E lucevan le stelle”
CAVARADOSSI
(si mette a scrivere, ma dopo tracciate alcune
linee è invaso dalle rimembranze)
E lucevan le stelle ed olezzava
la terra, stridea l’uscio
dell’orto, e un passo sfiorava la rena…
Entrava ella, fragrante,
mi cadea fra le braccia…
Oh, dolci baci, o languide carezze,
mentr’io fremente
le belle forme disciogliea dai veli!
Svanì per sempre il sogno mio d’amore…
L’ora è fuggita…
E muoio disperato!
E non ho amato mai tanto la vita!
(Scoppia in singhiozzi).
Puccini, Tosca, “And the stars shone”
CAVARADOSSI
(begins to write, but after a few lines a flood of
memories invades him)
And the stars shone and the earth was perfumed.
The gate to the garden creaked and a footstep
rustled the sand to the path…
Fragrant, she entered
and fell into my arms…
Oh, soft kisses, oh, sweet abandon,
as I trembling
unloosed her veils and disclosed her beauty.
Oh, vanished forever is that dream of love,
fled is that hour…
and desperately I die.
And never before have I loved life so much!
(He bursts into sobs)
Puccini, Manon Lescaut, “Donna non vidi mai”
DES GRIEUX
Donna non vidi mai simile a questa!
A dirle: io t’amo,
a nuova vita l’alma mia si desta.
“Manon Lescaut mi chiamo!”
Come queste parole profumate
mi vagan nello spirto
e ascose fibre vanno a carezzare.
O sussurro gentil, deh! non cessare! …
“Manon Lescaut mi chiamo!”
Sussurro gentil. deh! non cessar!
Puccini, Manon Lescaut, “Woman I never saw”
DES GRIEUX
Lady, I never saw anything like this!
To tell you: I love you,
to a new life my soul awakens.
“I am called ‘Manon Lescaut’!”
Like these scented words
I wander in the spirit
and hidden fibers will caress.
O gentle whisper, Ah! do not stop! …
“I am called ‘Manon Lescaut’!”
Gentle whisper, Ah! do not stop!
Bellini, I Puritani, “A te, o cara, amor talora”
A te, o cara, amor talora
Mi guidò furtivo e in pianto;
Or mi guida a te d’accanto
Tra la gioia e l’esultar.
Ah, mio bene!
Ah, Elvira mia, sì, mia tu sei!
Al brillar di sì bell’ora,
Se rammento il mio tormento
Si raddoppia il mio contento,
M’è più caro il palpitar d’amor.
Bellini, The Puritans, “To you, oh dear one, love at times”
To you, oh dear one, love at times
Leads me secretly and in tears;
now it guides me to your side
Between joy and exaltation.
Ah, my love!
Ah, my Elvira, yes, you are mine!
At the radiance of such a beautiful hour
If I renew my torment,
It redoubles my happiness,
It is more dear than the heart’s beating
Mozart, Le Nozze di Figaro, “la vendetta, oh la vendetta”
BARTOLO
La vendetta, oh, la vendetta!
È un piacer serbato ai saggi.
L’obliar l’onte e gli oltraggi
è bassezza, è ognor viltà.
Con l’astuzia…coll’arguzia…
col giudizio…col criterio…
si potrebbe…il fatto è serio…
ma credete si farà.
Se tutto il codice
dovessi volgere,
se tutto l’indice
dovessi leggere,
con un equivoco,
con un sinonimo
qualche garbuglio
si troverà.
Tutta Siviglia
conosce Bartolo:
il birbo Figaro
vostro sarà.
Mozart, The Marriage of Figaro, “Revenge, oh revenge”
BARTOLO
Revenge, yes, revenge
Is a pleasure meant for the intelligent;
To forget insults and outrages
Is always low and base.
With astuteness and acuteness,
With judgment and discernment,
I can do it … The case is serious;
But, believe me, I’ll bring it off.
If I have to search the whole legal code,
If I have to read through the whole statute book,
With a quibble or a paraphrase
I’ll find some obstacle.
All Seville knows Dr. Bartolo:
That rascal Figaro will lose the day!
Verdi, Aida, “Celeste Aida”
Celeste Aida, forma divina.
Mistico serto di luce e fior,
Del mio pensiero tu sei regina,
Tu di mia vita sei lo splendor.
Il tuo bel cielo vorrei redarti,
Le dolci brezze del patrio suol;
Un regal serta sul crin posarti,
Ergerti un trono vicino al sol.
Celeste Aida, forma divina,
Mistico raggio di luce e fior, ecc.
Verdi, Aida, “Heavenly Aida”
Heavenly Aida, form divine,
mystical garland of light and flowers,
of my thoughts you are the queen,
you are the light of my life.
I would return to you your lovely sky,
the gentle breezes of your native land;
a royal crown on your brow I would set,
build you a throne next to the sun.
Heavenly Aida, form divine,
mystical gleam of light and flowers, etc.
Wagner, Lohengrin, “In fernem Land”, Act III
In fernem Land, unnahbar euren Schritten,
liegt eine Burg, die Montsalvat genannt;
ein lichter Tempel stehet dort inmitten,
so kostbar, als auf Erden nichts bekannt;
drin ein Gefäß von wundertät’gem Segen
wird dort als höchstes Heiligtum bewacht:
Wer nun dem Gral zu dienen ist erkoren,
den rüstet er mit überird’scher Macht;
an dem ist jedes Bösen Trug verloren,
wenn ihn er sieht, weicht dem des Todes Nacht.
Selbst wer von ihm in ferne Land’ entsendet,
zum Streiter für der Tugend Recht ernannt,
dem wird nicht seine heil’ge Kraft entwendet,
bleibt als sein Ritter dort er unerkannt.
So hehrer Art doch ist des Grales Segen,
enthüllt – muß er des Laien Auge fliehn;
des Ritters drum sollt Zweifel ihr nicht hegen,
erkennt ihr ihn – dann muß er von euch ziehn.
Nun hört, wie ich verbotner Frage lohne!
Vom Gral ward ich zu euch daher gesandt:
Mein Vater Parzival trägt seine Krone,
sein Ritter ich – bin Lohengrin genannt.
Wagner, Lohengrin, “In a Distant Land”, Act III
In a distant land, unapproachable to your steps,
lies a castle called Montsalvat;
within it stands a gleaming temple
whose like for splendor is unknown on earth;
therein is kept as the holiest of treasures
a vessel blessed with miraculous powers:
He who is chosen to serve the Grail
it arms with supernatural might;
against him all evil deceit is vain,
before him even the darkness of death yields.
Even one sent by it into distant lands,
called upon as champion for the cause of virtue,
does not lose its holy power
if he remains there unknown as its knight.
Of so rare a nature is the Grail’s benediction
that it must be veiled from profane eyes:
you must not then harbor doubts of its knight,
and if he is recognized he must leave you.
Now hear how I answer the forbidden question!
I was sent here among you by the Grail:
my father Parzival wears its crown;
his knight am I, and Lohengrin my name.
Antonio Cotogni
August 1, 1831 – October 15, 1918
Antonio Cotogni was born in Rome. His father ran a small pottery factory, and Cotogni’s passion for singing came from listening to the pupils of the hospice of Santo Michele, so much so that he soon began attending the adjoining music school.
In 1849, Cotogni fought among Garibaldi’s volunteers at Porta Santo Pancrazio. He then went on to study first theory and then singing with maestro A. Faldi. He began singing solo pieces in Roman churches and, in the “summer music” events, in some towns .
In 1851, he participated in the performance of S. Capocci’s oratorio Santo Eustachio in the church of Santa Maria in Vallicella. He then sang the part of Belcore in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore in a performance at Faldi’s home: he made his debut in this opera at the Metastasio Theater on December 26, 1852. His success was immediate
During the autumn season of 1857, he met Maria Ballerini in Turin, whom he married the following year. From the early years of his career, he stood out for the variety of roles he played: during his long career, he had 157 roles in his repertoire.
After singing in Viterbo, then in Nice and Barcelona, in September 1860 Cotogni made his debut at La Scala. He performed in Verdi’s Attila (Ezio), A. Peri’s Vittor Pisani, Guglielmo Tell, Sonnambula, and above all in G. Bottesini (first performed on September 5), he showed “eminent artistic abilities, further highlighted by his command of the stage, the lively and expressive mobility of his face, his confident movements, and the passionate accent of his voice, which so well simulates the sobs of passion and the tremors of anger” (Gazzetta musicale di Milano, XVlll[1860], 37, p. 250).
Critics of the time claimed that every performance was a triumph for him: ” … he is a perfect artist in every sense of the word: to his always passionate, incisive, mellifluous, robust, and delicate singing, he adds a charming demeanor, expressive gestures, and a variety of actions beyond praise … ” (Gazzetta musicale di Milano, XXIII [1868], 2, p. 13); ” … he aroused absolute fanaticism, living up to his reputation as the prince of baritones of the day … ” (ibid., 9, p. 71 ).
1867 was an important year for Cotogni: he was chosen by Verdi to play the role of Rodrigo, Marquis of Posa, in Don Carlos on the occasion of the opera’s Italian premiere on October 27 at the Comunale in Bologna. In May 1868, he was in England for the London season. He returned to Italy in the fall for the first performance in Lugo di Romagna of Luchino Visconti by R. Amadei. 1870 was also a year of intense activity: from Turin (Don Carlos, ll favorito by C. Pedrotti: first performance March 15) to Dublin (Puritani and Trovatore) to Liverpool, Manchester, London, and finally, for the opening of the 1870-71 season at La Fenice in Venice.
He made his debut at the Imperial Theater in St. Petersburg in Linda and, in the same season, performed Hamlet, Faust, and Gioconda, establishing himself as one of the greatest artists to have graced those stages.
In the following years, and until the end of his career, Cotogni maintained his qualities as a performer and singer, performing mainly in London and St. Petersburg, without neglecting Italy, Spain, and Portugal. He was also in Paris in 1881 and 1889. Between 1887 and 1890, he often appeared at the Teatro Argentina in Rome
He retired from the theater in 1894, singing in Don Pasquale in St. Petersburg, but he often appeared in concerts-which he participated in more frequently starting in 1890-until 1904. From 1894 to 1898, he held the chair of singing at the St. Petersburg Conservatory and, from 1899, at the Academy of St. Cecilia in Rome. Among the many singers who trained at his school, according to a very long list compiled by L. Ricci, we find E. Nani, Titta Ruffo, R. Stracciari, G. De Luca, C. Galetti, M. Stabile, G. Lauri Volpi, M. Basiola, B. Franci, and Jean de Reske, who, himself, was a very famous voice teacher.
A characteristic feature of his teaching was the concept that, in order to produce a good sound, the singer must first imagine it, hear it mentally, and formulate the intention to achieve it in that way.
His voice, ranging from low to high, was capable of incorporating dramatic violence, singing with the tip of the tongue, and a baritone palette as well as that of powerful tenors, not without the froth of vocalization. As a performer, he had a predilection for so-called magnanimous characters and therefore identified with Rodrigo in Don Carlos. He performed practically the entire repertoire of the time, from Mozart to the veristi. “The architectural harmony of his interpretations, the style of his singing, the pathos of his inspiration derived from an inner balance, from a moving introspective study. .. He loved his characters and reconstructed them in a superb effort of true creation …” (Lauri-Volpi).