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Ancona was still in good vocal shape when he elected to retire from the stage in 1916. World War One was then reaching its height in Europe, and Ancona was singing with the
Chicago opera company at the time. In retirement, he devoted himself to teaching. He died of lung cancer in Florence, Italy, on
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theatre, where he was complimented by
Bernhardt in person for his impressive singing. The illustrious French actress was not alone in her admiration for Ancona's vocal artistry. Music critics on both sides of the Atlantic commended Ancona on his elegant singing style and beautiful voice, with its
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The fact that Ancona was able to establish himself as a major singer in the face of intense competition from a host of other first-class baritones is a testament to his sheer quality as a vocalist. His main
Italian rivals in the period between his debut in 1889 and the outbreak of
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called him the best-schooled
Italian baritone of his era. His histrionic skills were less developed however, and he was not considered to be an especially imaginative or exciting interpretive artist. Physically, he was said to resemble King
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Ancona would appear regularly at Covent Garden until 1901, being held in high esteem by London audiences. He also sang as a guest artist in Cairo, Lisbon, Madrid, Warsaw, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Chicago, Boston and Buenos Aires.
126:, Tuscany, on 28 February 1860. After embarking on a business career he decided to study voice with a local singing teacher named Matteini in his native city of Livorno. Later, he took lessons from Giuseppe Cima in Milan.
133:—from which many of the ensuing appearance dates, venues and career highlights are taken—his earliest known professional appearance in an opera did not occur until 1889, when he sang the role of Scindia in
355:, Ancona's smooth, fluent and refined method of singing pre-dated the verismo movement. His style and technique were particularly well suited to the operas of Verdi, and to the bel canto works composed by
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in 1907–08. Twenty of his Victor recordings are now available on CD transfers (see below). They consist of several songs as well as operatic arias and duets by Verdi, Bellini, Donizetti,
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first engaged him in 1893. He sang successfully at the Met until 1897, when he went back to Europe. In 1906–1908, he returned to New York—this time to join the
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singing. He appeared at some of the most important opera houses in Europe and
America during what is commonly referred to as the "Golden Age of Opera".
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23 February 1931. An extensive collection of documents, photographs and other items relating to Ancona's career is preserved at
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381:). Ancona's repertoire of Verdi parts included Germont, Di Luna, Rigoletto, Amonasro and Iago, as well as Don Carlos in
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and, as we have seen, Massenet, performing such parts as Nevers, Hoël, Scindia, Escamillo, Zurga and
Valentin.
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was singled out for particular praise by newspaper reviewers and the
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easy top register and open-throated emission of homogeneous tone. Indeed, the great tenor
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On 21 May 1892, Ancona was asked to create the part of Silvio in the first performance of
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Ancona is reputed to have made his debut as an amateur singer in 1880; but according to
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Fortunately, however, Ancona's thoroughbred voice lives on in a series of
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conducting. The next year, he appeared in the first London performance of
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Ancona also undertook roles composed by
Leoncavallo (Silvio and Tonio),
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in
Trieste. Not long afterwards, he appeared in another Massenet opera,
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Mario Ancona
Collection (ARS.0012), Stanford Archive of Recorded Sound
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186:. On this occasion, however, he sang the role of Tonio. (Soprano
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which he made during the first decade of the 20th century for
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of England because of his pointed beard and ample waistline.
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in direct rivalry to the Met. His suave interpretation of
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Ancona sang in Paris in 1908, and again in 1914, at the
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Mario Ancona: the complete Victor recordings (1907–08)
497:, 2nd edition, (Oxford University Press, London, 1980)
488:The Grand Tradition: 70 Years of Singing on Record
351:According to the critic Michael Scott, author of
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447:'s Archive of Recorded Sound in California.
458:in 1905–06 and, more rewardingly, for the
79:Learn how and when to remove this message
483:, volume one, (Duckworth, London, 1977)
495:The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera
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131:The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera
493:Rosenthal, Harold and Warrack, John,
438:Retirement, death and recorded legacy
194:were also in the high-quality cast.)
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500:Miller, Jeffery, liner notes for
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149:, at Italy's principal theatre—
515:Works by or about Mario Ancona
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418:(Don Giovanni and Figaro) and
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