Florencio Constantino facts for kids
Florencio Constantino (born April 9, 1869 – died November 19, 1919) was a talented Spanish opera singer, known as a tenor. A tenor is a male singer with a high vocal range. He performed all over the world from 1892 to 1917. People especially loved his performances in operas by Giuseppe Verdi and Vincenzo Bellini. His most famous roles were the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto and Arturo in I puritani.
Florencio grew up mostly in Argentina. He started his singing career in opera houses in South America between 1892 and 1897. After that, he went to Spain to train his voice with a teacher named Leopoldo Stiatesi. From 1898 to 1900, he sang lead roles in operas across Europe, including Italy, Spain, Germany, Poland, and Russia. He then returned to South America for a few years.
In 1903-1904, he toured Spain and Germany. He then became a regular singer at the Theater des Westens in Berlin from 1904 to 1905. In 1905, Constantino sang at the Royal Opera House in London. He later joined Henry Russell's San Carlo Opera Company and toured the United States from 1906 to 1907. In 1908, he joined Oscar Hammerstein I's Manhattan Opera Company. The next year, in 1909, he became the main tenor for the new Boston Opera Company, where he sang until it closed in 1915. He also made his debut at the famous Metropolitan Opera in 1910.
After the Boston Opera Company closed, Constantino moved to Los Angeles. There, he became the Artistic Director of the California Grand Opera Company in 1916. In 1917, a difficult performance led to a disagreement, and he left the United States for Mexico City. He passed away in Mexico City in 1919.
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Early Life and Career Beginnings
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Florencio Constantino was born on April 9, 1869, in Ortuella, Spain. When he was very young, his family moved to Argentina. As a teenager, he started working as a machinist. Later, he became a ship engineer.
A kind person from Spain helped him get vocal training. He made his first professional opera performance in 1889. This was at the Solís Theatre in Uruguay. He sang the role of Fernando in Gaetano Donizetti's opera La favorite. In 1892, he also sang Lázaro in La Dolores at the same theatre. He performed this role again later that year in Buenos Aires. In 1897, he joined another opera house in Buenos Aires, the Teatro Opera.
Singing in Europe
After starting his career in South America, Constantino went to Spain. He continued his vocal training with Leopoldo Stiatesi. Stiatesi had been taught by a famous teacher named Giovanni Battista Lamperti.
Florencio then began singing in opera houses across Europe. His first big success was in 1898. He sang the Duke of Mantua in Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto at the Teatro Dal Verme in Milan, Italy. That same year, he performed Rodolfo in Holland's first show of Giacomo Puccini's La bohème. In 1900, he made his debuts at important theaters. These included the Teatro Real in Madrid, the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, and the Grand Theatre, Warsaw.
Return to South America and European Tours
After his time in Europe, Constantino went back to South America. He was very busy performing in the main opera houses there in the early 1900s. He returned to Europe in 1903. He had a successful concert tour in Spain and Germany from 1903 to 1904.
From 1904 to 1905, he was a regular singer at the Theater des Westens in Berlin. He had great success there. He sang Manrico in Verdi's Il trovatore and the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto.
Performances in London and the United States
In 1905, Constantino made his debut at the Royal Opera House in London. He sang Alfredo in La traviata with the famous singer Nellie Melba. He also performed as the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto and Don Ottavio in Mozart's Don Giovanni. In these shows, he sometimes shared the roles with another great tenor, Enrico Caruso.
In 1906, Henry Russell hired him to perform with Lillian Nordica. This was for Russell's touring San Carlo Opera Company (SCOC). Constantino traveled to the United States with this company. His tour began at the French Opera House in New Orleans in 1906. He returned to that theater in 1907. There, he sang Maurizio in the first United States performance of Francesco Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur.
New York and Boston Opera
In 1908, Constantino made his New York debut at the Manhattan Opera House. He sang the Duke of Mantua with Luisa Tetrazzini and Mario Sammarco. He had a big success later that year at the same opera house. He sang Arturo in I puritani.
In 1909, he performed Enzo Grimaldo in La Gioconda. This was for the grand opening of the Boston Opera House. This performance also marked the start of the new Boston Opera Company. He continued to sing regularly with the Boston Opera Company until it closed in 1915.
In 1911, he had an accident on stage. He was performing Dick Johnson in Puccini's La fanciulla del West. As part of the show, Constantino rode a horse onto the stage. The horse slipped and fell, injuring Constantino's leg. Even with the injury, he finished the performance before getting medical help.
Guest Appearances and Later Career
While he was mainly in Boston from 1909 to 1915, Constantino also sang as a guest artist at other opera houses. He performed every year at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires from 1909 to 1912. In 1909, he sang Prince Sinodal in the first South American performance of Anton Rubinstein's The Demon. In 1911, he sang the main role in that theater's first show of Verdi's Don Carlos.
In 1910, he made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera. He sang the Duke of Mantua with Nellie Melba and Maurice Renaud.
After his work in Boston ended, Constantino moved to Los Angeles, California. There, he taught singing lessons. He also served as the Artistic Director of the California Grand Opera Company for one season in 1916. He both directed and starred in productions like La Gioconda, The Barber of Seville, and Aida.
In 1917, he had a difficult performance at the St. Louis Opera. He sang in the first show of Homer Moore's opera Louis XIV. After this, he left the United States for Mexico City. He passed away on November 19, 1919, in Mexico City.
Images for kids
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Portrait of Florencio Constantino. Photo by M. Marcoartu, Bilbao.
See also
In Spanish: Florencio Constantino para niños
