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146:. While serving as a second-lieutenant in the King of Sardinia's Royal Guards in Turin, he became interested in politics and held meetings to debate the unification of the Italian Peninsula. He spent his own money to support this unpopular political movement, and he found himself in financial trouble. His father, who opposed his youngest son's political view, refused to support or help Mario. On 24 November 1836, Mario was expelled from the army and escaped by sea with his comrades to the French coast.
31:
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460:, for example at the Birmingham Festival of 1849 and at the Hereford Festival of 1855. He also undertook a string of concert tours around the United Kingdom. In about the year 1849, he acquired the "Villa Salviati" in Florence. At his salon, he received many distinguished cultural figures and members of the European nobility.
600:
works up in an estate sale in London before he relocated to Italy. Most of his art collection and the other contents of the estate sale were acquired by the
British family of the fiancé of his daughter Rita following her death. Most of the paintings he acquired with Grisi remain in the private collection of
611:
The main family house, called
Palazzo de Candia, is nearby. It had been owned by his father don Stephano, Marquis of Candia. According to the rules of Sardinian nobility, the highest rank (nobiliary title) and main residence pass to the oldest male in line; thus, the Palazzo de Candia passed on to
607:
In 1847 Mario bought a house in
Sardinia, where his mother lived with his brother Carlo until he got married. The property is situated in Cagliari Old Town (Castello), in Contrada S. Caterina 1 (now via Canelles). After his death, the house passed down to his daughters. This house is now a part of
599:
Unfortunately, by the end of his life, he had spent most of the funds in his daughters' dowries, and he had used the remaining funds to partially self-finance his last tour of the
Americas. Nevertheless, he maintained a large art collection that he had accumulated together with Grisi. He put these
351:
surpassed the renown he had won in French opera, and he soon acquired a Europe-wide reputation for the beauty of his singing and the elegance of his bearing. He possessed a handsome face and a lithe figure; he liked to show off his legs in tights. His lyrical voice, though less dazzling than that of
170:
to meet one of his brothers-in-law, Lieutenant Roych. Roych had arranged for Mario to have a secret meeting with his mother, the
Marchioness of Candia. The marchioness provided Mario with gold coins and clothing sufficient for him to escape to the French capital. He intended to return to Turin after
463:
In 1854, he toured
America with Giulia Grisi, earning both money and adulation during their trans-Atlantic jaunt. Mario could not marry Grisi because she was already married to Gérard de Melcy. Although Grisi and de Melcy were separated, divorce was not permitted by the Catholic Church in Italy nor
575:
where the Tsar used to pay them in gold coins. During their extensive tours in France and
England they were paid handsomely in the currency of the time. They had also accumulated a great deal of jewelry—diamonds and other precious stones—as gifts from admiring kings and queens of Europe. Their
755:
Kühnhold 1998, p. 539. The aria originally was in two parts, an
Andante and Marche. Apparently Mario only sang the Scène and Andante. It seems likely that the first singer to perform both parts was Chris Merritt in 1988 in a concert performance of the opera at Carnegie Hall in New York with Eve
186:. Being also Italians in exile, they showed Count Giovanni M. de Candia kindness and hospitality and were instrumental in the launching his singing career. At the princess's parties, Giovanni Mario began to entertain with his singing while meeting many celebrities of the time, among them
551:. Financial difficulties beset him at times, due to his habitual extravagance. It is said that he used to smoke cigars habitually, even when taking a bath. He continued to entertain the rich and famous at social gatherings. He was a frequent guest at the
127:
In order to free himself from the burdensome ancestral traditions which he had inherited, and to mitigate his father's opposition to a member of the high-born De Candia family pursuing a 'lowly' musical career, the budding singer adopted the
472:. The child was acknowledged by Castlereagh with the name Frederick Ormsby. He was later recognized as an adoptive son through his mother's marriage to Mario; he was known as Frederick Ormsby de Candia, socially styled as Fredo de Candia.
512:. Grisi died during their mid-trip stop in Berlin, but Mario went on to sing for the Tsar at the St. Petersburg theatre. Following their mother's death, his daughters were put under the care of tutors appointed by their godmother, the
221:(who was from a noble Piedmontese family and one of his father's old friends) became one of Mario's most helpful financial supporters. The marquess also served as mentor to Mario while he was making the transition to a musical career.
903:: The First Singers of Robert and the 'Mario-Aria' at the Beginning of Act 2 (1998)", written for the Meyerbeer Fan Club, 15 May 1998. Reprinted, as revised by Robert Letellier on 28 July 2007, in Letellier 2007, pp. 534–542.
706:"The Romance of a Great Singer, a Memoir of Mario", based on historical records of count Giovanni M. de Candia by Mrs. Godfrey Pearse & Frank Hird. Edt. Smith, Elder & Co. 1910, 15 Waterloo Place, City of London, UK
562:
A benefit concert was staged for Mario in London in 1878, and collections reached £4,000, which provided a pension for the singer. He died in Rome in 1883 and was buried in his home town, Cagliari, in 1884.
627:, or possibly by Mario's brother Carlo himself. Carlo had studied architecture in Turin together with Cima. On the first floor, there are halls with some frescoes and a terrace with scenic views of the
135:
as his stage name when he made his debut on 30 November 1838. Sometimes, however, he is referred to in print by the fuller appellation of "Giovanni Mario", and he is also called "Mario de Candia".
720:
De Candia, "The
Romance of a Great Singer" 1910: Italian edition: "Il Romanzo di un celebre Tenore. Ricordi di Mario" (Le Monnier, Firenze 1913). This book, however, contains many factual errors.
292:. With the splendid quality of his singing and his dashing stage presence, he hoped to perform in other places. In 1839 he first sang in London, achieving instant success in Donizetti's
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285:. Meyerbeer provided a new recitative and aria for him in the second act (the "Mario-Aria"). Mario's performance generated great excitement, and "a new star was born".
559:
of Italy, herself an artist and a great lover of music. After Mario's death, his legacy was kept alive by a fund for opera singing education in his honor and name.
513:
821:
765:
Pleasants, p. ?, for an account of Mario's international career and the extent of the adulation accorded to him by audiences during the
Victorian Era
658:
453:
in London and the Théâtre Italien in Paris were the scenes of most of his stage triumphs. He sang in London from 1847 until 1867, and again during 1871.
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490:, married Godfrey Pearse, an Englishman, and became a writer, recounting her parents' careers in one of her books "The Romance of a Great Singer";
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Family portraits, don Stefano, marquis de Candia, and donna Caterina, marquess de Candia, by Hirts from book: "The Romance of a Tenor"
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joint fortune was estimated to be over 600 gold-bars, equivalent to 12 million US dollars in today's currency. They owned a home near
539:
213:
Soon Mario was made welcome in Parisian salons and in the city's radical milieu. He was especially welcomed at the salon events of
142:, where he studied at the Royal Military Academy. Among his fellow students at the academy was the future Prime Minister of Italy,
217:, where he was appreciated as an amateur tenor. For a time he earned his living by giving fencing and horseriding lessons. The
364:, who was born in 1856 and therefore could not have heard Mario in his prime, remarked that Mario's singing featured a marked
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915:
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During his singing career, Mario and Grisi both accumulated a significant fortune, particularly at their assignments at the
469:
275:. During that trip, he sang in fashionable quartets at Bridgewater House with the British gentleman B. Mitford, father of
138:
Mario's decision to become a professional singer arose accidentally. He was 12 years old when he moved from Cagliari to
659:
https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp82667/giovanni-matteo-de-candia-mario?search=sas&sText=de+candia
360:, was described as having grace and a beguiling, velvety softness that made it unique. The music critic and playwright
615:
It is located at the bottom of Via dei Genovesi, where until the 16th century the Pisan town walls stood, between the
592:. Mario's finances were entrusted to the Rothschild & Cie Banque in Paris, France, and eventually transferred to
108:, while his father don Stefano, Marquess de Candia, held the ranks of military general, and Royal Governor General of
930:
893:
729:
Letter by Giovanni De Candia to his brother Carlo, October 24, 1836, University (State) Library of Cagliari, section
1049:
841:
985:
Convenienze e inconvenienze tra Verdi e il tenore Mario", in Nuova Rivista Musicale Italiana, Rome Ed. RAI-ERI.
17:
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for a production in Paris. In established roles, Mario's greatest performances were as the title character in
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encouraged him to become a singer. He took singing lessons from two former tenors, now teachers, Frenchman
162:. There he stayed for a few weeks at the cottage of an English fisherman named Captain Davis, a friend of
669:
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in France. Eventually she married Mario in London, England. Before meeting Mario, Grisi had had a son by
248:
While exiled in Paris, Mario became widely known for his exceptionally fine natural voice. The composer
783:
Krasovskaya V.M. Балет Ленинграда: Академический театр оперы и балета им. С.М. Кирова. Leningrad, 1961.
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of his era, he was lionized by audiences in Paris and London. He was the partner of the opera singer
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88:(Sir) in the Kingdom of Sardinia and subsequently the Kingdom of Italy. His family belonged to the
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Mario's older brother. Eventually, that property became the home of his brother Carlo and family.
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685:, not with other titles. On the origin and title of his family see also Floris and Serra 1986
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279:. The young tenor made his opera debut there on 30 November 1838 as the hero of Meyerbeer's
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In the baptismal register of Mario in Cagliari cathedral, Mario's father is called only
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Mario created few operatic parts, the most notable being that of Ernesto in Donizetti's
199:
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Soon after this, the young nobleman travelled as a fugitive disguised as a comedian. In
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52:(17 October 1810 – 11 December 1883), was an Italian opera singer. The most celebrated
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a few months to resume his studies at the military academy as his father expected.
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From 1841 Mario and Grisi lived together. The acclaim which Mario received in
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De Candia family, client records, Rothschild Bank Archive, London UK, 1848 |
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158:, he landed with his comrades at a fishermen's town on the French coast near
260:. Mario proved so gifted that he was swiftly offered an engagement with the
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Jules Janin, "Journal des débats politiques et littéraires", 21 March 1837.
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Il tenore gentiluomo. La vera storia di Mario (Giovanni Matteo De Candia)
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965:. Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 722.
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Despite achieving immediate success, he chose not to stay long at the
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482:, the eldest surviving daughter, never married and became a reporter.
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in 1871, but his last performances were concerts in a US tour with
457:
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973:, London: Richard Bentley and Son, 1886, pp. 332 and 336–337.
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He spent his last years in Rome, where he was a friend of Prince
365:
271:, an acquaintance and frequent visitor at Mario's family home in
30:
657:
National Portrait Gallery | Giovanni Matteo de Candia (Mario) |
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Mario also made occasional appearances elsewhere in England in
104:. His relatives and parents were members of the Royal Court of
696:
https://archive.org/details/romanceofgreatsi00peariala/page/20
923:
The Great Singers: From the Dawn of Opera to Our Present Time
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At the same time he travelled to London by invitation of the
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Mario and Grisi had six daughters (three died as children):
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166:'s. Then, disguised as a French fisherman, he travelled to
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near Florence, as well as a cottage for Mario's mother in
508:, for Mario to perform at the Italian Opera House at the
224:
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regularly performed. His first appearance there was as
881:
Forbes, Elizabeth (1992), "Mario, Giovanni Matteo" in
504:
In 1869, Mario and Grisi were traveling from Paris to
377:(1843). However, he sang in the première of Rossini's
306:, where Grisi and other illustrious singers including
737:, online edition by Società Araldica Italiana, p. 57.
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and the Lion Towers. The façade was designed in the
831:Land Register in the Archivio di Stato, Cagliari.
670:Official list of Sardinian noble families in 1896
356:and not as powerful as that of his younger rival
1026:
910:. Newcastle, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
872:The romance of a great singer; a memoir of Mario
534:
38:in the 1850s at the Italian Opera House of the
869:De Candia, Cecilia Pearse; Frank Hird (1910),
555:where he could be found casually singing with
500:, a Welshman, and became a watercolour artist;
875:. London: Smith and Elder & Co., on the
567:His fortune and the De Candia ancestral seat
906:Letellier, Robert Ignatius. Editor (2007).
298:. There he met the famous Italian soprano
387:for him to sing in the main tenor aria in
976:Floris, Francesco; Sergio Serra (1986),
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899:Kühnhold, Wolfgang (1998). "Meyerbeer's
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1055:19th-century Italian male opera singers
1004:Works by or about Giovanni Matteo Mario
798:, (Downey, London 1899), II, pp. 133-34
14:
1027:
811:, Isaac Pitman & Sons, London 1909
225:Operatic career and liaison with Grisi
709:
96:nobility and aristocracy, within the
733:. Alberico Lo Faso di Serradifalco,
523:Mario bade farewell to the stage at
470:Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh
925:. New York: Simon & Schuster.
24:
1013:De Candia family tree (in Italian)
946:, London: Richard Bentley and Son.
543:A late portrait of Mario De Candia
149:
25:
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997:
72:, Sardinia on 17 October 1810 as
978:Storia della nobiltà in Sardegna
27:Italian opera singer (1810-1883)
942:Beale, Thomas Willaert (1890),
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735:I Sardi di Vittorio Emanuele I
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182:of the Prince and Princess of
13:
1:
888:, ed. Stanley Sadie (London)
885:New Grove Dictionary of Opera
639:
514:Grand Duchess Maria of Russia
277:Barty Mitford, Lord Redesdale
63:
980:, Cagliari, Ed. della Torre.
623:, possibly by the architect
535:Retirement, death and legacy
215:Princess Cristina Belgiojoso
76:; his inherited titles were
7:
993:, Varese, Zecchini editore.
908:Giacomo Meyerbeer: A Reader
634:
10:
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316:Fanny Tacchinardi Persiani
842:"Palazzo De Candia Today"
594:N M Rothschild & Sons
468:, a nephew of the famous
352:the older virtuoso tenor
122:Charles Felix of Sardinia
74:Giovanni Matteo de Candia
46:Giovanni Matteo De Candia
921:Pleasants, Henry (1966),
809:Reminiscences of my Life
756:Queler as the conductor.
518:Imperial Academy of Arts
383:, and Verdi wrote a new
354:Giovanni Battista Rubini
320:Giovanni Battista Rubini
1050:Italian operatic tenors
962:Encyclopædia Britannica
956:"Mario, Giuseppe"
944:The Light of Other Days
672:at page 7 (in Italian).
580:in Paris, a mansion in
487:Cecilia Maria de Candia
412:Il Barbiere di Siviglia
989:Todde, Felice (2016),
983:Todde, Felice (2012),
774:Also spelled "Pearse".
544:
466:Lord Frederick Stewart
245:
234:
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969:Engel, Louis (1886),
795:Gossip of the Century
542:
516:and president of the
445:and many others. The
302:. He then joined the
240:
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180:"l'hôtel particulier"
34:Portrait of Mario as
33:
1045:People from Cagliari
971:From Mozart to Mario
596:in London, England.
498:Arthur Powys-Vaughan
602:Sir John Aird, Bart
520:in St. Petersburg.
362:George Bernard Shaw
241:Grisi and Mario in
168:San Lorenzo al Mare
114:Kingdom of Sardinia
98:Kingdom of Sardinia
1018:2012-02-27 at the
621:neoclassical style
584:, London, and the
545:
269:Duke of Wellington
246:
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204:Alessandro Manzoni
124:(house of Savoy).
68:Mario was born in
43:
916:978-1-84718-388-0
807:Charles Santley,
792:Mrs. Pitt Byrne,
608:a nuns' convent.
573:Mariinsky Theatre
510:Mariinsky Theater
447:Royal Opera House
324:Antonio Tamburini
250:Giacomo Meyerbeer
219:Marquess of Brême
178:he was hosted at
40:Mariinsky Theatre
16:(Redirected from
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1008:Internet Archive
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506:Saint Petersburg
494:Clelia de Candia
358:Enrico Tamberlik
341:L'elisir d'amore
312:Henriette Sontag
282:Robert le diable
254:Antoine Ponchard
200:Honoré de Balzac
196:Alfred de Musset
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247:
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233:Giulia Grisi
212:
179:
173:
153:
137:
132:
126:
118:aide-de-camp
85:
81:
77:
73:
67:
58:Giulia Grisi
49:
45:
44:
36:Don Giovanni
1040:1883 deaths
1035:1810 births
731:manuscripts
430:La traviata
418:La favorite
290:Paris Opéra
192:George Sand
1029:Categories
852:2011-03-24
640:References
549:Odescalchi
496:, married
184:Belgiojoso
164:Lord Byron
116:, and was
112:under the
80:(Knight),
64:Early life
683:cavaliere
424:Rigoletto
385:cabaletta
336:Donizetti
94:Sardinian
78:Cavaliere
1016:Archived
635:See also
617:Elephant
590:Cagliari
458:oratorio
332:Nemorino
156:Piedmont
120:to King
90:Savoyard
70:Cagliari
1006:at the
578:L'Opéra
395:Rossini
366:vibrato
130:mononym
929:
914:
892:
582:Fulham
442:Martha
400:Otello
326:, and
82:Nobile
645:Notes
262:Opéra
176:Paris
140:Turin
133:Mario
106:Turin
54:tenor
50:Mario
927:ISBN
912:ISBN
890:ISBN
883:The
273:Nice
206:and
160:Nice
110:Nice
397:'s
338:'s
334:in
86:Don
1031::
959:.
711:^
631:.
604:.
449:,
368:.
344:.
322:,
318:,
314:,
310:,
264:.
210:.
202:,
198:,
194:,
190:,
60:.
918:.
896:.
855:.
92:-
20:)
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