Giovanni Zenatello (1876 - 1949)

Born 22 Feb 1876 in Verona, Veneto, Italy

Ancestors

Husband of Maria de Lourdes Lucia Antonia (Pichot Gironés) Gay — married 1906 in Milano, Lombardy, Italy

Died 11 Feb 1949 at age 72 in New York City, New York, United States

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Biography

Giovanni Zenatello is Notable.

Early Years

Giovanni Zenatello was born 22 Feb 1876, in Verona, Italy. He was the son of Ignazio and Luigina Regina (Zanini) Zenatello.

Giovanni showed musical promise from a young age and, as a youth, was provided vocal training at the Milan Conservatory. However, his singing teacher insisted that he train as a baritone, despite the fact that Giovanni never felt comfortable singing in this range.

Operatic Career

In April 1898, Giovanni made his professional debut as a baritone at the Community Theater of Belluno, Italy. But the following year, while performing at the Teatro Mercadante in Naples, he was called upon to substitute for an ailing tenor in the roll of Canio in Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci. Giovanni remained a tenor from that point on and by the peak of his career was considered to be one of the greatest dramatic tenors in the world.

In 1902, Giovanni joined the company of Italy's leading opera house, La Scala in Milan. It was there, on 17 Feb 1904, that he created the role of L.T. Pinkerton in the world première of Puccini's Madama Butterfly. Giovanni He also sang for several seasons at Covent Garden, London, and in the summer of 1907, he toured South America.

In 1907, Oscar Hammerstein brought Giovanni to the United States under a five year contract with his Manhattan Opera Company. He made his American debut opposite Mme. Lillian Noridca in Ponchielli's La Giacona, on 4 Nov 1907. In 1909, Hammerstein loaned Giovanni to the Metropolitan Opera's touring company to fill in for an ailing Enrico Caruso,^[1] after which, he and Hammerstein had a falling out. Apparently, Hammerstein had cut Giovanni's performances (and thus his pay) in order to save the company money. In 1910, Giovanni left Hammerstein's company, and tried unsuccessfully to sue his boss for $34,000 for breach of contract.^[2] He later affiliated the Boston and Chicago-Philadelphia Opera Companies.

Giovanni's best known roles were the heavier fare such as Manrico in Verdi's Il Trovatore and Rhadames from Verdi's Aida, Don Jose from Georges Bizet's Carmen, the painter Mario Cavaradossi from Puccini's Tosca, and the title doomed poet of Umberto Giordano's Andrea Chenier. Giovanni's undoubted signature piece, however, was the tragic jealous Moor of Verdi's Otello, which he sang upwards of 500 times in the leading theatres on both sides of the Atlantic.

Giovanni also produced a considerable number of commercial recordings of his voice, beginning in 1903. These recordings reflect the wide range of his repertoire and confirm the impressive power, thrust, and ardency of his singing, as well as his often suspect intonation. In 1912, he made a double disk recording. Il Trovatore Duet, with his wife, Maria Gay.^[3]

There is at least one newspaper report that Giovanni had been drafted by the Italian Army in October 1911.^[4] However, as early as that same month, Giovanni was performing on stage and appears to have done so without interruption throughout the conflict, suggesting that he never actually provided any military service.

In 1913, Giovanni played an instrumental role in the restoration of Italy's Roman-Era Verona Arena. He then undertook a series of performances of Aida in celebration of the Verdi centenary, earning himself the title of impresario.^[5]

At the height of his career, Giovanni was the second highest aid tenor in the world, only after Caruso. He owned a mansion in Milan, a villa near Verona, and a house with stables in London. He was also able to establish an endowment for the Zenatello School of Singing in Verona.^[6] In 1916, he was knighted by Italy's. King Victor Emmanuel.

Personal Life

Giovanni had a daughter, Giovanna, who was born 17 Nov 1904. in Rome Italy. The identity of her mother is not currently known.

In 1907, Giovanni met the Spanish mezzo-soprano Maria Gay, while performing in Argentina. The following year, Ms. Gay announced to the newspapers that they would be marrying in Milan that Spring,^[7] although it wasn't until the Summer of 1911 that the papers reported that the couple had finally wed in Italy.^[8] It has been suggested, however, that this marriage was factitious, as neither Spain nor Italy (both staunchly Catholic nations) prohibited divorce and thus would not have permitted such a marriage to occur. On 5 May 1917, the couple did finally marry legally, in New York City.^[9]

Later Years

For nearly a quarter of a century Giovanni and Marie performed together in various operatic productions. When Giovanni retired from opera in 1933, the couple settled permanently in New York City, residing in an apartment at 50 Central Park West.

On 20, Dec 1935, at age 59, Giovanni filed his Declaration of Intention to become a United States citizen in the Southern District of New York.

After retiring from the stage, Giovanni opened a vocal school across the street from Central Park. gave vocal lessons and, with his wife Maria, managed the introductory careers of several promising young opera singers. Lily Pons, the coloratura soprano, was a notable discovery of theirs, as was the Veronese tenor Nino Martini. In 1947, Giovanni arranged for a young soprano named Maria Callas to appear at the Verona Arena's Summer Festival providing her with invaluable exposure in Italy and helped set her on the path to future stardom.

Giovanni died suddenly of natural causes in New York City 11 Feb 1949, aged 72.^[10] His body was returned to his home county and he was buried at Cimitero Monumentale di Verona in Verona, Italy.^[11]

Sources

1. ↑ Giovanni Zenatello Replaces Caruso Here, Pittsburgh (PA) Daily Post, 15 Apr 1909, p. 2.
2. ↑ Noted Singer Sues Oscar Hammerstein, Spokane (WA) Chronicle, 18 May 1910, p. 20.
3. ↑ Columbia Phonograph Records for April, The Evening Journal (Wilmington, DE) 27 Mar 1912, p4.
4. ↑ The Evening Herald (Fall River, MA), 5 Oct 1911, p. 4.
5. ↑ To Sing Trovatore, The Boston (MA) Globe, 23 Feb 1914.
6. ↑ At the Theater: Notes and Gossip, The Gazette (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) 12 Sep 1908, p. 4.
7. ↑ Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY) 12 Jan 1908, p. 12.
8. ↑ Tenor Shorn of his Mop, The Sun, 14 Nov 1911, p. 1.
9. ↑ New York Marriage License Indexes, 1907-2018, Ancestry.com (database online with images). Manhattan (1917) certificate 15330, Groom List: Giovanni Zenatello [image 1935], Bride List: Maria Pichot. [image 1364].
10. ↑ Obituary: Giovanni Zenatello, Old-time Opera Star. Daily News (New York, NY), p.295.
11. ↑ Find a Grave, (database with images), Memorial 28711282, Giovanni Zenatello.

• New York State and Federal Naturalization Records, 1794-1943. Ancestry.com (database online with images). U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Roll 491, Declarations of Intention for Citizenship, 1842-1959, #370211, Giovanni Zenatello.

• Wikipedia contributors. "Giovanni Zenatello." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 19 Jan. 2021. Web. 24 May. 2021.