I only know John McCormack thru his singing of Irish standards and ballads. In fact, I was reared on it. Still today, many decades later, his is the only singing voice that can instantly bring me to the verge of tears
I was just thinking about this idea of top 100 singers - I have four absolute favourites who all thrill, move, delight and inspire my humble music making in very different ways. Early McCormack with his immaculate technique and beautiful shaped phrases, Gigli with his exquisite tone and effortless production, Bjorling's incredible musicality and Di Stefano (the one I come back to over and over again) with his incredible breadth of phrasing and amazing passion - Thanks for posting
Thank you for posting this. I'm afraid I find his singing a little unpolished and would not include him as a great tenor although his reputation as a folk and traditional singer is well documented. On a related matter, I do think Corelli was A*. (I would only put three tenors in the top A** category!) Just as well we don't all agree!
He didn't have all the digital enhancements that exist today or indeed the technology, he didn't need it...he had talent and passion which can be clearly heard in his voice. You can dress it up whatever way you choose, but the man from Athlone had it all, and you can never ever take that away from our Count John Mc Cormick.
A perfect example of using the "indispensable minimum" of breath to support the tone exactly. Pity about the high note which seems to have rattled the horn!
I'm not a music critic or an opera buff, but McCormack's voice has moved me since I was a child...wish I could have seen him in person, but alas, he died before I was born.. his music transports me to the land of my fore fathers...
No, Mr. Corelli isn´t in my personal choice of my favorite "100 Greatest Singers". Perhaps you´ll find him in the remaining list of "Part II - Your Favorites". Mike
I would be VERY VERY VERY interested to know why he is NOT on your personal 100 choice. In fact, I think it would be interesting to make a list of well known and appreciated singers that you did not include in the list and to explain why. You have a very good and competent criterion otherwise. I just am very confused why on earth Corelli is not on the list. Gorgeous voice and supreme technique.
Dear ididete, it seems you´re a admirer of Mr. Corelli. And so it´s always difficult to give own arguments for an own opinion. Let me say it in careful words: If the voice of Corelli was gorgeous and his technique supreme, well - what terms I have to use for Bjoerling, Wunderlich or (in this special case) McCormack? Or in other words: Everytime I explain my choice for other singers with arguments, think it over: Are these arguments accurate for Corelli too? Mike
You could have said it more openly. I don't understand why Corelli does not fit your criteria and whenever I compare the other singers you chose, I can't bring myself to think that he does not figure on the list. Is it a crime to bash Corelli over the internet for the sake of an honest argumentation? i would not mind.
@100Singers It is always a matter of choice to your own ear, I would agree with many of your choices, but the important thing is that we all hear and appreciate singers differently. I would have liked to see Corelli here too, but what does it matter. Just sit back and think yourself lucky that you can enjoy them all !!!
@100Singers Strano, Corelli è assolutamente uno dei tre (3) migliori tenori di sempre con Tamagno, Caruso, Lauri-Volpi, Pertile, Gigli, Bjoerling, Tagliavini, DelMonaco, Tuker, ecc... e ti sfido a dirmi che uno dei citati non possa stare tra i 3 migliori di sempre....
Strange, Corelli is absolutly one of the 3 best tenors of evrytime with the others i told upper....
All I know is, when I listen to McCormack I'm moved...usually to tears...and no one else moves me quite as much. For whatever reason, I FEEL his voice.
Agree that McCormack is in the top three (and possibly number one) of the great male singers. I have most of John's recordings (and that's a lot!). For truly awesome singing, listen to his recording of Handel's "O Sleep, Why Dost Though Leave Me". Truly one of the greatest of all recordings. His breath control leaves me...breathless.
John McCormack was lucky to have found Sabatini who gave McCormack the knowledge he needed. The story always came first.. True Belcanto artists like McCormack never had to control breath consciously as they never spilled breath because each word was pronounced correctly, as if spoken. The focus was only on one thing, storytelling. This art needs to be resurrected and brought back to the world stage where it belongs.
Yo les preguntaría a todos los ' opinantes' que me presentaran una grabación que esté en la misma 'Liga' que: "Oh sleep why dost thou leave me?" ...
Todos los cantantes que se mencionan son grandes, pero Mc Cormack, en USA se daba el lujo de dar dos conciertos mensuales en N.York, al tope de espectadores...y ´sin AMPLIFICACIÓN ELECTRICA... No era una voz pequeña,
y su voz es perfectamente distinguible, para los que aman el bel canto.
if you have never actually been to an opera then you have formulated your opinion from a position of ignorance. How can you know you won't or don't like something if you have never experienced it? I am not saying that acting is more important than singing in opera, quite the opposite. However, when you have both world class singing and competent acting there is nothing within the performing arts that can match the emotional impact of opera.
The reason I read he left the stage is because he wasn't such a great actor. Who gives a shit about acting though? To me it's all about the singing. It's unfortunate that he didn't record any arias with the new electric recording technology introduced in 1925. McCormack's always been a favorite of mine; Ireland's finest.
I agree, singing and voice is more important than stage presence. The greatest singers weren´t good on stage, so Bjoerling for instance. It was Rodolfo Celletti who suggest, a great singer should only be heard, not seen. And so, the record studio became an imaginative sound-stage.
What an awful thing to say! To only be heard?! What an outrageous choice of ignorance. I find this so upsetting, that so many strictly opera people are even AGAINST acting! That is simply confirmed ignorance. Only be heard, not seen. That is completely and utterly ridiculous.
'to see the pretty actors'? You say that like acting is an art of vanity. Does it then make no difference to see Aida in concert or staged? Have you never been moved to tears by a performance of Pagliacci?
I don't want to detract from the beauty of McCormack's singing, but I find the lack of appreciation for this art disturbing. I'll concede that acting is not emphasized by most schools of opera, but what you say is downright insulting to singers who take the Whole performance seriously.
People attend operas and sit all the way in the back, no way they can see the stage well or see the performers, they come for the voice. They're happy to pay their $20 for the voice all the way in the back of the house.
I guess I'll just be one of the singers who knows people are coming for a voice and not for my acting abilities. Lol.
I think acting *does* matter, but I agree that it matters far, far less than singing. Bad acting can be overlooked, but not bad singing. Someone said once, if you want to see great acting, watch a movie. ;-) It's true.
Nevertheless some opera acting I have seen is just horrible and it can distract from the music a bit. So as jakethewoz said the whole perf. should be taken seriously. But if you just can't act great, whatever. :P
I disagree with people who say that opera is "all about the singing". If that were the case, then why bother with costumes, sets and the like? why not just perform every opera as if it was a recital? the reason this is not the case is because the acting is a very important element of an opera performance. opera is singing+acting. if you just want singing, listen to recording or go to recitals and leave the seats at the opera house for those that want to enjoy all of the facets of opera
Every opera I've ever heard may as well have been a recital. I've never been to an opera in my life and I don't ever intend on going to one. If I wanted to look at pretty sets and costumes I'd go to a play (not that I ever would) or a movie. If I want to hear good singing I'll listen to opera. Going to one? Out of the question. Years ago they focused on singing and the sets and costumes were secondary. Today it's the other way around.
Costumes, and acting have always been an important part of opera productions. They are second to the singing but still very important. In my opinion, opera singers should strive to give complete performances; top notch singing and quality acting are a must if you are to be successful.
Take Enrico Caruso. I saw a clip of him in Palgliacci and he was singing and acting his heart out. Callas, Del Monanco and my personal favorite, Siepi did the same. And so it continues in the present.
That's where we differ. I could care less about anything other than the voice. Callas and Del Monanco were great but not really refined singers and if I'm just going to listen to a recording why would I need anymore than that?
What "continues in the present?" Today we don't have any singers in the league of Callas, Del Monaco, or even Siepi and they seem to use pretty sets and costumes to compensate for poor singing.
How would you know what kind of singers we have today if all you listen to are recordings and don't go to any live performances?
And with that I'll end this conversation. There is no use in arguing with someone who considers Callas, Siepi, and Del Monaco "not really refined singers." They were masters of their craft and embodied what every opera performer should strive to be: great singers and competent actors.
I would know simply because I have listened to these newer singers I speak of and I know for a fact that the visual side of opera is overdone today more so than ever before. The definition of "refined" is "free from coarseness or vulgarity; polite." If you're going to try arguing that Callas or Del Monaco were free of vulgarity and polite then yes, this "conversation" is certainly over.
In my opinion, I haven't heard a single singer of today act and sing at the same time. That's why I listen to the old recordings: singers would act with their voices and create blood and fire. Caruso is the greatest, however; on that we agree.
Have you ever read Verdi's letters?He even cared about stage lighting.He discussed a lot about acting.Ditto for Wagner and Puccini they considered opera a mixture of music and acting.The biggest problem during the so called ''golden age'' was that many singers had very poor musicality and paid no attention in bringing a character to life del Monaco was one of them along with Milanov,Tucker ,Corelli and Bastianini.
I partially agree with you and partially disagree. I agree with your statement that "Years ago they focused on singing and the sets and costumes were secondary. Today it's the other way around." I would amend the statement by saying that they focused MORE on the singing, because the notion that acting made NO difference years ago (and I'm talking 100 years ago) is, according to critics like Herman Klein, simply not true. Today IMO they focus too much on innovative, modernized, or shocking sets.
@meltzerboy and, rather often if reviews are accurate,
the focus in how much shock audiences can sustain without being goaded into lynching the perverse directors and the managers who allow or even encourage them to implement their extreme and, to many ticket holders, extremely offensive ideas.
I don't think the sets are "pretty" today. Quite the contrary. Although I love great singing, I'll never forget my experiences in the opera house, not only for the singing but the acting and staging. The first opera I ever saw was Fidelio and it was memorable for Rysanek's singing AND acting. Also, the stage production was incredible. You may be missing out if you've no intention of ever seeing an opera. Also, a play shouldn't need sets or costumes since it's ONLY the acting that counts. Hardly!
greatest irish tenor voice in history [unlees there are others I haven't heard] Caruso you to ask him how the greatest tenor was and McCormick would reply "Did you retire" or '"have you become a baritone"? not sure of the quote.. somebody please clarify the quote Thanks
McCormack allegedly met Caruso and asked "How is the World's Greatest Tenor today" to which Caruso supposedly replied, "So, Giovanni, when did you become a baritone?".
He is as lean and slim as it can get. Caruso on the other hand was called "baritono, baritono" when he began.
Later on it is said that he imporved his tenoral technique on his own. So Giovanni, indeed, sounds a lot more like a light tenor. He probably did not or could not sing Pajazzo like Caruso did.
Continued--I'd like to add that it wasn't only his interpretive ability in story-telling that distinguished McCormack's singing, but his crystal-clear English diction that enabled his listeners to understand the story perfectly. And his technique included trills and pianissmimi that added to the magic. This aria displays his breath control and style, as you point out. I would rate his performance of it alongside the exquisite performances of Caruso and Gigli.
I'm happy you decided to accord McCormack a place on your list, my hunch is, based on your notes, perhaps reluctantly. Your critique is right about McCormack's uncanny ability to tell a story in words, and I suppose also right to a certain extent about the quality of his voice. However, in his prime McCormack's voice, though small (as was Schipa's), had a clear and beautiful tone coupled with technical mastery and, as mentioned, breath control second to none.
Tadjer
alshybobbers 4 months ago
questo è calante (3,10 min.) e Corelli non è nei 100...ma comprati un paio di orecchie nuove!
banmadabon 6 months ago
Sono d'accordo, ma nessuno può negare Corelli tra i migliori tenori del secolo 20 °. suo Cielo E Mar è forse la migliore aria mai registrato.
talondriver6 3 months ago
I only know John McCormack thru his singing of Irish standards and ballads. In fact, I was reared on it. Still today, many decades later, his is the only singing voice that can instantly bring me to the verge of tears
hAodha 9 months ago
I was just thinking about this idea of top 100 singers - I have four absolute favourites who all thrill, move, delight and inspire my humble music making in very different ways. Early McCormack with his immaculate technique and beautiful shaped phrases, Gigli with his exquisite tone and effortless production, Bjorling's incredible musicality and Di Stefano (the one I come back to over and over again) with his incredible breadth of phrasing and amazing passion - Thanks for posting
mdbmdbmvc 11 months ago
LA MAS BELLA VOZ DE TODOS LOS TIEMPOS
59hidalgo 1 year ago
Something about him reminds me a very little bit of Georges Thill. That can only be a good thing.
nhcrama 1 year ago
Thank you for posting this. I'm afraid I find his singing a little unpolished and would not include him as a great tenor although his reputation as a folk and traditional singer is well documented. On a related matter, I do think Corelli was A*. (I would only put three tenors in the top A** category!) Just as well we don't all agree!
The99Gambo 1 year ago
Certainly very light and thin, as you say.
But much quality and a very interesting representation of the work.
denidowi 1 year ago
there is a familiar "lilt" to his interpretation that i like (a lot)
yoda43 1 year ago
Awesome
paulostroff99 1 year ago
He didn't have all the digital enhancements that exist today or indeed the technology, he didn't need it...he had talent and passion which can be clearly heard in his voice. You can dress it up whatever way you choose, but the man from Athlone had it all, and you can never ever take that away from our Count John Mc Cormick.
solsticecelt1 1 year ago
A perfect example of using the "indispensable minimum" of breath to support the tone exactly. Pity about the high note which seems to have rattled the horn!
rondolfino 1 year ago
I'm not a music critic or an opera buff, but McCormack's voice has moved me since I was a child...wish I could have seen him in person, but alas, he died before I was born.. his music transports me to the land of my fore fathers...
blumoonl 2 years ago
I haven't been able to find Franco Corelli on your list. Is he missing or have I overseen him?
ididete 2 years ago
No, Mr. Corelli isn´t in my personal choice of my favorite "100 Greatest Singers". Perhaps you´ll find him in the remaining list of "Part II - Your Favorites". Mike
100Singers 2 years ago
I would be VERY VERY VERY interested to know why he is NOT on your personal 100 choice. In fact, I think it would be interesting to make a list of well known and appreciated singers that you did not include in the list and to explain why. You have a very good and competent criterion otherwise. I just am very confused why on earth Corelli is not on the list. Gorgeous voice and supreme technique.
ididete 2 years ago
Dear ididete, it seems you´re a admirer of Mr. Corelli. And so it´s always difficult to give own arguments for an own opinion. Let me say it in careful words: If the voice of Corelli was gorgeous and his technique supreme, well - what terms I have to use for Bjoerling, Wunderlich or (in this special case) McCormack? Or in other words: Everytime I explain my choice for other singers with arguments, think it over: Are these arguments accurate for Corelli too? Mike
100Singers 2 years ago
You could have said it more openly. I don't understand why Corelli does not fit your criteria and whenever I compare the other singers you chose, I can't bring myself to think that he does not figure on the list. Is it a crime to bash Corelli over the internet for the sake of an honest argumentation? i would not mind.
ididete 2 years ago
Can I assume you excluded Del Monaco for similar reasons? ;-D
ShawDAMAN 2 years ago
@100Singers It is always a matter of choice to your own ear, I would agree with many of your choices, but the important thing is that we all hear and appreciate singers differently. I would have liked to see Corelli here too, but what does it matter. Just sit back and think yourself lucky that you can enjoy them all !!!
7oct1936 1 year ago
@100Singers Strano, Corelli è assolutamente uno dei tre (3) migliori tenori di sempre con Tamagno, Caruso, Lauri-Volpi, Pertile, Gigli, Bjoerling, Tagliavini, DelMonaco, Tuker, ecc... e ti sfido a dirmi che uno dei citati non possa stare tra i 3 migliori di sempre....
Strange, Corelli is absolutly one of the 3 best tenors of evrytime with the others i told upper....
while not?
gustin50 4 months ago
@ididete Franco Corelli was great, but where is the greatest? Where is Elisabeth Schwarzkopf?
chrizosthemis 1 year ago
All I know is, when I listen to McCormack I'm moved...usually to tears...and no one else moves me quite as much. For whatever reason, I FEEL his voice.
gmaureen 2 years ago 5
Agree that McCormack is in the top three (and possibly number one) of the great male singers. I have most of John's recordings (and that's a lot!). For truly awesome singing, listen to his recording of Handel's "O Sleep, Why Dost Though Leave Me". Truly one of the greatest of all recordings. His breath control leaves me...breathless.
cgerh92549 2 years ago
I think he has great, sweet,lyric tenor.
celtickimba 2 years ago 2
John McCormack was lucky to have found Sabatini who gave McCormack the knowledge he needed. The story always came first.. True Belcanto artists like McCormack never had to control breath consciously as they never spilled breath because each word was pronounced correctly, as if spoken. The focus was only on one thing, storytelling. This art needs to be resurrected and brought back to the world stage where it belongs.
AmhranaiAlainn 2 years ago 3
very interesting point. bashevis singer said he loved certain russian novelists because "They were such MIGHTY storytellers."
moo7chi7ld 2 years ago 2
Lovely! Bravo! TY.
paulostroff99 2 years ago 2
Yo les preguntaría a todos los ' opinantes' que me presentaran una grabación que esté en la misma 'Liga' que: "Oh sleep why dost thou leave me?" ...
Todos los cantantes que se mencionan son grandes, pero Mc Cormack, en USA se daba el lujo de dar dos conciertos mensuales en N.York, al tope de espectadores...y ´sin AMPLIFICACIÓN ELECTRICA... No era una voz pequeña,
y su voz es perfectamente distinguible, para los que aman el bel canto.
Erial80
erial80 2 years ago
if you have never actually been to an opera then you have formulated your opinion from a position of ignorance. How can you know you won't or don't like something if you have never experienced it? I am not saying that acting is more important than singing in opera, quite the opposite. However, when you have both world class singing and competent acting there is nothing within the performing arts that can match the emotional impact of opera.
pechorin1841 3 years ago
he was the greatest, irish tenor a superb voice...
rouman7 3 years ago
Excellent choice. Was getting worried he'd be left out!
VinylToVideo 3 years ago
The reason I read he left the stage is because he wasn't such a great actor. Who gives a shit about acting though? To me it's all about the singing. It's unfortunate that he didn't record any arias with the new electric recording technology introduced in 1925. McCormack's always been a favorite of mine; Ireland's finest.
VinylToVideo 3 years ago 2
I agree, singing and voice is more important than stage presence. The greatest singers weren´t good on stage, so Bjoerling for instance. It was Rodolfo Celletti who suggest, a great singer should only be heard, not seen. And so, the record studio became an imaginative sound-stage.
100Singers 3 years ago
What an awful thing to say! To only be heard?! What an outrageous choice of ignorance. I find this so upsetting, that so many strictly opera people are even AGAINST acting! That is simply confirmed ignorance. Only be heard, not seen. That is completely and utterly ridiculous.
jakethewoz 3 years ago
Oh calm down, it's true. No one goes to an Opera to see the pretty actors, they go for the voices.
Yoni89 3 years ago 2
'to see the pretty actors'? You say that like acting is an art of vanity. Does it then make no difference to see Aida in concert or staged? Have you never been moved to tears by a performance of Pagliacci?
I don't want to detract from the beauty of McCormack's singing, but I find the lack of appreciation for this art disturbing. I'll concede that acting is not emphasized by most schools of opera, but what you say is downright insulting to singers who take the Whole performance seriously.
jakethewoz 3 years ago
People attend operas and sit all the way in the back, no way they can see the stage well or see the performers, they come for the voice. They're happy to pay their $20 for the voice all the way in the back of the house.
I guess I'll just be one of the singers who knows people are coming for a voice and not for my acting abilities. Lol.
Yoni89 3 years ago 3
I think acting *does* matter, but I agree that it matters far, far less than singing. Bad acting can be overlooked, but not bad singing. Someone said once, if you want to see great acting, watch a movie. ;-) It's true.
Nevertheless some opera acting I have seen is just horrible and it can distract from the music a bit. So as jakethewoz said the whole perf. should be taken seriously. But if you just can't act great, whatever. :P
ShawDAMAN 3 years ago
I disagree with people who say that opera is "all about the singing". If that were the case, then why bother with costumes, sets and the like? why not just perform every opera as if it was a recital? the reason this is not the case is because the acting is a very important element of an opera performance. opera is singing+acting. if you just want singing, listen to recording or go to recitals and leave the seats at the opera house for those that want to enjoy all of the facets of opera
pechorin1841 3 years ago
Every opera I've ever heard may as well have been a recital. I've never been to an opera in my life and I don't ever intend on going to one. If I wanted to look at pretty sets and costumes I'd go to a play (not that I ever would) or a movie. If I want to hear good singing I'll listen to opera. Going to one? Out of the question. Years ago they focused on singing and the sets and costumes were secondary. Today it's the other way around.
VinylToVideo 3 years ago
Costumes, and acting have always been an important part of opera productions. They are second to the singing but still very important. In my opinion, opera singers should strive to give complete performances; top notch singing and quality acting are a must if you are to be successful.
Take Enrico Caruso. I saw a clip of him in Palgliacci and he was singing and acting his heart out. Callas, Del Monanco and my personal favorite, Siepi did the same. And so it continues in the present.
pechorin1841 3 years ago
That's where we differ. I could care less about anything other than the voice. Callas and Del Monanco were great but not really refined singers and if I'm just going to listen to a recording why would I need anymore than that?
VinylToVideo 3 years ago
What "continues in the present?" Today we don't have any singers in the league of Callas, Del Monaco, or even Siepi and they seem to use pretty sets and costumes to compensate for poor singing.
VinylToVideo 3 years ago
How would you know what kind of singers we have today if all you listen to are recordings and don't go to any live performances?
And with that I'll end this conversation. There is no use in arguing with someone who considers Callas, Siepi, and Del Monaco "not really refined singers." They were masters of their craft and embodied what every opera performer should strive to be: great singers and competent actors.
pechorin1841 3 years ago 2
I would know simply because I have listened to these newer singers I speak of and I know for a fact that the visual side of opera is overdone today more so than ever before. The definition of "refined" is "free from coarseness or vulgarity; polite." If you're going to try arguing that Callas or Del Monaco were free of vulgarity and polite then yes, this "conversation" is certainly over.
VinylToVideo 3 years ago
In my opinion, I haven't heard a single singer of today act and sing at the same time. That's why I listen to the old recordings: singers would act with their voices and create blood and fire. Caruso is the greatest, however; on that we agree.
phantom4087 3 years ago
Have you ever read Verdi's letters?He even cared about stage lighting.He discussed a lot about acting.Ditto for Wagner and Puccini they considered opera a mixture of music and acting.The biggest problem during the so called ''golden age'' was that many singers had very poor musicality and paid no attention in bringing a character to life del Monaco was one of them along with Milanov,Tucker ,Corelli and Bastianini.
cer1n 2 years ago
I partially agree with you and partially disagree. I agree with your statement that "Years ago they focused on singing and the sets and costumes were secondary. Today it's the other way around." I would amend the statement by saying that they focused MORE on the singing, because the notion that acting made NO difference years ago (and I'm talking 100 years ago) is, according to critics like Herman Klein, simply not true. Today IMO they focus too much on innovative, modernized, or shocking sets.
meltzerboy 2 years ago
@meltzerboy and, rather often if reviews are accurate,
the focus in how much shock audiences can sustain without being goaded into lynching the perverse directors and the managers who allow or even encourage them to implement their extreme and, to many ticket holders, extremely offensive ideas.
rupepill 2 years ago
I don't think the sets are "pretty" today. Quite the contrary. Although I love great singing, I'll never forget my experiences in the opera house, not only for the singing but the acting and staging. The first opera I ever saw was Fidelio and it was memorable for Rysanek's singing AND acting. Also, the stage production was incredible. You may be missing out if you've no intention of ever seeing an opera. Also, a play shouldn't need sets or costumes since it's ONLY the acting that counts. Hardly!
meltzerboy 2 years ago 2
greatest irish tenor voice in history [unlees there are others I haven't heard] Caruso you to ask him how the greatest tenor was and McCormick would reply "Did you retire" or '"have you become a baritone"? not sure of the quote.. somebody please clarify the quote Thanks
lpvcrcd 3 years ago
McCormack allegedly met Caruso and asked "How is the World's Greatest Tenor today" to which Caruso supposedly replied, "So, Giovanni, when did you become a baritone?".
mfitz54 2 years ago 7
On a liner crossing the atlantic, supposedly!!
corellipavarotti 2 years ago
@mfitz54
He is as lean and slim as it can get. Caruso on the other hand was called "baritono, baritono" when he began.
Later on it is said that he imporved his tenoral technique on his own. So Giovanni, indeed, sounds a lot more like a light tenor. He probably did not or could not sing Pajazzo like Caruso did.
Yitzhakhazak 5 months ago
Continued--I'd like to add that it wasn't only his interpretive ability in story-telling that distinguished McCormack's singing, but his crystal-clear English diction that enabled his listeners to understand the story perfectly. And his technique included trills and pianissmimi that added to the magic. This aria displays his breath control and style, as you point out. I would rate his performance of it alongside the exquisite performances of Caruso and Gigli.
meltzerboy 3 years ago
I'm happy you decided to accord McCormack a place on your list, my hunch is, based on your notes, perhaps reluctantly. Your critique is right about McCormack's uncanny ability to tell a story in words, and I suppose also right to a certain extent about the quality of his voice. However, in his prime McCormack's voice, though small (as was Schipa's), had a clear and beautiful tone coupled with technical mastery and, as mentioned, breath control second to none.
meltzerboy 3 years ago
Never mind the the top 100. He must be in the top three.
UBIQUITOUS12 3 years ago
Gorgeous!Bravo!TY
Dobrib 3 years ago
Definately one of the best!
mcknighty11 3 years ago
I had only heard him in song. He was tremendous.
ikmarchini 3 years ago