Francesco Mottino
Francesco Mottino | |
|---|---|
| Born | Francesco Mottino c. 1833 |
| Died | February 11, 1919 Milan, Italy |
| Occupation(s) | opera singer, acting teacher, writer |
| Spouse | Adele Cesarini |
Francesco Mottino (c. 1833 – 11 February 1919)[1] was an Italian opera singer, acting teacher and writer. He had an operatic career, mostly in Italy in the 1850s and 1860s, and mostly in England in the 1870s. After retiring from the stage, he worked actively as a writer and teacher in his native country.
Early life and singing career
Mottino was born in Cuorgnè, Piedmont.[2] He began his career writing for magazines and also performing in Italy in plays by Shakespeare. He studied singing at the Milan Conservatory from 1855. While there, he began his opera career in Italy playing smaller baritone roles.[3] During the 1860s, he appeared at various Italian opera houses and abroad.[3] He performed the title role in Verdi's I due Foscari at several houses.[4]
He performed in England and Ireland during the 1870s. He appeared in London concerts, including at
Writing, editing and teaching
Mottino returned to Milan with his wife, soprano Adele Cesarini (born 1829), and continued to perform briefly in Italy.[5] In 1880, he retired from the stage, and that year he founded a literary magazine, L'Utopista, and ran it until 1887, both editing and contributing articles and poetry.[3] He also wrote the librettos for Giovanni Consolini's Il conte di Salto (1894) and Cesare Rossi's I fuggitivi (1896),[4] among others, as well as plays, poetry and novels.[2] He was, for several decades, a teacher of elocution and acting in Milan.[2] Among his pupils were sopranos Enrica Clay Dillon[6] and Marcella Craft.[7]
Mottino died in 1919 at his home in Milan at the age of 85.[1]
References
- ^ a b "Francesco Mottino", Musical Courier, vol. 81, no. 18, 28 October 1920, p. 36
- ^ a b c Cesari, E. Herbert. "Musical Notes from Abroad", The Musical Times, 1 July 1919
- ^ a b c d "Mottino, Francesco", operissimo.com, accessed 27 July 2019 (in German)
- ^ a b Casaglia, Gherardo (2005). "Francesco Mottino". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).
- ^ a b c d e f Gänzl, Kurt. "Faking Francesco: a cross-eyed curriculum vitae", Kurt of Gerolstein, July 28, 2019, accessed July 29, 2019
- ^ "Enrica Clay Dillon, Sang in 1,800 Operas", The New York Times, 10 October 1946, p. 27
- ^ "Marcella Craft Preparing for Important Season", The Musical Leader, vol. 36, no. 1, 4 July 1918, p. 126
