Enrico Caruso, biography of a legendary singer

Enrico Caruso is the most famous tenor in all of history. This Italian singer revolutionized the world of lyrical interpretation. His voice and his impeccable technique became an obligatory point of reference for all the performers who followed him.

Throughout his career, Enrico Caruso was admired and praised for the impressive power of his voice.. Legend says that he was able to break glass with the high notes of him. However, it is just legend. Even so, Caruso achieved almost impossible records, which overwhelmed the public.

Enrico Caruso was also one of the pioneers of recorded music. Likewise, she performed on the most important opera stages in the world. Her success never declined. He always remained in the first line of preference for lovers of lyrical singing.

A childhood in Naples

Enrico Caruso was born on February 25, 1873, in Naples (Italy). He came from a family poor. He had no more and no less than 21 siblings, but he was the first to survive the initial months of life. In the end, seven in total were bred.

He only received his primary education at home, at the hands of his mother. From a very young age he was aware of his talent for singing. During his childhood He sang in street cafes and in the church choir.
He also started working at a very early age. as a mechanic in a workshop, in the mornings. In the afternoons she went to choir school to learn the secrets of singing. His first solo took place in the Church of San Severino, in Naples.

Enrico Caruso’s success begins

His mother died when he was only 15 years old. His father remarried. Some years later, Enrico begins to take singing lessons with Guglielmo Vergine. At the age of 22, he made his debut formal as a singer at the New Theater of Naples. There he began a string of presentations in different cities, all of them successful.

His great success began to consolidate in Milan, in 1898. He performed at La Scala and premiered the opera Fedora, by Umberto Giordano. Since then, her fame began to grow internationally and she had fabulous performances in London, Monte Carlo, Rome, St. Petersburg and Lisbon.

In 1902, Caruso recorded his voice on a phonograph for the first time. It was quite an event for himself and for the history of the album. This catapulted his fame.

In 1903, he sang for the first time at the prestigious Metropolitan Opera House from New York. I would repeat that scenario more than 90 times.

Love and a glamorous personal life

They say that Enrico Caruso was always a lover of the glamorous life. He liked good food and good liquor. He was a heavy smoker of strong tobacco. He was also a fan of dressing elegantly and bathed twice a day. He always wanted to look spectacular and he achieved it.

In 1897, he met Ada Giachetti, that she was married and was somewhat older than him. She was a music teacher and would become the great love of his life.. It also influenced his vocal technique. They had three children and a turbulent relationship that lasted 11 years. In the end, she abandoned him for running away with the driver.

In 1918, Caruso married Dorothy Benjamin, who was 20 years older than him.. With her he also had a daughter. Dorothy was the author of two of the most complete biographies ever written about Enrico Caruso.

An early death

Caruso smoked two packs of Egyptian cigarettes a day. Around August 1920 he began to have a recurrent cough and pain in the pleura.. The doctor authorized him to continue singing and three days later he had bleeding in his throat, while in full performance. He was treated, but again they authorized him to continue singing.

He continued to suffer from discomfort until another doctor diagnosed him with pleurisy and pneumonia.. They did a treatment to remove pus from his lungs and then he had an improvement. By April 1921 he was already preparing a new tour. However, in June of the same year he felt unwell again.

Doctors diagnose a serious kidney condition. Before undergoing surgery, Enrico Caruso died on August 2, at the age of 48.. He was laid to rest in the Hall of the Vesuvius Hotel and was then transferred to the Basilica of San Francesco di Paola, where his funeral was held. He Metropolitan of New York covered its façade in black for a month.

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