Antonio Cotogni

Antonio Cotogni (August 1, 1831, Rome - October 15, 1918, Rome) was an Italian baritone, among the greatest baritones of the 19th century. He was greatly admired by Verdi.

Life and career

Cotogni studied with Fontemaggi, and made his debut at the Teatro Metastasio, in Rome, as Belcore in "L'elisir d'amore", in 1852. He sang throughout Italy before reaching La Scala in 1860. He also appeared in Madrid, Paris, London, and St Petersburg.

Cotogni became a favorite of Giuseppe Verdi, who admired him greatly for the sheer beauty, warmth, and power of his voice, as well as the emotional intensity he brought to his singing. He sang most of the great Verdi baritone roles, and took part in the first Italian staging of "Don Carlo" in Bologna, in 1867, under the supervision of the composer himself.

Cotogni retired from the stage in 1898, after singing an estimated 127 roles, his final appearance was as "Don Pasquale".

After retiring, Cotogni became one of the most famous vocal teacher of all times. He first taught briefly in St Petersburg, and then at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, where he founded what became known as the "Roman School of Singing". Among his most famous pupils were Jean de Reszke, Mattia Battistini, Beniamino Gigli, Giacomo Lauri-Volpi and Mariano Stabile.

Sources

* Roland Mancini and Jean-Jacques Rouveroux, (orig. H. Rosenthal and J. Warrack, French edition), "Guide de l’opéra", Les indispensables de la musique (Fayard, 1995). ISBN 2-213-01563-6