Sara Scuderi (December 11, 1906 – December 24, 1987) was an Italian

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 ...

singer. She sang widely in Italy and Europe (most notably in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

), having had a seven-year contract 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 ...

, "where she received high praise for her interpretations of the most well-known operas".''Il Bacio di Tosca'' DVD, EMI Classics, 2004

Biography

Born in

Catania Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by ...

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

, Scuderi made her debut at the '' Teatro Lirico Coccia'' in

Novara Novara (, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It is ...

playing Leonora in ''

Il Trovatore ''Il trovatore'' ('The Troubadour') is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto largely written by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play ''El trovador'' (1836) by Antonio García Gutiérrez. It was García Gutiérrez's mos ...

'' (November 1925). Scuderi studied under Matteo Adernò. She was engaged in a seven-year contract with Milan's

Teatro Alla 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 ...

, where she received high praise and partnered with the most famous male artists of her time, including

Beniamino Gigli Beniamino Gigli ( , ; 20 March 1890 – 30 November 1957) was an Italian opera singer (lyric tenor). He is widely regarded as one of the greatest tenors of his generation. Early life Gigli was born in Recanati, in the Marche, the son of a shoem ...

and

Galliano Masini Galliano Masini (7 February 1896 – 15 February 1986) was a leading Italian operatic tenor, particularly associated with the ''spinto'' (lyric-dramatic) roles of the Italian repertory. Masini was born in Livorno in humble circumstances. He stud ...

. Her interpretations of ''

Tosca ''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1 ...

'' are particularly celebrated, with the 1937 production at the Terme di Caracalla, with Beniamino Gigli and Luigi Montesanto being among the best known. Additionally, she premiered the operas ''Il volto della Vergine'' (Ezio Camussi) and ''Giulio Cesare'' ( Malipiero). Scuderi sang in the most important theatres of the day, both in Italy and abroad, particularly in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

, where she signed a seven-year contract and was a major star. She toured several times with

to Brazil and Argentina, where she sang ''Tosca'' with

Giuseppe Lugo Giuseppe is the Italian form of the given name Joseph, from Latin Iōsēphus from Ancient Greek Ἰωσήφ (Iōsḗph), from Hebrew יוסף. It is the most common name in Italy and is unique (97%) to it. The feminine form of the name is Giusep ...

. She retired from the stage at the end of the 1940s. For the latter part of her life, she lived at the ''

Casa di Riposo per Musicisti The Casa di Riposo per Musicisti (literally 'rest home for musicians') is a home for retired opera singers and musicians in Milan, northern Italy, founded by the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi (whose statue is outside the building) in 1896. The bu ...

'', the world's first nursing home for retired opera singers, founded by composer

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

in 1896. Film director

Daniel Schmid Daniel Walter Schmid (26 December 1941 – 5 August 2006) was a Swiss theatre and film director. Biography In 1982, his film '' Hécate'' was entered into the 33rd Berlin International Film Festival. His film '' Beresina, or the Last Days of ...

used Scuderi as a central character in his capture of the essence of the retirement home for these former glories in his '' Il Bacio di Tosca'', in 1984. Scuderi died three years later, in 1987.

References

* Rasponi, Lanfranco ''The Last Prima Donnas'', Alfred A. Knopf,
ClassicalManac entry on the birth of Sara Scuderi

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Scuderi, Sara 1906 births 1987 deaths Musicians from Catania Italian operatic sopranos 20th-century Italian women opera singers