Cotogni, Antonio

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Cotogni, Antonio

Cotogni, Antonio , notable Italian baritone and pedagogue; b. Rome, Aug. 1, 1831; d. there, Oct. 15, 1918. He was a pupil of Fontemaggi and Faldi. After making his operatic debut in Rome in 1852 as Belcore, he sang in various Italian opera centers until joining Milan’s La Scala in 1860. In 1867 he made his debut at London’s Covent Garden as Valentine, and continued to appear there regularly until 1889. He also sang in Paris, Madrid, Lisbon, and Barcelona. From 1893 to 1898 he sang in St. Petersburg, where he also was active as a teacher. Upon returning to Rome, he became a prof. of voice at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia. His repertoire included over 125 roles. Among his students were Jean de Reszke, Battistini, Lauri-Volpi, Gigli, and Stabile.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire