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Louis D'Angelo

{{short description|American opera singer}}

{{Infobox person

|name = Louis D'Angelo

|image = Louis D'Angelo, opera singer (1917).PNG

|image_upright =

|caption = The opera singer in 1917

|birth_date = {{birth date|1888|05|06}}

|birth_place = Naples, Italy

|death_date = {{death date and age|1958|08|09|1888|05|06}}

|death_place = Jersey City, New Jersey

|occupation = Operatic bass-baritone

|organizations = Metropolitan Opera

|awards =

}}

Louis D'Angelo (May 6, 1888 – August 9, 1958) was an American bass-baritone of Italian birth who was particularly known for his performances at the Metropolitan Opera during the first half of the 20th century. He created roles in the world premieres of seven operas at the Met, including Marco in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi in 1917.

D'Angelo also sang roles in the United States premieres of thirteen works. In total, he appeared in 1,882 performances at the Met.

He sang a broad repertoire of more than 300 roles at the Met ranging from leading roles to comprimario parts. His voice was recorded for several Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts, and on several complete opera recordings made by the Met for Naxos Records.

Early life and career

D'Angelo was born on May 6, 1888, in Naples, Italy. With his family he moved to the United States at the age of three. He was trained in the United States and began his career as a leading baritone with the Century Opera Company in 1914.{{cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1914/02/23/100300986.pdf|title=Soloist From Audience|date=February 23, 1914|work=The New York Times}} He made his debut with that company as Macroton in L'amore medico.{{cite news|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1914/03/15/100303240.html?pageNumber=81|title=Wolf-Ferrari's "L'Amore Medico" and Moliere's Comedy Ballet – An Attack on the Doctors|date=March 15, 1914|work=The New York Times}} Other roles he sang at the Century Opera House included Silvio in Pagliacci, Baron Douphol in La traviata, Kagama in Natoma, and Yamadori in Madama Butterfly.{{cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1914/10/11/104637423.pdf|title=Music of the Week|date=October 11, 1914|page=87|work=The New York Times}}{{cite news|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1914/09/30/101756396.html?pageNumber=9|title='La Traviata' Is Sung At Century|page=9|date=September 30, 1914|work=The New York Times}}{{cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1914/04/12/105455617.pdf|title=Century Opera House|date=April 12, 1914|page=69|work=The New York Times}}{{cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1914/04/05/100304787.pdf|title=Century Opera House|date=April 5, 1914|page=95|work=The New York Times}}

Work with the Metropolitan Opera

From 1917–1948 D'Angelo was a performer with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City where he appeared in a total of 1,882 performances.{{cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1958/08/10/91401991.pdf|title=Louis D'Angelo, Singer, 70, Dead|work=The New York Times|date=August 10, 1958|page=94}} He made his debut with the Met at the Brooklyn Academy of Music as Sciarrone in Tosca with Geraldine Farrar in the title role on November 13, 1917.{{cite news|title=MME. Farrar Sings Tosca: Puccini's Opera is Excellently Conducted by Roberto Moranzoni|work=The New York Times|date=November 20, 1917|page=11}} His first performance at the "Old Met" was on November 17, 1917, as Wagner in Faust with Giovanni Martinelli as the eponymous hero.

=World premiere roles=

D'Angelo created roles in several world premieres at the Met, including:

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  • Marco in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi (1917){{cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/12/15/97051489.pdf|title=Opera: A World Premier of Puccini Operas. "Il Tabarro." "Suor Angelica." "Gianni Schicchi."|work=The New York Times|date=December 15, 1918|page=22|author=James Gibbons Huneker|author-link=James Gibbons Huneker}}
  • Count Stackareff in The Legend (1919){{cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1919/03/09/97082536.pdf|title=New Native Operas Foreign In Scene|work=The New York Times|date=March 9, 1919|page=50}}
  • The Roman Officer in Cleopatra's Night (1920){{cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1920/02/01/118254552.pdf|title=The Opera|author=Richard Aldrich|author-link=Richard Aldrich (music critic)|work=The New York Times|date=February 1, 1920|page=21}}
  • Ordgar in The King's Henchman (1927){{cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1927/02/18/104216964.pdf|title=Hailed As Best American Opera|author=Olin Downes|author-link=Olin Downes|date=February 18, 1927|pages=1, 24}}
  • The Chaplain in Peter Ibbetson (1931){{cite news|title=Great Ovation Won By 'Peter Ibbetson' At World Premiere|date=February 8, 1931|work=The New York Times|pages=1, 26}}
  • Praise God Tewke in Merry Mount (1934){{cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1934/02/11/93748902.pdf|title='Merry Mount' Gets A Stirring Ovation|author=Olin Downes|author-link=Olin Downes|date=February 11, 1934|pages=80, 82}}
  • Both Commodore Stephen Decatur and Sergeant O'Neil in The Man Without a Country (1937){{cite news|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1937/05/13/94375868.html?pageNumber=27|title=Damrosch Cheered At Opera Premiere|work=The New York Times|date=May 13, 1937|pages=27, 30}}

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=Singing roles in U.S. premieres=

At the Met he also sang roles in the United States premieres of thirteen works, including:

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  • The Captain in Eugene Onegin (1920){{cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1920/03/25/102738720.pdf|title=The Opera: Based on a Work of Pushkin|work=The New York Times|author=Richard Aldrich|author-link=Richard Aldrich (music critic)|page=9|date=March 25, 1920}}
  • Niclas in Karel Weis' Der Polnische Jude (1921){{cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1921/03/10/112674383.pdf|title=Indian Chief Sings Leading Opera Role|work=The New York Times|author=Richard Aldrich|author-link=Richard Aldrich (music critic)|date=March 10, 1921}}
  • Bermiyta in The Snow Maiden (1922){{cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1922/01/24/98975351.pdf|title=The Opera|work=The New York Times|author=Richard Aldrich|author-link=Richard Aldrich (music critic)|date=January 24, 1922|page=22}}
  • Masolino in Mona Lisa (1923){{cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1923/03/02/105904157.pdf|title=Opera|author=Richard Aldrich|author-link=Richard Aldrich (music critic)|date=March 2, 1923|page=18|work=The New York Times}}
  • Uncle in Primo Riccitelli's I Compagnacci (1924){{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D00E5D6153BE233A25750C0A9679C946595D6CF|title=Music; Tragedy and Comedy at Opera|author=Olin Downes|author-link=Olin Downes|date=January 3, 1924|pages=13|work=The New York Times}}
  • Tornaquinci in La cena delle beffe (1926){{cite news|title=Opera: "The Jest" a Dramatic Success|author=Olin Downes|author-link=Olin Downes|work=The New York Times|page=29|date=January 3, 1926}}
  • Tío Salvaor in La vida breve (1926){{cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1926/03/07/100055406.pdf|title=Opera|author=Olin Downes|author-link=Olin Downes|date=March 7, 1926|page=30|work=The New York Times}}
  • The Count in Franco Alfano's Madonna Imperia (1928){{cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1928/02/09/91471882.pdf|title='Madonna Imperia' Shown To America|work=The New York Times|date=February 9, 1928|page=28}}
  • The Schoolmaster in La campana sommersa (1928){{cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1928/11/18/140042492.pdf|title=Programs of the Week|date=November 18, 1928|page=169|work=The New York Times}}
  • Squint-Eye in Fra Gherardo (1929){{cite news|title='Fra Gherardo' Has American Premiere|author=Olin Downes|author-link=Olin Downes|work=The New York Times|date=March 22, 1929}}
  • Duda in Sadko (1930){{cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1930/01/26/96040711.pdf|title=American Premiere Of Fantasy 'Sadko'|work=The New York Times|page=27|date=January 26, 1930}}
  • Lyoval in La notte di Zoraima (1931){{cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1931/12/03/98083955.pdf|title=Montemezzi Opera Is A Melodrama|author=Olin Downes|author-link=Olin Downes|page=35|date=December 3, 1931|work=The New York Times}}
  • Both Tommati and the Innkeeper in Caponsacchi (1937){{cite news|title=' Caponsacchi' Has Premiere Here; Audience Acclaims Hageman Opera|author=Olin Downes|author-link=Olin Downes|work=The New York Times|date=February 5, 1937|page=16}}

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=First stagings at the Met=

D'Angelo also performed roles in the Met's first stagings of several operas, including:

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=Other roles=

Other roles he performed for the company included:

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=Final appearance=

His last appearance at the Metropolitan Opera was on February 15, 1948, as Grenvil in La traviata.{{cite web|url=http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/gisrch2k.r?Term=D%27Angelo,%20Louis%20%5BBaritone%5D&limit=50&vsrchtype=no&xBranch=ALL&xmtype=&Start=&End=&theterm=D%27Angelo,%20Louis%20%5BBaritone%5D&srt=&x=0&xHome=&xHomePath=|title=D'Angelo, Louis [Baritone]|work=Metropolitan Opera Performance Archives|access-date=January 9, 2016}}

Death and legacy

D'Angelo died on August 9, 1958, at Jersey City, New Jersey, aged 70.{{cite news |title=Ex-Met Singer D'Angelo Dies |newspaper=The Courier-Journal |location=Louisville, Kentucky |page=17 |date=August 10, 1958 |via=Newspapers.com}} He sang an extensive repertoire of more than 300 roles in a total of 1,882 performances at the Metropolitan Opera. A 1927 recording of his "Excerpt from Act IV of La Juive," accompanying tenor Giovanni Martinelli, is credited in the 2013 film The Immigrant.{{Cite web|title=Louis D'Angelo|url=https://m.imdb.com/name/nm4279011/?ref_=m_ttfcd_cr6|website=IMDB}}

Recordings

References

{{Reflist|30em}}

External links

  • {{IMDb name|4279011|Louis D'Angelo}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:DAngelo, Louis}}

Category:1888 births

Category:1958 deaths

Category:American operatic bass-baritones

Category:Italian emigrants to the United States

Category:Singers from Naples

Category:20th-century American male opera singers