Tito Schipa - Che gelida manina (1913)

Tito Schipa (1888-1965) was a tremendously gifted lyric tenor whose five decade career encompassed the worlds of opera, concert, film, recording, radio and TV. Born Raffaele Attilio Amedeo Schipa in Lecce on December 27, 1888 (although his birth was not registered until January 2 of the following year to delay his eventual military service), he showed early promise as a singer and began studying privately at the age of 11. Schipa’s earliest musical experiences included soloing with his church choir and singing in the children’s chorus of local productions of Carmen and La Bohème. Following a brief period at a local seminary, the young singer returned to music, beginning studies with Alceste Gerunda (1847-1917). During his five years under Gerunda’s tutelage, Schipa not only solidified his vocal technique but learned composition as well. His operatic debut took place a little over a month after his 20th birthday, on February 4, 1909. The role was to become a favorite that the tenor was still singing 45 years later, Alfredo in Verdi’s La Traviata. The venue was, sadly, the poorest of 3rd rate houses, the Teatro Facchinetti in Vercelli, filled to the rafters with a raucous assembly of locals. It was not the most auspicious of debuts and led to a series of cut-rate tours for which the fledgling tenor only received travel and lodging expenses.

Luckily, Schipa’s fortunes improved and by 1913, he had launched his international career with appearances at Buenos Aires’ Teatro Colón. Important debuts in Montevideo, Rio and São Paulo followed and Schipa found himself in demand throughout South America. The tenor was also becoming quite popular in his homeland, with appearances in Naples, Bari, Milan, Rome and Genoa. His repertoire had grown to 20 roles, including The Duke in Rigoletto, Elvino in La Sonnambula, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Faust in both Gounod’s and Boito’s operas and the title role in Werther. Schipa’s long awaited La Scala debut occurred in December of 1916 as Vladimir in Borodin’s Prince Igor. Three months later, he sang the world premiere of Puccini’s La Rondine in Monte Carlo.

Schipa’s US debut took place in Chicago as the Duke in Rigoletto on December 4, 1919. He became a beloved figure in the Windy City, frequently appearing at the Ravinia Festival during the summer months. Much of his time in the US was spent on tour and although he was a frequent guest at New York’s Lexington Theater, he avoided the Metropolitan Opera. This finally changed in 1932 when the tenor debuted as Nemorino in L’Elisir d’Amore. His performance was warmly received by the public and critics praised him as “an artist of taste, refinement and elegance”. Schipa sang a total of eight roles during his four seasons with the company, including the leads in Don Giovanni, Lucia di Lammermoor, La Traviata, Mignon, Manon and Don Pasquale. His last season at the Met (1941) concluded with a Barbiere di Siviglia on tour in Cleveland. Critics again praised his style but remarked that the voice had lost much of its freedom and strength. The tenor had also lost much of his upper range. Even in his prime, the voice stopped at B natural…a note the tenor used sparingly. At no great age, Schipa began to transpose in order to avoid top notes. Luckily, the accomplished music scribe wrote out his own orchestra scores and brought his own transpositions wherever he went.

By the mid 1940s, Schipa’s repertoire of 45 roles had been reduced to a handful of operas that didn’t require a plethora of top notes. The mainstays were La Traviata, Barbiere di Siviglia, Elisir d’Amore, Don Pasquale, Lucia di Lammermoor, L’Arlesiana, Manon and Werther. After a final Nemorino at Bari’s Teatro Petruzelli in April of 1955, the 66 year old tenor retired from the opera stage. Extravagant living, a costly divorce as well as bad investments had stripped Schipa of his fortune and he was compelled to continue concertizing. A farewell tour culminated in a series of recitals in 1962-63, after which the tenor retired to New York. Following a battle with diabetes, Schipa died on December 16, 1965, just two weeks shy of his 77th birthday.

Tito Schipa’s voice was not a heroic, ringing instrument. His was a small, sometimes husky voice, but one that he used with absolute mastery. During his prime, he had no trouble making himself heard, even in the largest theaters. Sadly, many remember him best from his final years, when his voice was in decline. Despite dwindling vocal resources, Schipa’s impeccable artistry and taste remained with him to the very end. Fortunately, these attributes have become the legacy of the great tenore di grazia.

Tito Schipa made over 400 recordings between 1913 and 1964 for The Gramophone Company, Victor, Pathé, as well as live and private recordings. Here, Schipa sings "Che gelida manina" (transposed a half tone down) from Puccini's La Bohème. This recording was made for The Gramophone Company in Milan on November 14, 1913.