Bassi, Amedeo (Vittorio)
Bassi, Amedeo (Vittorio)
Bassi, Amedeo (Vittorio), Italian tenor; b. Montespertoli, near Florence, July 20, 1874; d. Florence, Jan. 14, 1949. He was a pupil of Pavesi in Florence, where he made his operatic debut in 1897 in Marchetti’s Ruy Blas. He then sang in various Italian opera houses. In 1902 he made his first tour of South America, and in 1908 sang Radamès at the opening of the new Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. On Dec. 19, 1906, he made his U.S. debut in that same role at N.Y’s Manhattan Opera House, remaining on its roster until 1908. In 1907 he made his first appearance at London’s Covent Garden, and also made appearances with the Chicago Grand Opera Co. (1910–16). He made his Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y. on March 2, 1911, as Ramerrez in La Fanciulla del West. After singing at Milan’s La Scala (1921–26), he retired from the operatic stage and sang widely in concerts. He also taught in Florence. His most famous student was Ferruccio Tagliavini. Bassi was particularly known for his roles in Italian operas, but he also sang such Wagnerian roles as Loge, Siegfried, and Parsifal. He created the roles of Lionello in Mascagni’s Arnica (Monte Carlo, March 16, 1905) and Angel Clare in d’Erlanger’s Tess (Naples, April 10, 1906).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire