Francesco Tamagno (28 December 1850 – 31 August 1905) was an Italian opera singer who performed to enormous acclaim in Europe and America.
The most famous heroic tenor of his age, Tamagno was celebrated throughout the operatic world for the extreme power of his singing, especially in the upper register. Indeed, music critics often likened the sound of his voice to that of a trumpet or even a cannon. (This rare type of singer is called a "tenore r...
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Francesco Tamagno (28 December 1850 – 31 August 1905) was an Italian opera singer who performed to enormous acclaim in Europe and America.
The most famous heroic tenor of his age, Tamagno was celebrated throughout the operatic world for the extreme power of his singing, especially in the upper register. Indeed, music critics often likened the sound of his voice to that of a trumpet or even a cannon. (This rare type of singer is called a "tenore robusto" or "tenore di forza" by Italians.)
Tamagno's vocal range extended effortlessly up to the high C-sharp during his prime. He was no mere 'belter' of high notes, however; his recordings provide evidence of his ability, even at career's end, to modulate the dynamic levels of his clarion instrument with remarkable skill.
Best known as the creator of the protagonist's role in Giuseppe Verdi's Otello at La Scala in 1887, he also was the first Gabriele Adorno in the 1881 version of Simon Boccanegra, a far more lyrical Verdi part. He...
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