![NinaMorgana1921Caricature](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/NinaMorgana1921Caricature.png)
Nina Morgana (November 15, 1891 – July 8, 1986) was an American soprano, a protégée of
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 sang with the
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...
for fifteen seasons, from 1920 to 1935. She was of Italian descent.
Early life
Nina Morgana was born and raised in
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...
, the daughter of Sicilian immigrants Calogero (Charles) and Concetta Morgana.
["The James A. Drake Interviews: Nina Morgana"](_blank)
''Mainspring Press'' blog (April 20, 2018). She was a child performer in the "Venice in America" exhibit at the
Pan-American Exposition
The Pan-American Exposition was a World's Fair held in Buffalo, New York, United States, from May 1 through November 2, 1901. The fair occupied of land on the western edge of what is now Delaware Park, extending from Delaware Avenue to Elmwood A ...
in 1901.
["Nina Morgana, Singer, Toured with Caruso"](_blank)
''New York Times'' (July 11, 1986): 18. In 1906, she sang at a concert in Buffalo to benefit the survivors of the
San Francisco earthquake
At 05:12 Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday, April 18, 1906, the coast of Northern California was struck by a major earthquake with an estimated moment magnitude of 7.9 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (''Extreme''). High-intensity sha ...
that year. After an audition with
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) ...
when he was in Buffalo to perform a concert, Caruso sent a letter on her behalf to the retired soprano
Teresa Arkel
Teresa Arkel (1861 or 1862 – July 1929), born Therese Blumenfeld, was a Ukrainian-born, Austrian-trained opera singer, based in Milan.
Early life
Therese Blumenfeld was born in Lemberg, now Lviv, Ukraine, the daughter of Emanuel Blumenfeld. ...
, who accepted the young Morgana as a student at her estate in
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
. Morgana studied voice with Arkel from 1909 to 1913.
["Nina Morgana; Diva Who Sang with Caruso"](_blank)
''Los Angeles Times'' (July 12, 1986).
The soprano's siblings included Dante J. Morgana, M.D., a prominent eye surgeon based in Buffalo, Charles Morgana, a
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...
executive selected personally by Henry Ford, and David Morgana, who became a
Trappist monk
The Trappists, officially known as the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance ( la, Ordo Cisterciensis Strictioris Observantiae, abbreviated as OCSO) and originally named the Order of Reformed Cistercians of Our Lady of La Trappe, are a ...
.
Career
During her vocal training in Italy, Teresa Arkel recommended her to conductor
Tullio Serafin
Tullio Serafin (1 September 18782 February 1968) was an Italian conductor and former Musical Director at La Scala.
Biography
Tullio Serafin was a leading Italian opera conductor with a long career and a very broad repertoire who revived many 19t ...
for the small role of the Forest Bird in a production of ''
Siegfried
Siegfried is a German-language male given name, composed from the Germanic elements ''sig'' "victory" and ''frithu'' "protection, peace".
The German name has the Old Norse cognate ''Sigfriðr, Sigfrøðr'', which gives rise to Swedish ''Sigfrid' ...
'' at the
Teatro Dal Verme. She appeared in the premiere of ''
Der Rosenkavalier
(''The Knight of the Rose'' or ''The Rose-Bearer''), Op. 59, is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from the novel ''Les amours du chevalier de Faublas'' ...
'' at
La Scala
La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...
in 1911.
In 1917–1918, Morgana was a frequent assisting artist (the classical-music equivalent of a secondary role on the stage or in films) with Enrico Caruso during his North American concert tours.
She was with the
Chicago Opera
Lyric Opera of Chicago is one of the leading opera companies in the United States. It was founded in Chicago in 1954, under the name 'Lyric Theatre of Chicago' by Carol Fox, Nicola Rescigno and Lawrence Kelly, with a season that included Maria ...
in the 1919–1920 season. She sang with the
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...
from 1920 to 1935, making her debut as Gilda in ''
Rigoletto
''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play ''Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had cont ...
''.
Her other best-known roles were Amina in ''
La Sonnambula
''La sonnambula'' (''The Sleepwalker'') is an opera semiseria in two acts, with music in the '' bel canto'' tradition by Vincenzo Bellini set to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani, based on a scenario for a ''ballet-pantomime'' written by Eug ...
'', Nedda in ''
Pagliacci
''Pagliacci'' (; literal translation, "Clowns") is an Italian opera in a prologue and two acts, with music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo. The opera tells the tale of Canio, actor and leader of a commedia dell'arte theatrical company, who m ...
'', Musetta in ''
La bohème
''La bohème'' (; ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions ''quadri'', ''tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe G ...
'', and Micaela in ''
Carmen
''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...
''.
She also gave concerts, including live radio concerts.
In 1926 Morgana sued
Chadwick Pictures
Chadwick Pictures was an American film production and distribution company active during the silent and early sound eras. It was originally established in New York by Isaac E. Chadwick (1884 – 1952) in 1920 to release films, but from 1924 als ...
for a silent film called ''
The Midnight Girl
''The Midnight Girl'' is a 1925 American drama film directed by Wilfred Noy and starring Lila Lee and featuring Béla Lugosi.[Dolores Cassinelli
Dolores Cassinelli (July 4, 1888 – April 26, 1984) was an American film actress and singer. She appeared in 69 films between 1911 and 1925.
Born in New York City, Cassinelli and her family moved to Chicago. Her parents put her in a conven ...](_blank)
as "debauched" and "passé".
Personal life
In 1921, Nina Morgana married Bruno Zirato, Caruso's secretary and later general manager of the
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...
, where he also served as personal representative of conductor
Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orch ...
. Caruso, who was in Italy recuperating from a serious illness when Morgana and Zirato were married, served as best man in absentia at their wedding. Caruso suffered a sudden relapse and died in his native
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
on August 2, 1921, only weeks after the wedding. Bruno Zirato died in November, 1972;
"Bruno Zirato, 88, Caruso Aide Who Headed Philharmonic, Dies"
''New York Times'' (November 30, 1972). Nina Morgana died in Ithaca, New York
Ithaca is a city in the Finger Lakes region of New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, Ithaca is the seat of Tompkins County and the largest community in the Ithaca metropolitan statistical area. It is named a ...
in 1986, aged 94 years, survived by her son, Bruno Zirato Jr. (1922-2008), a television producer with Goodson-Todman Associates.
References
External links
Nina Morgana Zirato's gravesite
on Find a Grave.
Two 1920 recordings of Nina Morgana
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 ...
; Discography of American Historical Recordings, University of California at Santa Barbara Libraries.
A 1915 photograph of Nina Morgana
in the Bain News Service photograph collection, Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...
.
A 1926 portrait of Nina Morgana
by Nickolas Muray
Nickolas Muray (born Miklós Mandl; 15 February 1892 – 2 November 1965) was a Hungarian-born American photographer and Olympic saber fencer.
Early and personal life
Muray was born in Szeged, Hungary, and was History of the Jews in Hungary, Je ...
, from Condé Nast
Condé Nast () is a global mass media company founded in 1909 by Condé Montrose Nast, and owned by Advance Publications. Its headquarters are located at One World Trade Center in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan.
The company's media ...
.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morgana, Nina
1891 births
1986 deaths
American opera singers
20th-century American singers