ANTONIO PAOLI & Clara Joanna --Trovatore MISERERE --G&T master - gmmix

The great Puerto Rican tenor, Antonio Paoli, as Manrico, sings with soprano Clara Joanna in the famous duet from Il Trovatore: "Miserere." While the duet is all too familiar, THIS RECORDING IS NOT.

Details of Clara Joanna's operatic career are scant. She appears in early recordings, in duets and ensembles, on imported Victor red and black label issues—and on some imported black label Columbias. If anyone can supply biographical data, we'd be pleased to update this paragraph.

Tenore Robusto ANTONIO PAOLI (1871-1946), who was a giant of a man, had one of the MOST POWERFUL voices of any tenor---EVER!

Known as "The King of Tenors," he is considered the first Puerto Rican to reach international fame in the musical arts.

Antonio Paoli was born in Puerto Rico. After the death of his parents at age 12, he went to live with his sister in Spain, herself an established opera singer.

Sister Amalia Paoli arranged for him to study voice, whereafter he made his major debut in 1899 at the Paris Opéra, as Arnold in Guillaume Tell.

In 1902-1903 he belonged to an opera troupe assembled by Mascagni that toured the USA and Canada. He frequently toured South America and in 1920 spent a season in Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia.

He had reat successes through Italy, South America, and the United States. He eventually returned to Puerto Rico to teach. He received an honorary pension from his native Puerto Rico.

Antonio Paoli died of cancer in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on August 24, 1946, and was buried in the Puerto Rico Memorial Cementery of Isla Verde. On April 13, 2005 the remains of Paoli and those of his wife Adina Bonimi (who had died in 1978) were transferred to Ponce and buried in the National Pantheon in Ponce by the base of HIS STATUE.

His only recordings were made for G&T in Milan, well over a century ago.

The disc is being played on a museum-quality Victrola XVII at the residence of Jim Shulman of Wynnewood, PA.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• gmmix
• Victrola
• XVII
• Jim
• Shulman
• Italian
• Victor
• Verdi
• Puerto
• Rico
• Rican

[WMP777]

This phonograph is a piece of art. The voice of Clara Joanna has more resonance than what can be appreciated in the CD. Paoli's clarion tones comes out with a beautiful warmth. Bravo for the old epoch voice production art.

[gmmix]

@WMP777 - Thank you for your well-considered commentary. Much appreciated.

[parlophonman]

The Gramophone, the record and the ambience, everything is perfect !!

[gmmix]

@parlophonman - Thank you for this feedback, Parlophonman.

[Triosfrios]

Simply out of this world!!!

[BelSoggiorno]

This is a rare Miserere recording no one ever refers to, played on another gorgeous machine...

Leono _ ra, addio, / Leono _ ^ [puntatura, braaaaavo] ra, addio, / addi _ _ o! [at 3:00 he cracks!?]

Thanks for the video, and for sharing your love of history!