Caruso's breakout role came via Umberto Giordano's "Fedora" in Milan. Onlookers were in awe of the sheer range and tone of his voice, and he soon became an international sensation, having engagements in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Buenos Aires. He would go on to create chief tenor parts in several key roles, before signing a record deal in London and performing at Covent Garden. He then made his way to New York as well, making his Metropolitan Opera debut there. Eventually, Caruso would settle there and go on to make over 600 appearances for 37 different operas. By this time, Caruso was solidified as a star, selling over a million records on "Vesti la gubba" in 1902 and having his 1904 recording of "Una Furtiva Lagrima" used in many soundtracks of films.
Enrico Caruso's success can largely be attributed to his unique voice, which had a warm and baritone quality, unlike the bright and ringing sound that most other tenors favored at the time. He was a mastermind at shaping operatic phrases and interpreting his sound to perfectly fit recordings. However, Caruso was also well known for his charismatic personality. He was welcome everywhere because of his generous nature and joking tendencies. He also was known to lend a helping hand, whether it was singing in place of a colleague when their voice became hoarse or raising money for the World War I effort through his performances.
On August 2, 1921, Caruso passed away in Naples, after many surgeries. He had previously contracted pneumonia and developed a complication of pleurisy, culminating in the formation of abscesses in his lungs. Caruso has been and will continue to be remembered as the most celebrated and highest paid of his contemporaries, and the archetypal operatic tenor. Many of his 200 operatic excerpts and songs are still published throughout the world today.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Enrico-Caruso
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0142297/bio
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/enrico-caruso-mn0000150808/biography
This was a really interesting article that focuses on other aspects of the 20th century. I would say that "celebrities" have always existed in the form of national heroes but Caruso is more of an example of celebrities as we know them who are popular and talented individuals in their respected fields. Nonetheless, it is really cool to see where this type of indivudal originated.
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DeleteThis was a very creative idea. I wonder if some of the actors in early 20th century films would be considered celebrities. But this is probably one of the first celebrities to resemble current 21st century singers. I wish you would have taken the angle of how the technologies at the time had helped to give him the edge over other possible "celebrities". Over all it was interesting to hear about someone new.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting topic because it shows how mass consumption, the development of leisure, and innovation of technology altogether contribute to the development of a new aspect of popular culture. I found out that he performed 607 times with the Metropolitan Opera and made about 200 recordings of excerpts and songs, both of which would not have been possible without improvements in the efficiency of travel as well as the development of technology like the phonograph.
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ReplyDeleteThis was so interesting to read! It's so cool to read about how people during even the early 90s could reach fame through song recordings, a way to spread their music that I think is a pretty modern idea. I did a little more research on Enrico Caruso and I found some pretty interesting information on the downsides of attracting fame. According to this article, his fame at the Metropolitan Opera drew attention from the Black Hand, an Italian extortion racket. After paying the initial extortion fee of $200, the Black Hand demanded more so Caruso collaborated with a New York City police detective who impersonated him and captured the extortionists.
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enrico_Caruso