Plácido Domingo Ferrer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Plácido Domingo Ferrer
Plácido Domingo Ferrer (right) with composer Federico Moreno Torroba backstage at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid, 1946
Born	Plácido Domingo Ferrer (1907-03-08)8 March 1907 Zaragoza, Spain
Died	22 November 1987(1987-11-22) (aged 80) Mexico City, Mexico
Spouse(s)	Pepita Embil
Children	Plácido Domingo

Plácido Domingo Ferrer (born March 8, 1907 – died November 22, 1987) was a Spanish singer. He was a baritone, which is a type of male singing voice. He was famous for performing in zarzuelas, which are Spanish musical plays. He was also the father of the well-known opera singer, Plácido Domingo. Plácido Ferrer grew up in Zaragoza, Spain. He often toured Spain with his wife, Pepita Embil, who was also a singer. In 1948, they moved to Mexico and started their own zarzuela company. He also appeared on TV and made recordings in Mexico.

Early Life and Music Training

Plácido Domingo Ferrer was born in Zaragoza, Spain, on March 8, 1907. His mother, María Ferrer Ripol, came from a town called La Codoñera. His father, Pedro Domingo, was from Tordera, Catalonia. They moved to Zaragoza, where they opened a restaurant. Plácido was the oldest of their three children.

When Plácido was only ten, his father passed away. His mother raised the children and ran the restaurant by herself. She made sure her children studied music and learned to play instruments. Plácido played the violin from a young age. He later studied music at the conservatory in Zaragoza. Before becoming a professional singer, he played the violin in zarzuela and opera orchestras.

A Career in Zarzuelas

His wife, Pepita Embil, as a choral soloist in France in June 1939, less than a year before they married

Plácido Domingo Ferrer started his singing career at the Parisiana Theater in Zaragoza. He was greatly inspired by the Spanish tenor Miguel Fleta. Plácido was a lyric baritone, meaning he had a light voice. People often told him he should study in Germany to become a different type of singer, but he wanted to stay close to his family.

During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), he mostly performed in Zaragoza with a zarzuela company. After the war, he moved with the company to Madrid. There, he became very successful in a play called Molinos de viento. He also met many artists and musicians in Madrid, including the singer Pepita Embil. They performed together and got married in April 1940.

Moving to Mexico

In 1946, Plácido and Pepita traveled to Mexico with a zarzuela company. They later brought their two children, Plácido and Mari Pepa, to join them. They toured all over Latin America, but they found the most success in Mexico. Because of this, they decided to make Mexico their new home.

After a while, they started their own zarzuela group called the Domingo-Embil Company. For more than twenty years, they performed in many famous theaters across the Americas, including in New York. During one tour, Plácido sang while he had a cold, which permanently affected his voice. After that, he took on smaller acting roles that required less singing. He also worked as a stage director. Eventually, he became a Mexican citizen.

Later Years and Legacy

The Teatro Principal de Zaragoza, where Domingo often performed

In 1966, Plácido Domingo Ferrer and Pepita Embil returned to Spain for a tour. When they came back to Mexico, they recorded several zarzuelas for television. Plácido stopped performing regularly in the late 1960s. His very last performance on stage was on January 11, 1975. He sang in a zarzuela called Doña Francisquita in Barcelona, and his son Plácido was the conductor. Plácido Ferrer was 67 years old at the time.

In the 1980s, he and his son appeared in an American Express commercial for Mexican television. Plácido Domingo Ferrer passed away on November 22, 1987, in Mexico City after a heart attack. He was eighty years old.

Ángel Anadón, who directed the Teatro Principal de Zaragoza, remembered him as "a very versatile baritone who knew all the zarzuelas." Plácido Ferrer was especially known for his performances in Luisa Fernanda. His son, Plácido, said that his father's voice had a strong similarity to his own. He also praised his father's beautiful singing style. To honor his father, Plácido Domingo created the Don Plácido Domingo, Sr., Prize of Zarzuela. This prize is part of his Operalia singing competition, and the winner receives $10,000 each year.

Images for kids

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  Plácido Domingo Ferrer (right) with composer Federico Moreno Torroba backstage at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid, 1946

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  His wife, Pepita Embil, as a choral soloist in France in June 1939, less than a year before they married

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  The Teatro Principal de Zaragoza, where Domingo often performed

See also

In Spanish: Plácido Domingo Ferrer para niños