Giovanni Martinelli

Presenter0:00

This is the

Giovanni Martinelli0:01

B B C

Giovanni Martinelli0:04

Hello, I'm Kirsty Young, and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs archive. This is the only extract the BBC has of this edition of Desert Island Discs. For rights reasons we've had to shorten the music. The programme was originally broadcast in nineteen sixty two, and the presenter was Roy Plumley.

Presenter0:22

Mr. Martin Adrian, what son of Italy were you born?

Presenter0:26

A little beautiful city in the province of Padua, in the region of Venezia. Yes. Naturally some incidental visiting singers that came to the little town. But we had a good municipal band and I enjoyed to hear the music. You were in the municipal band? Yes, because you see I study clarinet and become a clariette player.

Giovanni Martinelli0:45

Uh

Speaker 20:51

Yeah.

Presenter0:51

Yes. What was it your first ambition to be?

Presenter0:55

At the very beginning of my um I would say my childhood, I just had to work with my father as a cabinet maker. You started as an apprentice to him then. Of course, and uh with my father in the shop of my father. Exactly. Uh what brought you into being a professional singer?

Giovanni Martinelli1:02

Uh

Presenter1:10

Professional singers order was much later, yeah, much later.

Speaker 31:12

Yeah, no

Presenter1:13

How did it happen? It happened that um at the age of of twenty I've been I've been drafted to the army.

Presenter1:20

And I enroll myself today.

Presenter1:22

A regimental band. In singing some time with the cameras and friends, my bandmaster discovered that I have the quality and the quantity of the voice to be really seriously trained to become a professional singer. What was your first professional engagement? First professional en engagement was Imilano, 1910, in the Rossini Stabat Matter.

Speaker 21:48

Yeah.

Presenter1:49

And I remember that the soprano name was Celestina Bon Insegna. And I tell you that it was a good omen for me because Bon Insena, if I translate in English, means a good sign. And what was your first operatic engagement? First operatic, just two two weeks after, I've been singing Gerdis Hernani.

Giovanni Martinelli2:01

Uh

Presenter2:09

in the Teatro Del Verme is uh correctly, uh December twenty-ninth, nineteen

Presenter2:16

So you you began with a leading part right away.

Presenter2:19

That was your very first appearance.

Giovanni Martinelli2:21

That was

Presenter2:23

Very first appearance as a living part. But going back two years, before I started my training, I sang in my hometown the little part of the messenger in Aida, just for the what we say, for the engagement of three lyrics a performance with the understanding that after I sang my few lines of the messenger, I have to go back in the chorus and go on with the chorus. Yes. But going back to your proper operatic debut, Ernani, this this was a success, was it? It was a I think it was a great success because

Giovanni Martinelli2:55

Yeah.

Presenter3:00

We sang in the short season I sang twenty-two performances of Anani.

Presenter3:04

And shortly afterwards you were in in the first season of The Girl of the Golden West, Buccini's Girl of the Golden West. Buccini yes. That that came six months after that. As a matter of fact it was um in July nineteen eleven in Rome.

Presenter3:18

In Roma.

Presenter3:19

Short story. The tenor was engaged to sing for the first of two performances was Amerio Bassi. But he must rush here to London for the coronation of George the V, I think. So they need the tenor to go on with the other performance. And incidentally, my audition went very well, and Puccini Toscanini chose me to be the next Johnson Sacramento in the Girl of Golden West. In Rome. Well, let's break off at this point for your third record. What shall we have next?

Presenter3:55

That's right, we have a Claudia Muzzio. Claudia Muzzio, well, I've been associated with this lady for many, many years.

Presenter4:02

Uh at the very beginning of my career, in 1912, in Peaso del Verme, we sang enormous

Presenter4:09

Number quantity we say.

Presenter4:12

of Manon Lesco with her. And since then we I think we travel several, several theatres of Italy, even here in London.

Presenter4:21

We sang together. Buenos Aires, New York and many other places. What's she singing on this record?

Speaker 34:29

She's going to sing Traviata.

Speaker 34:32

Adio del pasado.

Speaker 24:59

Yeah.

Presenter5:38

Claudio Muzzio singing Adio del Fasata from Verdi's La Craviata.

Presenter5:44

Now Mr. Martinelli, your first appearance in Rome was in The Girl of the Golden West. When did you first sing Outside Italy?

Presenter5:51

Was it was in the year 1912 in Monte Carlo?

Presenter5:57

Yeah.

Presenter5:59

Bunch of other ways.

Presenter6:00

And Poscra, you remember. Yes, and the same year, as we know, fifty years ago, 1912, you sang for the first time with Kavanaghan.

Presenter6:09

And uh

Presenter6:11

The following year, 1913, wasn't it, you went to the Metropolitan New York? 1913. Was in New York.

Presenter6:17

November 1913, yes. And you stayed there for how many consecutive seasons?

Presenter6:22

At the meta point I was engaged for the

Speaker 36:25

Thirty-three consecutive seasons.

Presenter6:27

Yeah.

Presenter6:29

At the beginning you were there with Caruso. Oh yes, Caruso. As a matter of fact we started here with Caruso together with Caruso at the Covent Garden.

Presenter6:37

Yeah.

Presenter6:39

How many roles have you sung in opera? Oh, y I think the sixty, sixty one or sixty two. Which have you sung the most frequently?

Presenter6:46

The most frequently I think was um

Presenter6:48

Anita?

Presenter6:50

And palihachi. Which is your favorite row? Which to enjoy most?

Presenter6:55

Well, at the top of my career I put

Presenter6:58

I bought on my shoulder

Presenter6:59

Otello. I think that it was Otello that I say is the opera that I like most. Yes. You sang Otello, I remember, in London in 1937 in Coronation Year. You opened the season. Yes, for the Coronation Season. Yes. And that same season you sang in Turendotte with Eva Turner, with whom you've just appeared again on the Carpent Garden stage when she made that presentation to you, Governor. Yes. Well, let's have another record. Let's have number four now.

Presenter7:25

What should we have next?

Presenter7:28

The next writer will be will be Ginnie. Gini il bizet pascheur de parle.

Speaker 27:43

What a

Speaker 28:18

But

Speaker 28:28

For thirty

Presenter8:37

An aria from Bise's The Pearlfishers sung by Benjamino Gili.

Presenter8:42

You still haven't retired, mister Martinelli. You you've made some records quite recently. Yes, sir. A month ago I made

Presenter8:48

I mean that I call um

Presenter8:50

It's solo in the second art of The Girl Who Golden West, which means you'll be in recording for more than 50 years.

Presenter8:57

I think exactly because the the first year the the telecord was here in in London.

Presenter9:01

Have you pupils? Do you do you teach? Yes, yes, or teach?

Giovanni Martinelli9:03

Yeah.

Presenter9:04

I give a few lessons, very few, because I tell you it's very tiring, very tiring to give you know, my pupil

Presenter9:11

Knowing that I was a great singer, they wanted me to sing for them, so they want to to demonstrate.

Presenter9:19

How does the opera world compare with what it was fifty years ago? I is there a much bigger public for opera?

Presenter9:25

The youngster I would say that goes to the opera. He goes to the opera. In fact the metropolitan I see very often young people going around.

Presenter9:34

and uh enthusiastically accepting the the thing they they hear now. I don't can make any

Presenter9:42

Any other remark on that? I was going to ask you, are are the singers and the productions as good or better or worse?

Presenter9:48

They someone can be much better than what they are doing. I would say they don't care to study or to perfect themselves. They are too much in a hurry to have uh the next engagement and and uh consequently the next morning to put in the pocket.

Presenter10:03

You've been an American citizen for many years. Do you go back to Italy often?

Giovanni Martinelli10:06

Yeah.

Presenter10:08

I will be in America for practically uh six, seven months uh the winter season and then you know I will I go back to Italy for rest and join my family.

Presenter10:19

Has your career mapped out the way you wanted? Have you any regrets or if you could have it all over again, would it be would you do it just the same?

Presenter10:26

Well, no not much regret uh what I was doing.

Presenter10:30

and uh achieving

Presenter10:32

But one regret, yes, I have. I feel that I would have liked to be more visiting uh cities in Europe, especially in Italy. I mean to see more in Italy and more in England and Germany, in Austria, even in Russia. I would have liked to go. Yes, yes. Well, we'd like to have seen you more often too. Well, let's have your first record now.

Presenter10:57

What's that going to be for me?

Presenter10:59

The fifth character is Galicozi Merde dinora umbra leggera.

Presenter12:09

I'm Melita Gallicochi singing the shadow song from Dinore, which brings us now to your sixth record, Mr. Martinelli.

Presenter12:16

This is a picture.

Presenter12:18

Well the secret

Presenter12:19

And now the now the sixth cycle, yeah. But I have a skipper. Would I do a skipper?

Presenter12:24

In Chile, Il Lamento de Federico, beautiful area.

Speaker 212:34

Darfi Crossing

Speaker 212:39

Mel

Speaker 213:21

Uh

Speaker 213:23

On the first breath below.

Presenter13:31

Titoskipa singing an aria from La Lesiana by Gilia.

Presenter13:36

Mr. Ardinelli, are you a practical person? Could you look after yourself on a desert island, do you think? If you if you mean about uh food concern, I can cook. You're very cool. I can cook very well. What are you going to cook?

Giovanni Martinelli13:46

Very well.

Presenter13:48

Well, first of all, actually I know how to boil the water, you know. Yes, and that's a good start. That's a good start. Then I can boil rice, I can boil spaghetti, let me know risotto, a la miranese.

Presenter14:01

I can make spaghetti and apolitana.

Presenter14:04

Uh scallopini.

Presenter14:05

I'm coming to eat with you on this island, but where are you getting all this stuff from? Bro, if uh fishing, yes, I if I can go fishing, are you talking about fish? Yes. But don't ask me to peel chicken or or or lamb or anything because.

Giovanni Martinelli14:12

Christian are your dog in education, yes.

Presenter14:19

Then we are short of meat, yeah.

Presenter14:22

You live on your rice and spaghetti and you're not going to tell you where you get it when you have to bring one with us.

Speaker 214:24

You're not going to tell you where you get it. But you have to plan.

Giovanni Martinelli14:27

Big one

Presenter14:29

Let's have record number seven. What next? We have a Caruso. Oh, yes. Oh, our idea Caruso. Yes. He's going to sing Touque Non Quanye, an Apointa song by The Curtis.

Speaker 214:40

Turn off the hierarchy

Speaker 215:00

Oh, God, the anyatyanya.

Speaker 215:11

The salad of the fire to fire the fire.

Speaker 215:25

Yeah.

Presenter15:33

Caroza singing a Neapolitan song Du Kanuki.

Presenter15:37

Now what's your last one, Getvin Smartinette? Last one will be Rosa Poncel singing

Presenter15:43

Ernani involemi from the opera Ernani by Verbi.

Presenter16:47

An audio from A Nani sung by Rose Up on Sale.

Presenter16:51

Very eight records, mister Martinelli. If you could only have one, which would it be?

Presenter16:57

Very difficult for me to

Presenter16:59

Take the choice and

Presenter17:01

I think I would take Caruso to Canumpia.

Presenter17:04

Right.

Presenter17:05

And you're allowed to take on the island as well as your aid record one luxury, anything that you would like to have.

Presenter17:11

Well Raincoat

Presenter17:13

The weather's very good on this island.

Presenter17:19

Or a British umbrella?

Giovanni Martinelli17:19

I'm not sure if that's it.

Presenter17:23

It's much better on the island than it is here. Now you have in mind a little start with

Presenter17:30

Bronze Statue, beautiful statue the

Presenter17:33

Verochius

Presenter17:35

David. Yes. Where is it? In Ferenci.

Giovanni Martinelli17:39

Number of numbers.

Presenter17:41

and one book apart from the Bible and Shakespeare.

Presenter17:45

I I think I would pick Dantes Inferno.

Presenter17:48

So in that in that book I can choose all the the the punishment that I feel I have to to take in the future.

Presenter17:57

So thank you Giovanni Martinelli for letting us hear your choice of Desert Island Disc. Very enjoyed myself. Well I thank you and I say goodbye to everyone, all the listeners. Goodbye everyone.

Speaker 217:58

Thank you.

Giovanni Martinelli18:02

Very enjoyable.

Giovanni Martinelli18:09

You've been listening to a podcast from the Desert Island Discs Archive. For more podcasts, please visit bbc.co.uk slash radio four.

Presenter18:19

This is the BBC.