Guest
Francesco Daddi (1864-1945) was a gifted Italian-American stage artist who became one of the most celebrated character singers and comedians of his generation. Born in Naples, Daddi studied both voice and cello at the conservatory there. He seems to have begun his career in the late 1880s as a recitalist. Daddi’s first documented appearance was a February 1888 concert in Naples where he was singled out for his interpretation of various arie antiche. He made his stage debut in Messina in 1891 as Gounod’s Faust and seemed to be headed toward a career as a leading lyric tenor. During the early years of his provincial career, Daddi essayed such roles as Almaviva in Barbiere di Siviglia, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Ernesto in Don Pasquale, Nemorino in L’Elisir d’Amore and the title roles in Damnation of Faust and Fra Diavolo. However, his diminutive stature (he was barely five feet tall) and smallish voice made the possibility of a career as a romantic tenor in the major theaters of Europe quite remote. In addition, the budding tenor’s comedic gifts suggested that buffo roles might be better suited to his talents. His portrayal of Beppe in the world premiere of Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci in Milan in 1892 was astonishing. In early performances of the work, Daddi typically had to repeat Harlequin’s Serenade (three times in one instance!) for enthusiastic audiences. Perhaps it was the amazing response to his portrayal that led Daddi to start adding more and more character roles to his repertoire. Daddi continued to divide his time between leading roles and character parts throughout the 1890s and early 1900s, frequently visiting the stages of Milan, Rome, Palermo, Genoa, Parma, Sanremo, Trieste, Turin, Florence, Bari, Bologna, Florence, Lisbon, Vienna and Odessa. An offer from Hammerstein’s Manhattan Opera brought the busy tenor to the U.S. in 1907. After a season in New York, Daddi decided that his stay in America would be a permanent one. Now exclusively concentrating on buffo roles, he was a fixture on the stages of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington D.C. By 1913, Daddi had settled in Chicago where his reputation as a comedic actor became legendary. A beloved figure at the Chicago Grand Opera and especially at the Ravinia Festival, the veteran singer was always singled out for praise, even in the smallest of roles. Of his Remendado in Carmen, Music News reported on August 14, 1914 that, “Daddi could not be beat in the part allotted him in this opera. You have to be wide awake to catch all he has to offer.” Critics also took note of how easily Daddi reduced his colleagues to hysterics with his onstage antics. He was an important part of Ravinia’s children’s concerts and his programs of his native Neapolitan songs…usually performed in costume…were always highlights of the season. There is a persistent claim that Daddi switched exclusively to bass roles later in his career. Research has proven this to be untrue. As early as 1901 Daddi took on the bass role of Alidoro in Rossini’s Cenerentola and he was still singing such tenor roles as Beppe in Pagliacci as late as 1919. This versatile artist was, quite simply, the quintessential all-purpose stage performer. His repertoire eventually grew to nearly 50 roles, including Goro in Madama Butterfly, Spoletta in Tosca, Normanno in Lucia di Lammermoor, Nick in La Fanciulla del West, Bartolo in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Third Jew in Salome, Dean of the Faculty in Cendrillon, Biaso in Gioielli della Madonna, Incredibile in Andrea Chénier, the Servants in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Benoit and Alcindoro in La Bohème, Arlecchino in Le Maschere and Bricoleur in Louise. Daddi began curtailing his appearances as he reached his mid-fifties and retired from the stage in 1920. There was, however, a single performance in 1938 when the 74-year-old singer returned to the stage of the Civic Opera House as Bricoleur in Louise. Apart from that appearance, Daddi spent his time at his voice studio, located on the 7th floor of Chicago’s Fine Arts Building. The retired performer became one of America’s leading opera coaches and continued working with young singers for the next two decades. Francesco Daddi passed away at his Chicago home on October 22, 1945 at the age of 81. Daddi made over 170 recordings for such labels as Edison, Zonophone, G&T, Victor and Columbia between 1901 and 1918. These recordings run the gamut from operatic arias and ensembles to Neapolitan street songs. Daddi’s discs and cylinders demonstrate that he was not the typical white voiced character tenor. Rather, these records provide evidence that Daddi’s was a well produced full lyric tenor, capable of remarkable artistry. In this recording, Daddi sings Valente's ““Che buò fa? ‘A Pacchianella““.
