Amalia Paoli y Marcano ( 1861–1941) was a notable Puerto Rican
soprano
A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...
. She was the sister of
tenor
A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...
Antonio Paoli
Antonio Paoli (14 April 1871 – 24 August 1946) was a Puerto Rican tenor. At the height of his fame, he was known as "The King of Tenors and The Tenor of Kings." He is considered to be the first Puerto Rican to reach international fame i ...
and of
Olivia Paoli
Olivia Paoli (1855–1942), born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, was a Puerto Rican suffragist and activist who fought for the rights of women in Puerto Rico. She was the sister of Antonio Paoli, a opera tenor and of Amalia Paoli, a soprano.
Civic care ...
, a suffragist and activist who fought for the rights of women.
First years
Amalia Paoli was born in
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce (, , , ) is both a city and a municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.
Ponce, Puerto Rico's most populated city outside the San Juan metropolitan area, was founded on 12 August 1 ...
. She was the daughter of Domingo Paoli Marcatentti, born in
Corsica
Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...
, and Amalia Marcano Intriago, who was originally from
Pampatar
Pampatar is a city on Isla Margarita, Nueva Esparta State, Venezuela. It is located in the Maneiro Municipality.
Pampatar lies 10 km (6 mi) northeast of Porlamar.
A coastal town which was founded 1552. Its strategic importance become ...
,
Isla Margarita
Margarita Island (, ) is the largest island in the Venezuelan state of Nueva Esparta, situated off the northeastern coast of the country, in the Caribbean Sea. The capital city of Nueva Esparta, La Asunción, is located on the island.
History
...
in Venezuela. Amalia Paoli's parents met in
Caracas
Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...
, and immediately fell in love; however, Amalia's father, a rich landlord, was opposed to the relationship because of class differences, therefore the young couple escaped to the
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...
without getting married and later returned to Puerto Rico. The couple established themselves in the city of
Yauco
Yauco () is a town and municipality in southern Puerto Rico. Although the downtown is inland, the municipality stretches to a southern coast facing the Caribbean Sea. Yauco is located south of Maricao, Lares and Adjuntas; east of Sabana Grande ...
, but later moved into a house, given to them by Amalia's aunt, Teresa Intriago, located at one of the main arteries in the city of Ponce's urban core, Calle Mayor (Mayor Street), House No. 14. Ponce at the time was the financial and cultural capital of the island, thereby the ideal place for the initial cultural development of Paoli. In fact, his parents would often take her to operas at Ponce's
Teatro La Perla
Teatro La Perla is a historic theater in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Inaugurated in 1864, it is the second oldest theater of its kind in Puerto Rico, but "the largest and most historic in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean." The theater was name ...
located a block away from Paoli's residence.
Debut
Paoli first broke into the public eye with performances at Teatro La Perla. In 1880, when only 19 years old, she performed at La Perla in
Emilio Arrieta
Juan Pascual Antonio Arrieta Corera (20 October 1821 – 11 February 1894), also known as Emilio Arrieta, was a Spanish composer.
Arrieta was born in Puente la Reina, Navarre. His Italian musical training led him, under the favour of Queen ...
's opera ''Marina''.
[Santos, p. 6]
Move to Europe
Paoli succeeded in catching the eye of what historian and Puerto Rico
state historic preservation officer
The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is a state governmental function created by the United States federal government in 1966 under Section 101 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). The purposes of a SHPO include surveying an ...
Juan Llanes Santos described as "well-connected people", who moved the young woman to Spain in 1883, where she auditioned for
Isabel de Borbon.
The sister of
the King and
Princess of Asturias
Prince or Princess of Asturias ( es, link=no, Príncipe/Princesa de Asturias; ast, Príncipe d'Asturies) is the main substantive title used by the heir apparent or heir presumptive to the monarchy of Spain, throne of Spain. According to the Sp ...
, Isabel provided her
patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...
to Paoli, securing singing lessons for her from Napoleon Verger who was, according to Santos, "the most famous singing teacher at the time in Madrid, Napoleon Verger."
Paoli immediately brought her younger siblings to live with her, and, in 1896, with the assistance of the Royal family, secured a royal scholarship for her brother
Antonio
Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...
that would turn him into a world-renowned tenor.
Later years and death
In the early 1920s, Paoli moved back to Puerto Rico where she founded a music school in
Santurce called the ''Academia Paoli''. There, she joined her sister in the ''Suffragist Social League''; she and her sister were among a number of renowned women artists to do so.
Paoli died in 1941. She was buried at the Puerto Rico Memorial Cemetery in
Carolina, Puerto Rico
Carolina (; ) is a city and municipality located on the northeast coast of Puerto Rico. It lies immediately east of the capital San Juan and Trujillo Alto; north of Gurabo and Juncos; and west of Canóvanas and Loíza. Carolina is spread ove ...
.
Legacy
Paoli is recognized in Ponce at the
Park of the Illustrious Ponce Citizens, and a street was named after her in
Toa Baja, Puerto Rico
Toa Baja (, ) is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the northern coast, north of Toa Alta and Bayamón; east of Dorado; and west of Cataño. Toa Baja is spread over five barrios, including Toa Baja Pueblo (the downtown area and ...
.
See also
*
List of Puerto Ricans
*
History of women in Puerto Rico
The recorded history of Puerto Rican women can trace its roots back to the era of the ''Taíno'', the indigenous people of the Caribbean, who inhabited the island that they called "Boriken" before the arrival of Spaniards. During the Spanish c ...
References
Notes
Sources
*
*Santos, Juan Llanes (Historian and State Historic Preservation Officer, Certifying Officer, State Historic Preservation Office (San Juan, Puerto Rico). August 11, 2009. In ''National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Registration Form –
Casa Paoli
Casa Paoli (English: Paoli House) is a historic house and biographical museum in barrio Cuarto, Ponce, Puerto Rico, in the Ponce Historic Zone. The house is significant as the birthplace of Antonio Paoli (1871–1946), a tenor who was the "fir ...
''. United States Department of the Interior. National Park Service. (Washington, D.C.) Listing Reference Number 09000769.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paoli, Amalia
Puerto Rican operatic sopranos
1942 deaths
1861 births
Singers from Ponce
Puerto Rican people of Corsican descent