#Gaetano Pini-Corsi

[opera-ghosts]

Here a picture of Gaetano Pini-Corsi as Mime, Madrid 1901.

Gaetano Pini-Corsi (1860-1935) was a gifted singer of both leading and buffo roles. Born in the Croatian town of Zara, Pini-Corsi came from a family of singers. Included in the dynasty were his two uncles, baritone Giovanni Corsi (1822-1890) and tenor Achille Corsi (1840-1906), his cousin, soprano Emilia Corsi (1870-1928), his nephew, tenor Umberto Pini-Corsi (1879-1911) and, probably the best known member of the family, older brother Antonio Pini-Corsi (1858-1918), the celebrated buffo baritone, who sang character roles at the Met during the early 20th Century. Gaetano Pini-Corsi made his debut in Empoli as Ernesto in Don Pasquale in 1881. For the next two decades, the tenor sang mostly leading roles, such as the Duke in Rigoletto, Riccardo in Un Ballo in Maschera, Alfredo in La Traviata, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Elvino in La Sonnambula, Tonio in La Figlia del Reggimento, Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Gennaro in Lucrezia Borgia, Pollione in Norma, Manrico in Il Trovatore, Fernando in La Favorita, Nemorino in L’Elisir d’Amore, Carlo in Linda di Chamounix, Corentin in Dinorah and the title roles in Ernani, Fra Diavolo and Faust. As he approached the age of 40, however, Pini-Corsi found that his flair for the comedic lent itself to buffo roles. As the 19th century came to a close, the tenor began to gravitate more and more toward character roles. For the next several years, Pini-Corsi divided his time between leading and comic roles, finally committing exclusively to the latter in 1908. He was very much in demand in both major and provincial companies throughout Europe and the Americas including the Politeama in Genoa, the Teatro Regio in Parma, Como’s Teatro Sociale, the Teatro Ristori in Verona, Bologna’s Teatro Comunale, the Teatro Costanzi in Rome, Palermo’s Teatro Massimo, the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Milan’s La Scala, Turin’s Teatro Regio, La Fenice in Venice, Modena’s Teatro Municipale, the Teatro Reale in Madrid, the Teatro Coliseo in Lisbon, Barcelona’s Teatro Liceo, the Teatro Municipal in Caracas, the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, the Teatro Solís in Montevideo and Boston Opera. One of the high points in Pini-Corsi’s career was his creation of the role of the marriage broker, Goro, in the world premiere of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly at La Scala in 1904. It would become a part he sang frequently over the course of the next quarter century and remained one of the tenor’s favorite roles until the end of his career. Pini-Corsi’s massive repertoire of over 75 roles included Laertes in Hamlet, Dr. Cajus and Bardolfo in Falstaff, Don Basilio in Le Nozze di Figaro, The Dance Master in Manon Lescaut, Abate in Adriana Lecouvreur, Schmidt in Werther, the Servants in I Racconti d’Hoffmann, Cassio in Otello, Mime in both Siegfried and Das Rheingold, David in Die Meistersinger, both Joe and Nick in La Fanciulla del West, Wagner in Mefistofele, Incredibile in Andrea Chénier, First Jew in Salome, Trinca in La Cena delle Beffe, Despréaux in Madame Sans-Gêne, Laerte in Mignon, Spoletta in Tosca and Gherardo in Gianni Schicchi. It was as Goro that the 72-year-old tenor bade farewell to the stage at the Teatro Comunale in Ferrara in 1932. Gaetano Pini-Corsi passed away in Milan on December 16, 1935 at the age of 75. Gaetano Pini-Corsi made more than 40 recordings (including the very first complete recording of Pagliacci) for such labels as Fonografia Nazionale, Odeon Fonotipia, The Gramophone Company, Parlophone and Victor. These discs showcase a relatively lightweight instrument which the tenor used wisely and efficiently during his 50-year stage career. The stylistic similarities to his older brother Antonio are striking, most notably in the exaggerated, machine gun vibrato (also noticeable in some of Giovanni Martinelli’s recordings) that he sometimes uses for dramatic effect. It is not a classically beautiful voice, but an effective one, nonetheless.

[opera-ghosts]

Celebrated buffo tenor Gaetano Pini-Corsi (1860-1935) came from a long line of singers, including his two uncles, baritone Giovanni Corsi (1822-1890) and tenor Achille Corsi (1840-1906), his cousin, soprano Emilia Corsi (1870-1928) and his older brother Antonio Pini-Corsi (1858-1918). There is a great deal of controversy regarding this artist’s lineage. While it is agreed that he was definitely from the same bloodline as the above-mentioned artists, there are various opinions as to exactly where he fits into the family tree. It has been suggested that he was the younger brother of Antonio and Gaetano and was born in 1879. Other references state that he was the cousin of the aforementioned Pini-Corsi brothers. It is most commonly accepted, however, that he was the son of Antonio Pini-Corsi and his wife Clorinda and was born in Bologna on Christmas Day, 1889.

The latter date, however, presents a few problems. Umberto’s only known recordings date from early 1904, which would make him 14 years old at the time. Even given that he was raised in a family of operatic singers, it is almost impossible to believe that a 14-year-old boy could possess such a developed voice, polished technique and accomplished artistry at such a tender age. In addition, the handful of surviving references to Pini-Corsi’s public appearances suggest a much earlier birthdate, making the year 1879 seem more plausible. One can only assume that the later year originated from a long forgotten typographical error that has been perpetuated over the decades.

Unfortunately, we know very little about this tenor’s life and career. Only a few press reports or mentions in reference works exist regarding Umberto Pini-Corsi. A Columbia Records catalogue from March 1906 mentions a certain “U. Pini-Corsi of La Scala” on the label’s list of operatic recordings. Although the tenor did make a handful of records for Columbia in 1904, it is quite possible that the catalogue is referring to Antonio Pini-Corsi, who also recorded for Columbia in 1904. The publication Ars e Labor Musica e Musicisti Rivista Mensile Illustrata reviewed his performance in Bach’s Ascension Oratorio in January of 1907, stating, “The Ascension Cantata by Bach, directed with great care by [Giuseppe] Gallignani himself and performed very well by Umberto Pini-Corsi, Antonietta Gennari, Egidia Pizzioli Bernardo Pozzoli, choirs and the orchestra. Mr. Giuseppe Cotrasi was at the organ and at the piano was Mr. Luigi Bianchi-Rosa.” Pini-Corsi is also mentioned in a January 13, 1909 edition of El Imparcial. The young tenor joined such luminaries as Rosina Storchio, Celestina Boninsegna, Graziella Pareto, Tadeuz Leliva and Titta Ruffo at Madrid’s Teatro Real for a concert benefitting the victims of the Messina earthquake. Two days later, La Correspondencia Militar reviewed the performance, commenting on the tremendous applause received by the tenor for his masterful performance of Tirindelli’s song “Portami via!”.

Apart from these few references, there is no information about this mysterious artist. It has been suggested that his promising career was cut short by the ravages of tuberculosis. While there is no corroborating evidence to support this, it is known that Umberto Pini-Corsi was pitifully young when he died in Nervi on April 3, 1911.

Umberto Pini-Corsi made only three recordings, all for the Columbia label in Milan in 1904. We hear a pleasing, well produced lyric tenor with an innate musicality and a very individual sense of artistry, seemingly dispelling the myth that these are the performances of a 14-year-old boy. Here, Pini-Corsi sings "Una furtiva lagrima" from Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore.