Great Historical Singers (Ezio Pinza)

Ezio Pinza was perhaps the most famous basso-cantante of all time.  He was one of few opera giants who also was famous on Broadway.  Pinza was born In 1892 in Rome.  He was the seventh born child to his parents, but only the first to survive.  Pinza's voice was a very natural gift from an early age, and with his father's urging, he studied at Bologna's Conservatorio Martino.  Interestingly, Pinza was never able to read music, but he was excellent at learning music by ear. In 1914 he debuted as Oroveso in Bellni's "Norma", which began his operatic career.    Pinza was very athletic, and he served in the military during World War I, so his career in opera was put on hold for a couple of years.  In 1922, he was engaged by La Scala in Milan under the baton of the great maestro Arturo Toscanini.  He made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1926, and was associated with the Met until his operatic retirement in 1948. He was famous for roles such as Figaro in "Le Nozze di Figaro", Boris Godunov in "Boris Godunov", Don Giovanni in "Don Giovanni", and a large number of  roles from operas by Verdi, Bellini and Donizetti.  Aside from singing at the Met which was his main home, he sang in houses such as Covent Garden, Royal Opera House and the Salzburg Festival. The famous conductor Bruno Walter hired Pinza for the Salzburg Festival from 1934-1939.   Pinza's legacy is so remarkable, because he had a successful career on Broadway after he retired from opera.  In 1949, Pinza premiered the role of Emil de Becque in "South Pacific."  Pinza was famous for singing the very popular tune "Some Enchanted Evening" very expressively.  He won a Tony Award for his portrayal of Emil de Becque as a leading actor.  Pinza also stared in the show "Fanny" opposite Florence Henderson a few years later. There are recordings of Pinza singing Broadway songs on record and on film. He was also very famous for his recording of "September Song" by German composer Kurt Weill.    What a voice Pinza had, especially when he was younger. When in doubt about which recordings to get of a particular singer, just check the years on them.  Pinza had one of the most beautiful and Romantic sounding voices throughout his career. His timbre was exquisitely beautiful. He was a true basso-cantante.  The term basso-cantante literally means a singing bass.  It is a lighter and higher bass voice than the deep bass (basso-profondo).  However, it is a bass, not a bass-baritone.  During Pinza's early days he was solid from low D2, the second D on the piano to high F sharp 4, the forth F sharp on the piano.  He had a beautiful mezza-voce which he used to great effect.  Pinza was really revolutionary as a singer.  He set the bar very high for basses who followed him.  In additon he was so unique because he sang opera, songs, starred on Broadway and in movies and TV shows.  He had a wonderful personality on camera.  It can be seen in the video "Six Great Basses." He sings the duet "La ci darem la Mano" from "Don Giovanni", and the French song "Le Cor" by Fleger.  Both are just incredible.  Pinza's voice is one that is very worth listening to.  He was one of the only bass singers I know of who was successful in so many things.