Mercedes Capsir facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mercedes Capsir
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Capsir on the magazine El Teatre Català, 23 August 1913
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Mercè Capsir i Vidal
20 July 1895 Barcelona, Kingdom of Spain
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| Died | 13 March 1969 (aged 73) Suzzara, Italy
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| Occupation | Operatic soprano |
| Years active | 1913–1949 |
Mercedes Capsir (born July 20, 1895 – died March 13, 1969) was a famous Catalan opera singer from Spain. She had a very high and flexible voice, known as a coloratura soprano. She was especially famous for singing light and fast Italian opera roles, like Lucia and Gilda.
Early Life and Career Start
Mercedes Capsir was born in Barcelona, Spain. Interestingly, another Spanish opera singer, Maria Barrientos, was born in the same house years before her. Mercedes studied music at the Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu, a well-known music school. She learned piano, how to compose music, and how to sing.
Her first performance, or "debut," was in Genoa in 1913. She sang the role of Gilda in the opera Rigoletto. This role became one she was very famous for throughout her career.
Singing on Big Stages
In 1916, Mercedes Capsir started performing at many important opera houses. She sang at the Liceu in Barcelona and the Teatro Real in Madrid, both in Spain. She also performed at the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos in Lisbon, Portugal, and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 1917, she sang at the Paris Opera in France. In all these places, her first role was Gilda from Rigoletto.
Her first performance in Italy was in Bologna. She sang Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville). Later, she performed in Venice as Elvira in I puritani. She also sang in Rome. In 1924, she reached La Scala in Milan, which is one of the most famous opera houses in the world. There, she again sang Gilda, with famous singers like Carlo Galeffi and Miguel Fleta, and under the direction of the great conductor Arturo Toscanini.
Famous Roles and Recordings
Mercedes Capsir mostly sang in Europe. She had a special set of roles, called her "repertory," that she performed often. These included Amina in La sonnambula, Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor, and Violetta in La traviata. She also took part in a performance of Giordano's opera Il Re at La Scala in 1929.
She stopped performing on stage in 1949. Her very last show was at the Liceu in Barcelona. She sang Carolina in the opera Il matrimonio segreto. After retiring from singing, she became a teacher, sharing her knowledge with new singers. She passed away in Suzzara, Italy, when she was 73 years old.
Mercedes Capsir made many important recordings in 1928. She recorded full versions of Il barbiere di Siviglia and Rigoletto with other famous singers like Riccardo Stracciari and Dino Borgioli. She was also part of the first-ever complete recordings of Lucia di Lammermoor and La traviata. For the Columbia Record Co. in Spain, she recorded the Spanish zarzuela (a type of musical play) called "Marina" by Arrieta. In this recording, she sang alongside Hipolito Lazaro and Jose Mardones.
See also
In Spanish: Mercedes Capsir para niños
