Renata Tebaldi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Renata Tebaldi
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Tebaldi as Madama Butterfly
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| Born |
Renata Ersilia Clotilde Tebaldi
1 February 1922 |
| Died | 19 December 2004 (aged 82) |
| Other names | La Voce d'Angelo |
| Education | Conservatorio Statale di Musica "Gioachino Rossini" |
| Occupation | Operatic soprano |
| Years active | 1944-1976 |
| Awards |
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Renata Tebaldi Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI (born February 1, 1922 – died December 19, 2004) was a famous Italian opera singer. She was known as a lirico-spinto soprano, which means she had a powerful yet beautiful voice. She was very popular after World War II.
Tebaldi became one of the biggest stars at famous opera houses like La Scala in Italy and the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Many people consider her one of the greatest opera singers of the 20th century. She often sang roles in a style called verismo, which means the operas were very realistic and emotional. The famous conductor Arturo Toscanini called her voice "la voce d'angelo," meaning "the voice of an angel."
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Early Life and Training
Renata Tebaldi was born in Pesaro, Italy. Her father was a cellist, and her mother was a nurse. Her parents separated before she was born, so Renata grew up with her mother at her grandparents' house in Langhirano.
When she was three years old, Renata got polio. This illness affected her, but she found comfort in music. She loved to sing in the church choir in Langhirano.
At age 13, her mother sent her for piano lessons in Parma. Her piano teacher, Giuseppina Passani, saw Renata's singing talent. She suggested Renata study voice with Italo Brancucci. Renata was accepted into the Parma conservatory at 17. She later moved to the Liceo musicale Rossini in Pesaro to study with Carmen Melis. She also studied with Beverley Peck Johnson in New York City.
Starting Her Career in Italy
Renata Tebaldi first performed on stage in 1944. She sang the role of Elena in an opera called Mefistofele in Rovigo. Traveling during wartime was hard. She even had to use a horse cart to get to Rovigo. On her way back, she faced machine-gun fire.
A big moment in her career happened in 1946. She auditioned for the famous conductor Arturo Toscanini. He was so impressed that he called her voice "the voice of an angel." That same year, Tebaldi made her debut at La Scala. This was a special concert to celebrate the reopening of the theater after World War II. She sang a prayer from Rossini's opera Mosè in Egitto.
In the years that followed, she performed in many operas. In 1950, she sang the role of Aida at La Scala. Toscanini had encouraged her to take this role, even though she thought it was for a different type of singer. Her performance as Aida was a huge success. It opened doors for her to sing all over the world.
During her early career, Tebaldi sang in operas by many composers. These included Rossini, Mozart, Wagner, and Puccini. Interestingly, Renata Tebaldi also provided the singing voice for actress Sophia Loren in the 1953 film version of Aida.
Singing Around the World
In 1950, Tebaldi went on a concert tour with the La Scala group. They visited the Edinburgh International Festival and London. In London, she sang as Desdemona in Verdi's Otello.
Performing at the Met
Tebaldi first sang in America in 1950 at the San Francisco Opera. Her first performance at the Metropolitan Opera (the Met) in New York City was on January 31, 1955. She sang as Desdemona in Otello. For about 20 years, the Met became her main stage.
She was so popular that she was known as "Miss Sold Out." Her name on the theater sign meant that tickets would sell out quickly. One of her favorite roles was Minnie in Puccini's La fanciulla del West. When she first performed this role at the Met, she had to enter the stage on horseback. Renata had a lifelong fear of horses! But she bravely faced her fear. She approached the horse, patted its mane, and said, "Well, Mr. Horse, I am Tebaldi. You and I are going to be friends, eh?" She overcame her fear, and the performances were a big success.
Tebaldi sang at the Met about 270 times. Her most frequent role there was Tosca by Puccini. Her last performance at the Met was on January 8, 1973. She sang as Desdemona in Otello, the same role she debuted with 18 years earlier.
Renata Tebaldi and Maria Callas
In the early 1950s, there was talk of a rivalry between Renata Tebaldi and another great opera singer, Maria Callas. People often compared Callas's unique voice to Tebaldi's beautiful, classic sound. This led to a debate about whether a beautiful sound or expressive singing was more important.
The rivalry supposedly started in 1951. Tebaldi and Callas were performing together in Brazil. They had agreed not to sing extra songs (encores), but Tebaldi sang two. Callas was reportedly upset.
This incident fueled the rivalry, which became very intense in the mid-1950s. Fans of each singer would even make comments about the other. Tebaldi was quoted saying, "I have one thing that Callas doesn't have: a heart." Callas was quoted saying that comparing her to Tebaldi was like "comparing Champagne with Cognac. No, with Coca Cola." However, some say the "Coca-Cola" part was added by someone else.
Despite the supposed rivalry, both singers admired each other. Callas once said, "I admire Tebaldi's tone; it's beautiful – also some beautiful phrasing. Sometimes, I actually wish I had her voice." In 1968, Callas even visited Tebaldi after a performance at the Met, and they had a friendly reunion.
Her Amazing Voice
Renata Tebaldi's voice was known as one of the most beautiful of her time. It was rich and perfectly produced. When she first auditioned for Toscanini, he praised her voice as "the voice of an angel."
Music experts say that Tebaldi was one of the last and best spinto sopranos of her era. Her recordings and live performances showed the urgency and power of her voice. Other famous singers like Montserrat Caballé and Robert Merrill also praised the beautiful quality of Tebaldi's voice.
Tebaldi took a break from performing in 1963 to rest and re-study her voice. She had been singing for 18 years and needed a break. After 13 months, her voice returned even stronger. Later in her career, her voice became even more dramatic.
Tebaldi herself said that recording was challenging for her. She missed the energy of a live audience. Her powerful voice sometimes made sound engineers ask her to turn away from the microphone during loud parts!
Personal Life
Renata Tebaldi had a very close relationship with her mother. Her mother supported her career and well-being from a young age. Her mother's death in 1957 was a very difficult time for Tebaldi. It took a lot of effort for her to return to the stage.
Tebaldi never married. In a 1995 interview, she said she had no regrets about being single. She explained that being a wife, mother, and a world-traveling singer would have been too difficult. She felt that singing was her life's main purpose.
Later Years and Retirement
By the end of her career, Tebaldi had performed in 1,262 shows. This included 1,048 full operas and 214 concerts.
She retired from the opera stage in 1973. Her last opera performance was as Desdemona in Otello at the Metropolitan Opera. This was the same role she had debuted with there almost 20 years before. In 1976, she retired from giving recitals. Her last one was at Carnegie Hall in New York. She was very emotional but received many standing ovations.
After retiring, she moved back to Italy. Her final public appearance was a vocal recital at La Scala in May 1976. She said she stopped singing while her voice was still strong. She wanted to avoid a time when her voice might decline.
Renata Tebaldi spent her last years in Milan. She passed away at age 82 at her home in San Marino. She is buried in her family's chapel in Langhirano. After her death, audiences at La Fenice opera house in Venice held a moment of silence for her. The famous tenor Luciano Pavarotti said, "Farewell, Renata, your memory and your voice will be etched on my heart forever."
Awards and Recognition
Renata Tebaldi received many honors during her life.
- She won the first Grammy Award for Best Classical Performance - Vocal Soloist in 1959.
- In 1961, she won a Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording for her part in Puccini's opera Turandot.
- She was made a Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 1968. In 1992, she became a Knight Grand Cross.
- France also honored her as a Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
- On December 11, 1995, Rudy Giuliani, the Mayor of New York City, announced "Tebaldi day" in her honor.
Legacy
From 2010 to 2013, a special exhibition about Renata Tebaldi was held at the Castle of Torrechiara in Italy. This exhibit, called "Castle for a Queen," showed many parts of her artistic and personal life. It displayed items from her career, showing how she shared Italian opera with the world.
On June 7, 2014, a museum dedicated to Renata Tebaldi opened in Busseto, Italy. She also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in California, which she received in 1960.
Discography
Renata Tebaldi recorded many operas and concerts. Here are some of her most famous recordings:
- Lohengrin (1947)
- Andrea Chénier (1949, 1951, 1953, 1957)
- Giulio Cesare (1950)
- Tannhäuser (1950)
- La traviata (1950, 1952, 1954, 1957)
- La bohème (1951, 1959, 1969, 1970)
- Falstaff (opera) (1951, 1952, 1972)
- Madama Butterfly (1951, 1958)
- Aida (1952, 1953, 1959)
- Tosca (1952, 1953, 1956, 1959, 1964)
- Manon Lescaut (1954)
- Turandot (1955, 1960)
- Otello (1952, 1961, 1966, 1967, 1972, 1973)
- Il trovatore (1956)
- Cavalleria rusticana (1957)
- La fanciulla del West (1958, 1970)
- Mefistofele (1958)
- Adriana Lecouvreur (1952, 1961, 1963, 1969)
- Il trittico (1962)
- Don Carlos (opera) (1965)
- La Gioconda (opera) (1966, 1968)
- La Wally (1953, 1968)
- Simon Boccanegra (1970)
- Un ballo in maschera (1970)
See also
In Spanish: Renata Tebaldi para niños
