Giovanni Martinelli (1885-1969)

Salut, demeure, chaste et pure
Faust by Charles Gounod

Giovanni Martinelli, son of a cabinet maker, was born in Montangana (Italy). He learned to play clarinet and joined the regimental band during his required national service. His singing voice was discovered by the band director (an officer), and Martinelli was sent to study with Professor Mandolini. He made his official debut in 1910 at Milan’s Teatro dal Verme, first in Rossini’s Stabat Mater, then three weeks later in Verdi’s Ernani. Soon afterward, Toscanini heard him and cast him in the European premiere of La Fanciulla del West. His trail of successes at Naples, La Scala, Monte Carlo, London and Budapest led inevitably to the Metropolitan in New York, where he sang for thirty seasons, at first second to Caruso, then coequally with Gigli, then alone. After leaving the Met, he continued to perform sporadically, giving his final performances in Seattle as Emperor Altoum in Turandot in 1967 at the age of 82.

Although he was primarily known for his performance of the lyric-dramatic tenor roles such as Manrico, Chenier, Canio, Rodolfo and Radames, Martinelli also excelled in the French roles from Carmen, Faust, La Juive, Le Prophete, Lakme and Samson et Dalila. The selection here is from the 1918 recording of the famous aria from Faust.