Amato, Pasquale
Amato, Pasquale
Amato, Pasquale, remarkable Italian baritone; b. Naples, March 21, 1878; d. N.Y., Aug. 12, 1942. He studied at the Naples Cons. (1896–99). In 1900 he made his operatic debut as Germont at the Teatro Bellini in Naples, and then sang in other Italian music centers. In 1904 he sang Amonasro at his debut at London’s Covent Garden. In 1907-08 he appeared at Milan’s La Scala. On Nov. 20, 1908, he made his Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y. as Germont, and quickly established himself as one of its principal members, remaining on its roster until 1918 and returning there from 1919 to 1921, excelling in all the major Italian roles as well as several French and German. On Dec. 10, 1910, he created the role of Jack Ranee in La Fanciulla del West there. After his retirement, he taught voice in N.Y. In 1933 he came out of retirement to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his Metropolitan Opera debut with a gala appearance at N.Y/s Hippodrome. Amato’s extraordinary vocal prowess was equaled by his dramatic versatility, which ran the gamut from serious to comic roles.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire