Because there is an abundance of biographical material on him, I will not
rehash what has been written, but will include a couple of quotes. The biopic
with Mario Lanza is almost pure fiction. Some of the biographies are not much
better, but some are quite good and give insight into the way Caruso worked.
Many of the opera stars of his time, in addition to singing, worked at
stagecraft, especially costumes and make-up effects, in a manner not unlike
their vaudeville cousins.
Caruso was a just such a man of the stage.
Enrico Caruso, not so long dead, was the greatest tenor of this generation,
having had no equal within the memory of living humankind. His voice, of
unrivalled sweetness and power, was a natural gift, developed to the highest
degree by faithful training and study. There was little in the domain of song
which he did not make his own, turning even less precious metal, at times, into
gold by the peculiar magic of his art. He was born in Naples in 1873, and sang
as a child in the churches of Naples. He was eighteen when he began serious
study [with Guglielmo Vergine]. He made his debut at Naples in 1894 in "L'Amico
Franceso," then sang in Italy, Egypt and elsewhere. He came to the United
States in 1903, where recognition was immediate.
His fame spread enormously. His services were in demand everywhere throughout
the civilized world. He gave them freely and without reserve, his career being
a record of generosity in the world of art and in the world of common life. He
came into such honors as have rarely been given any singer. At the crown of his
career, late in 1920, while singing in the Metropolitan Opera House, he was
taken ill on the stage. A long and distressing illness followed, from which he
was believed to have recovered. Going home to Italy for final convalescence, he
suffered a relapse, dying in Naples on August 2, 1921.
-- 1925 Catalog of Victor Records
Because of his incomplete and irregular training, Caruso began his career with
certain technical deficiencies. In his early years he was ill at ease in the
upper register, often using falsetto or transposing. He did not achieve
security in his high notes, at least up to the high B, until about 1902. In his
early years, too, his dark tone gave rise to ambiguities; his voice was often
regarded as almost a baritone.
This, however, became one of Caruso's resources, once he had mastered
production. The exceptional appeal of his voice was, in fact, based on the
fusion of a baritone's full, burnished timbre with a tenor's smooth, silken
finish, by turns brilliant and affecting. This enabled him in the middle range
to achieve melting sensuality, now in caressing and elegiac tones, now in
outbursts of fiery, impetuous passion. The clarion brilliance of his high
notes, his steadiness, his exceptional breath control and his impeccable
intonation formed a unique instrument.
The winning quality of the sound, the tender
mezza voce
(particularly in the early years) and his phrasing, based on rare mastery of
legato and portamento, enabled Caruso to sing the French and Italian lyric
repertory as well as lighter operas. In addition, his noble, incisive
declamation, his broad, high-mettled phrasing, and his vigor in dramatic
outbursts, made Caruso a notable interpreter of Verdi and the
grand opera.
In this repertory too, his performances were characterized by the
irresistible erotic appeal of his timbre. But the legend of Caruso, considered
the greatest tenor of the century, was also due to a temperament as warm and
vehement as his voice.
-- Rodolfo Celletti
Enrico Caruso, the tenor of the century, had a voice particularly well-suited
to the acoustic phonograph. Although he died fairly young, he left a rich
legacy of his singing art on Victor records. They span a career that began with
a light, lyric sound and ended with the darker, heavier, mature and dramatic
sound that I personally find most moving. This recording of an aria from
La Juive
demonstrates the power of Caruso's voice and art in that later period.
(Caruso's last public appearance was in
La Juive.)
