List of Illustrations

Figure 1

shows the spectrogram of Tetrazzini’s 1908 recording of ‘Ah! Fors’è lui’ in Verdi’s La traviata.

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Figure 2

shows the use of vibrato and portamento in Tetrazzini’s 1911 recording of ‘Ah non credea mirarti’.

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Figure 3

shows Patti’s use of portamento in her 1906 recording of ‘Ah, non credea mirarti’.

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Figure 4

shows the first four measures of Verdi’s ‘Ah, fors’è lui’ in La traviata as sung by Tetrazzini.

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Figure 5

shows Tetrazzini’s use of portamento in the opening bars of Verdi’s ‘Ah, fors’è lui’, recorded in 1911.

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Figure 6

shows Marcella Sembrich’s use of portamento in the opening bars of Verdi’s ‘Ah fors’è lui’, recorded in 1904.

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Figure 7

shows Nellie Melba’s use of portamento in the opening measures of Verdi’s ‘Ah, fors’è lui’, recorded in 1904.

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Figure 8

shows the two ornamented versions of ‘Ecco ridente il cielo’ in Rossini’s Barbiere which García suggests in his Scuola di Garcia, Ricordi, pp. 38–39.

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Figure 9

shows the melodic material given to Rosina in the duet ‘Dunque io son’.

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Figure 10

shows the concertato-like setting in the duet ‘Dunque io son’.

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Figure 11

reproduces the variations to ‘Dunque io son’ from Barbiere, present in M. García’s method (1842).

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Figure 12

reproduces the variations for mezzo soprano to ‘Dunque io son’ from Barbiere, present in M. García’s Hints (1894).

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Figure 13

reproduces the variations for soprano to ‘Dunque io son’ from Barbiere, present in M. García’s Hints (1894).

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Figure 14

presents the ornamented version sung by Maria Callas in 1956 and 1957.

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Figure 15

the chart shows the cuts in Tetrazzini’s recordings of Rosina’s cavatina.

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Figure 16

shows the cadenza at bar 28 of the Andante.

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Figure 17

the closing cadenza of the Andante.

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Figure 18

shows the cadenza traditionally sung before the repeat (B’) in the Moderato section.

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Figure 19

shows the final measures of the aria, where Tetrazzini sings the variants Rossini wrote for Matilde Juva; in the 1911 recording she concludes with an accented trill leading to the top E. Her cadenza was transcribed by Ricci in his Variazioni-Cadenze.

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Figure 20

illustrates how a trill could be executed according to the new, modern habits discussed in García’s Scuola.

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Figure 21

the cadenza concluding ‘Io son Tatiana’, which Tetrazzini recorded in 1907.

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Figure 22

Tetrazzini adds some modifications to Proch’s third variation.

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Figure 23

the cadenza with which Proch’s Variations conclude.

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Figure 24

Tetrazzini’s cadenza to Proch’s Variations.

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Figure 25

shows the cuts present in Tetrazzini’s 1910 recording of ‘Bel raggio lusinghier’.

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Figure 26

presents the cadenza reproduced by Ricci that concludes the Andante grazioso.

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Figure 27

shows Sembrich’s and Tetrazzini’s recorded renditions of the initial measures of ‘Bel raggio lusinghier’.

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Figure 28

shows Sembrich’s and Tetrazzini’s recorded renditions of ‘Bel raggio lusinghier’ (measures 4 to 9).

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Figure 29

shows Sembrich’s and Tetrazzini’s recorded renditions of ‘Bel raggio lusinghier’ (measures 11–15).

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Figure 30

shows Sembrich’s and Tetrazzini’s recorded renditions of ‘Bel raggio lusinghier’.

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Figure 31

shows the traditional cadenzas before the reprise of ‘Dolce pensiero’.

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Figure 32

shows Sembrich’s and Tetrazzini’s recorded renditions of the final cadenza of ‘Dolce pensiero’.

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Figure 33

shows the motif as Lucia sings it the first time.

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Figure 34

shows the flute passage inserted in the mad scene as a reminiscence of the meeting between Lucia and Edgardo.

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Figure 35

shows the reminiscence motif from ‘Verranno a te sull’aure’ in Marchesi’s second cadenza for Lucia’s mad scene.

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Figure 36

shows the last bars of ‘Quando rapito’, where Tetrazzini reaches the high D, as also noted by De Koven in 1908.

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Figure 37

shows the change from pizzicato to legato with portamento in the strings at bar 3 in the Larghetto.

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Figure 38

shows Tetrazzini’s small rhythmic modifications and portamentos in ‘Regnava nel silenzio’.

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Figure 39

shows Tetrazzini’s rendition of the cadenza that concludes the Larghetto of ‘Regnava nel silenzio’.

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Figure 40

shows Tetrazzini’s changes in the Moderato.

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Figure 41

shows Tetrazzini’s coloratura in the closing measures of ‘Regnava nel silenzio’.

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Figure 42

shows the changes made by Tetrazzini in the initial measures of ‘Ardon gl’incensi’.

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Figure 43

shows Tetrazzini’s own changes in ‘Ardon gl’incensi’.

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Figure 44

shows the arpeggio and the four-note figure echoed by the flute with which Tetrazzini opens the cadenza.

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Figure 45

shows the closing cadenza sung by Tetrazzini: in 1911 Walter Osterreicher plays a longer arpeggio.

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Figure 46

shows Tetrazzini’s use of appoggiaturas in the opening recitativo ‘Ah! Tardai troppo’.

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Figure 47

shows the fermata with which the recitativo closes, as sung by Tetrazzini and her senior colleagues.

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Figure 48

shows the fermata that concludes the first section: while Marchesi suggests two possible cadenzas, Tetrazzini does not sing any.

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Figure 49

shows Tetrazzini’s small modifications in the reprise of the aria.

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Figure 50

shows an example from García, Volume II, p. 16, regarding ‘Come per me sereno’ from Bellini’s La sonnambula.

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Figure 51

shows an example from García, vol. II, p. 36, regarding the use of a half-breath before the reprise in La sonnambula.

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Figure 52

shows the same example as that in Figure 51 from García (p. 36). Now the half-breath can be found placed on the ‘ah’ (penultimate measure).

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Figure 53

shows an example from ‘Ah! Non credea mirarti’ on which García writes ‘variante della Malibran’ (vol. II, p. 39).

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Figure 54

shows García’s suggestion as to how to prevent excess of ornament in a cadenza by dropping the fermata between the two dominant chords (vol. II, p. 51).

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Figure 55

presents the variants sung by Maria Malibran as reported by Maria Merlin in 1840.

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Figure 56

shows the modifications sung by Jenny Lind in Bellini’s ‘Vien diletto’

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Figure 57

shows Tetrazzini’s modifications in La sonnambula, ‘Ah! non credea mirarti’ (measures 119–20, p. 314, Ricordi, 2010) compared to Patti and Lind.

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Figure 58

La sonnambula, ‘Ah! non credea mirarti’ (Ricordi, 2010, bb. 132–33, p. 315).

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Figure 59

La sonnambula, ‘Ah! non credea mirarti’ (Ricordi, 2010, measures 134–135, pp. 315–16).

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Figure 60

shows Tetrazzini’s rendition of the closing cadenza with cello obbligato in La sonnambula, ‘Ah! non credea mirarti’, (measures 144–145, p. 316 in Ricordi, 2010).

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Figure 61

La sonnambula, ‘Ah non giunge’, Ricordi, 2010, b. 272, p. 334.

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Figure 62

shows the closing measure of Heinrich Proch’s Variations ‘Deh torna mio bene’.

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Figure 63

shows the final cadenza of ‘Charmant Oiseau’ from David’s La perle du Brésil (Paris: Launer, [n.d.]), p. 263.

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Figure 64

shows the first variant sung by Emma Nevada in Paris, as was published by Heugel in 1885 (p. 311).

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Figure 65

shows the second variant sung by Emma Nevada in Paris, as was published by Heugel in 1885 (p. 313–14).

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Figure 66

shows the cuts present in Tetrazzini’s 1912 recording of ‘Sovra il sen’.

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Figure 67

shows the fermata of ‘Come per me sereno’ as was sung by Tetrazzini, compared to those of García and Marchesi.

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Figure 68

shows Tetrazzini’s rendition of the cadenza preceding the Allegretto brillante in La sonnambula, ‘Come per me sereno’, Ricordi, [1869], reprint 1971, p. 24, measure 11 after rehearsal mark number 21. For this example, the earlier edition was preferable, since the critical edition includes a different passage for the cadenza (Ricordi, 2010, b. 58, p. 29).

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Figure 69

shows the different rendition of the central cadenza in La sonnambula, ‘Sovra il sen la man si posa’ (measures 119–20, pp. 35–36 in the Ricordi 2010 edition).

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Figure 70

shows the modifications sung by Tetrazzini in La sonnambula, ‘Sovra il sen la man mi posa’, Ricordi, [1869], reprint 1971, p. 27, measure nine before rehearsal mark number 25. The critical edition differs from the one then published by Ricordi (Ricordi, 2010, bb. 98–106, pp. 33–34).

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Figure 71

shows Tetrazzini’s variant in I puritani, ‘Vien diletto’ (Ricordi, 2015, vol. I, measures 222–23, pp. 420–21).

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Figure 72

I puritani, ‘Vien diletto’, Ricordi, 2015, measures 276–77, p. 427.

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Figure 73

shows Tetrazzini’s variants in the reprise of I puritani, ‘Vien diletto’ (Ricordi, measures 252–65, pp. 425–26).

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Figure 74

shows Tetrazzini’s rendition of ‘È strano…’ compared to Regina Pacini’s.

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Figure 75

shows the first measures of ‘Ah! Fors’è lui’ in Tetrazzini’s recordings compared to those of Melba, Sembrich and Pacini.

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Figure 76

shows the small interventions in Tetrazzini’s rendition of ‘Ah! Fors’è lui’ compared to those of Melba, Pacini and Sembrich.

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Figure 77

shows the different cadenzas sung by Tetrazzini, Melba, Sembrich and Pacini to ‘Ah! Fors’è lui’.

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Figure 78

shows the descending chromatic passage before the reprise, that Tetrazzini used to sing in ‘Ah! Fors’è lui’.

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Figure 79

shows the second descending chromatic passage typical of Tetrazzini, compared to those of Melba and Pacini.

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Figure 80

shows the last chromatic passage Tetrazzini used to sing in ‘Ah! Fors’è lui’.

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Figure 81

shows how Tetrazzini conveys Violetta’s sense of hysteria thanks to the repeated high Cs.

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Figure 82

shows the final measures of ‘Ah! Fors’è lui’ featuring Tetrazzini’s top Es.

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Figure 83

shows Tetrazzini’s modifications in the opening measures of ‘Caro nome’ in Verdi’s Rigoletto.

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Figure 84

shows Tetrazzini’s cadenza to ‘Caro nome’ in Verdi’s Rigoletto.

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Figure 85

shows Tetrazzini’s small modifications in the ‘Canzone di Oscar’ from Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera.

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Figure 86

shows modifications sung by Tetrazzini in the repeat of the ‘Canzone di Oscar’.

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Figure 87

shows the cadenza sung by Tetrazzini in the ‘Canzone di Oscar’.

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Figure 88

shows the ascending scale which concludes ‘Tacea la notte placida’ as sung by Tetrazzini.

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Figure 89

shows Tetrazzini’s modifications in the closing measures of ‘Mercé dilette amiche’ from I vespri siciliani.

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