Cortis, Antonio

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Cortis, Antonio

Cortis, Antonio , Spanish tenor; b. on a ship between Oran and Altea, Aug. 12, 1891; d. Valencia, April 2, 1952. He went to Madrid, where he sang in the children’s (1901–05) and adult (from 1911) choruses at the Teatro Real; he was soon singing operatic roles in Barcelona and Valencia. He made appearances in South America (from 1917) and in Italy (1919), and was a member of the Chicago Opera (1924–32) and the San Francisco Opera (1925–26). In 1931 he sang at London’s Covent Garden, and from 1935 pursued his career in Spain; he made his farewell appearance as Cavaradossi in Saragossa (1951). Held in high esteem in his home-land, Cortis became known as the Spanish Caruso. Among his most prominent roles were Radames, Canio, Don Jose, Edgardo, and Andrea Chénier.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire