During his career, Enrico Caruso made nearly 260 recordings and made millions of dollars from the sale of his 78 rpm records. While Caruso sang at many of the world's great opera houses including La Scala in Milan and Covent Garden in London, he is best known as the leading male singer at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City for seventeen years. Conductor Arturo Toscanini, who conducted some of the operas that Caruso sang in at the Met, considered him one of the greatest artists he had ever worked with.
Caruso was baptized in the Church of San Giovanni e Paolo on February 26, 1873, having been born in Naples, Italy, one day earlier. He began his career in Naples in 1894. The first major role that he created was Loris in Giordano's Fedora, at the Teatro Lirico in Milan, on November 17, 1898. At that same theater, on November 6, 1902, he created the role of Maurizio in Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur.
In 1903, with the help of his agent, the banker Pasquale Simonelli, he went to New York City, and, on November 23 of that year, he made his debut with the Metropolitan Opera as the Duke of Mantua in Verdi's Rigoletto. The following year Caruso began his lifelong association with the Victor Talking-Machine Company; his star relationships with both the Metropolitan and Victor would last until 1920. Caruso himself commissioned Tiffany & Co. to produce a 24 kt. gold medal with his profile, as a memento (PER RICORDO) for his friends of his Metropolitan performances.
Caruso was one of the first star vocalists to make numerous recordings. He and the disc phonograph did much to promote each other in the first two decades of the 20th century. His 1902 recording of Vesti la giubba from Leoncavallo's Pagliacci was the world's first gramophone record to sell a million copies. Many of Caruso's recordings have remained in print since their original issue a century ago.
On December 10, 1910, he starred at the Met as Dick Johnson in the world premiere of Puccini's La Fanciulla del West. His last performance at the Met was as Eléazar in Halévy's La Juive on December 24, 1920.
Caruso died in 1921, from what is thought to be complications of pleurisy, apparently not diagnosed in time to save him. He was 48. He is buried in Naples.
Caruso was portrayed by Mario Lanza in a highly fictionalized Hollywood motion picture, The Great Caruso, in 1951.
In 1987, he was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Tiempo antico
Enrico Caruso Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
comm'era o Paraviso,
ca sempe benedico,
li bracce m'apparive, 'mpietto m'astrignive.
Chine de passione currevo 'mbraccio a tte.
Ma tu ca si 'nfammona,
cu tutt'e dduje uocchie e a vedé!
Tu te ne sí gghiutta,
e a chesta vita mia,
'na fossa aje araputo!
Ma chillu tiempo antico,
te si scurdate, ojné!
Penzanno o tiempo antico,
che ne sarrá di me?
Penzanno sempe o tiempo antico,
che ne sarrá di me?
The lyrics to Enrico Caruso's song "Tiempo antico" describe the nostalgic yearning for a time long gone - a time that was like paradise and where one felt blessed. The singer reminisces of a time when they were enveloped in arms full of passion and their hearts were overflowing with love. However, they address someone who has abandoned them, someone who now turns away from them with both eyes closed. This person has retreated into a world of fantasy, leaving the singer to deal with the harsh reality of life alone. The singer laments that this idyllic time, this "tempo antico," is now forgotten and wonders what will become of them if they keep looking to the past.
The lyrics express a sense of longing for a time of innocence and purity that is no longer accessible, which ultimately causes the singer to question what their future holds. The use of the word "Paraviso" (translates to "Paradise") makes us understand that the time lost was a period of great joy and blessedness. The singer's regret is palpable as they feel abandoned and alone in the present, while their memories of a happier time are fleeting. The juxtaposition of the past and present is beautifully rendered in the line "e a chesta vita mia, 'na fossa aje araputo!" (and in this life of mine, I have fallen into a pit!) - conveying the singer's feeling of being trapped in a life that is no longer joyful.
Line by Line Meaning
Era lu tiempo antico
It was the ancient time
comm'era o Paraviso,
like it was paradise,
ca sempe benedico,
that was always blessed,
li bracce m'apparive, 'mpietto m'astrignive.
I saw arms and felt held tight.
Chine de passione currevo 'mbraccio a tte.
I ran towards you with passion and embraced you.
Ma tu ca si 'nfammona,
But you, who got angry,
cu tutt'e dduje uocchie e a vedé!
with both eyes to see!
Tu te ne sí gghiutta,
You threw yourself,
cu n'auto 'nfantasia,
with an unreal image,
e a chesta vita mia,
and in my life,
'na fossa aje araputo!
you dug a ditch!
Ma chillu tiempo antico,
But that ancient time,
te si scurdate, ojné!
Have you forgotten it, oh no!
Penzanno o tiempo antico,
Thinking about that old time,
che ne sarrá di me?
What will become of me?
Penzanno sempe o tiempo antico,
Always thinking about that old time,
che ne sarrá di me?
What will become of me?
Contributed by Zachary H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@chessiepique9532
It's Neapolitan, which I can only partly understand. I poked around a little and couldn't find a translation. There are enough opera experts around that we might be lucky and get one handed to us. :)
Era lu tiempo antico
comm'era o Paraviso,
ca sempe benedico,
li bracce m'apparive, 'mpietto m'astrignive.
Chine de passione currevo 'mbraccio a tte.
Ma tu ca si 'nfammona,
cu tutt'e dduje uocchie e a vedé!
Tu te ne sí gghiutta,
cu n'auto 'nfantasia,
e a chesta vita mia,
'na fossa aje araputo!
Ma chillu tiempo antico,
te si scurdate, ojné!
Penzanno o tiempo antico,
che ne sarrá di me?
Penzanno sempe o tiempo antico,
che ne sarrá di me?
@lewashcliffe
What I love so much in this unique piece is how much it shows off Caruso's ability to alter the color and shading of his voice to convey the meaning of the words. You can feel the intensity and passion even without knowing the language. Caruso truly defined what it means to be a tenor and a great singer. All others pale in comparison. Thank you for sharing this wonderful music.
@hostlangr579
Ein sehr treffender guter Kommentar! ⚘⚘⚘⚘
@MrGer2295
Beautiful singing ! Thank you for posting :)
@massimoiapichino6257
Il cuore e l'anima che diventano voce. Nessuno ha cantato le canzoni napoletane come quest'uomo
@favoritesopranohinaspani6699
One of his very own compositions. A very emotional song sung so beautifully.
My all-time favorite singer. Always draws tears like no other tenor
@sooblings5898
La scrisse dopo che la moglie lo aveva tradito!
@vintagechannel6805
I have the original 78 rpm record
@tomfroekjaer
Wow.
@tomfroekjaer
@lewashcliffe Yes, Lewis, I fully agree with you. It's somewhat difficult to express in words what he's doing, but maybe he transforms the concept of the single words into emotions that somehow communicate the essence. Considering his very limited formal education (3 years) and his limited voice training, it is quite amazing what this "Neapolitan peasant" brought about. He broke with the "bel canto" singing without even knowing it and created the basis for all later tenors.
@chastenor
I think it was Richard Strauss who said of Caruso 'Er singt die Psyche der Melodie' which is the absolute best description of Caruso singing. He sings the soul of the melody. Caruso more than anybody else understands the intentions of the composer and reproduces them exactly. Far from being a simple Neapolitan peasant, It is a miracle of the ages that the greatest voice was married to the greatest technique which was married to the greatest interpretation of all types of music. An absolute miracle.