Emilio Eduardo de Gogorza (May 29, 1872May 10, 1949) was an American

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

of Spanish parentage.

Biography

He was born in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, but brought up and trained musically in Spain. He returned to the USA in his early 20s. He sang in many languages, including French, Italian and English, as well as Spanish. Owing to pronounced near-sightedness, he did not appear on the

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

tic stage but became a renowned concert and recital artist instead. De Gogorza recorded prodigiously for the

Victor Talking Machine Company The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer that operated independently from 1901 until 1929, when it was acquired by the Radio Corporation of America and subsequently operated as a subsidia ...

. His records display the intelligence and sensitivity of his singing, as well as a polished vocal technique. Victor released many recordings not only under his own name but under various aliases such as Carlos Francisco and Herbert Goddard. He used these pseudonyms for records issued on Victor's lower priced black label instead of the premium priced Red Seal label for which he usually recorded. In addition to recording, he also served as an early A&R man for Victor. He helped persuade other well-known opera singers to record for the company, including

Enrico Caruso Enrico Caruso (, , ; 25 February 1873 – 2 August 1921) was an Italian operatic first lyrical tenor then dramatic tenor. He sang to great acclaim at the major opera houses of Europe and the Americas, appearing in a wide variety of roles (74) ...

who signed with the label in 1904. Curiously, De Gogorza and Caruso made only one published recording together, a Spanish song entitled "A la luz de la luna" (''In the moonlight'') in 1918. In 1928, De Gogorza recorded the song again, with tenor

Tito Schipa Tito Schipa (; born Raffaele Attilio Amedeo Schipa; 2 January 1889 in Lecce16 December 1965) was an Italian lyric tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice ...

. During this time he also was a professor of voice and music for the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Among his students was Wilbur Evans who in December 1927 won the first Atwater Kent National Radio Audition, winning first prize out of 50,000 contestants. Evans would become a well-known baritone on Broadway and radio, as well as co-starring in London's '' South Pacific'' opposite

Mary Martin Mary Virginia Martin (December 1, 1913 – November 3, 1990) was an American actress and singer. A muse of Rodgers and Hammerstein, she originated many leading roles on stage over her career, including Nellie Forbush in '' South Pacific'' (194 ...

. De Gogorza also taught in retirement; among his pupils were the American composer

Samuel Barber Samuel Osmond Barber II (March 9, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was an American composer, pianist, conductor, baritone, and music educator, and one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century. The music critic Donal Henahan said, "Proba ...

and the noted Philadelphia music critic, Max de Schauensee, who left many affectionate reminiscences of him. He died in 1949 in New York City, from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...

at the age of 74.

Marriages

De Gogorza was first married on 29 October 1896 in Manhattan, New York, New York, to Elsa "Elsie" Neumoegen; (daughter of N. Berthold and Rebecca ivingstoneNeumoegen). On his marriage certificate; Emilio listed his parents as Julis Antonio De Gogorza and Francisca Navarette. His occupation was listed as a "Singer" in the 1900 Census. In 1911, De Gorgoza married

Emma Eames Emma Eames (August 13, 1865 – June 13, 1952) was an American first dramatic soprano, later lyric soprano renowned for the beauty of her voice. She sang major lyric and lyric-dramatic roles in opera and had an important career in New York ...

, the American

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 ...

with whom he toured and also recorded duets for Victor. They were divorced in 1936.

Discography

List of 78RPM recordings available at the Diaz Ayala Collection at Florida International University (FIU) Díaz, Ayala C. Cuba Canta Y Baila: Discografía De La Música Cubana. San Juan, P.R: Fundación Musicalia, 1994. Print. * A la luna (1918) - Victrola 64847 * A la luz de la luna (1928) - Victor 3049 * Absent - Victrola 64628 * All the World Will be Jealous of Me - Victrola 64688 * Beauty's Eyes - Victor 64372 * Benvenuto Cellini De l'Art, Splendeur Inmortelle (1909) - Victor 141 * Blue Bells of Scotland (1908) - Victrola 590 * Caballero de Gracia - Victor 4293 * Carlos Francisco - Victor B-417 * Carmen Chanson du Toréador (1906) - Victrola 88178

References

External links

Emilio de Gogorza recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Degogorza, Emilio 1872 births 1949 deaths Musicians from Brooklyn American operatic baritones American music educators American people of Spanish descent American expatriates in Spain Educators from New York City Classical musicians from New York (state)