Alfredo Cecchi

Cecchi studied singing in Firenze with maestra Elettra Callery Villani. He made his debut as baritone in 1899.

After interrupting his singing for a few months, Cecchi made his debut as tenor in 1901 at the Fraschini in Pavia as Radames.

In 1902, he sang Ernani at the Verdi in Firenze and became newsworthy when he attacked the journalist Cesare Levi who reviewed his performance badly in the Domenica Fiorentina.

His career evolved as follows:

1899 Lugo, Pescara, Montecatini, Monsummano

1900 Acqui Terme, Pinerolo, Novi Ligure, La Spezia, Mantova

1901 Alessandria, Pavia, Milano (Dal Verme)

1902 Milano, Mantova, Lisbon, Terni, Vicenza, La Spezia, Garlasco, Milano (Verdi), Firenze, Faenza, St. Petersburg

1903 St. Petersburg, Nice, Venezia (La Fenice Il santo on May 7/9/10/12/15/17 with Titta Ruffo, Enrica Canovas, Serena Ronconi, Giuseppe Magnanini, Sante Greggio, Ugo Giandominici with Rodolfo Ferrari conducting), Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paolo, Ferrara, Palermo

1904 Lisbon, Carrara, Udine, Milano, Parma (Reinach Aida on October 15 with Alessandro Panciera, Olga Benvenuti, Maria Grisi, Camillo Fiegna), Cairo

1905 London, Roma, Rieti, Torino, Cremona, Udine, Venezia

1906 Camerino, Bologna, Rimini, Mexico City

1907 Torino, Alessandria, Genova, Novara, Cremona

1908 Pavia, Sao Paolo, Livorno, Soresina, Vigevano, Parma (Reinach Ernani on October 31/November 21 with Mario Roussel, Salvatore di Giulio, Oliva Petrella; Un ballo in maschera on November 24/28/29 (in onore del tenore Cecchi) with Mario Roussel, Oliva Petrella, Anna berti Cecchini, Lina Simeoli, Salvatore Di Giulio, Alceste Mori), Rimini, Pola

1909 Rimini, Pisa, Pistoia, San Pellegrino Terme, Sanguinetto, Ascoli Piceno

1910 Cairo, Pistoia, Bassano del Grappa, Roma

1911 Novara, Bologna, Piacenza, Como, Torino, Viareggio, Este, Modena

1912 Cagliari, Tunis, Savona, Teranio

1913 Grosseto, Fabriano, Reggio Emilia

1914 Valencia, Lisbon, Medicina, Pistoia, Mortara

1915 Milano (Augusteo, del Giardino), Torino

1916 Torino, Milano (Fossati, Dal Verme)

1917 Novara, Corfu, Milano (Carcano, Lirico), Como, Catania

1918 Catania, Casale Monferrato, Voghera

1919 Firenze, Porto Maurizio, Roma, Costantinopoli, Livorno, Milano, Torino,Bergamo

1920 Catanzaro

Selected performances

Il trovatore

1899, in April (as Luna) Lugo - Teatro Rossini with Redi Elisabetta/Zangolini Maria/De Casale Gilberta, Dirani Maria, Pagani Mario Edoardo/ Fioretti Giorgio
1899, in May (as Luna, sharing with Arrighetti Silvio) Macerata - Politeama Marchetti with De Casale Gilberta, Dirani Maria, Pagani Mario, Edoardo Fioretti Giorgio
1900, in February (as Luna) Acqui Terme - Teatro Carlo Alberto with Herrera Margherita, Sormani Giulia, Sanarau Ignazio
1902, in July La Spezia - Politeama Duca di Genova with Orcesi Antonietta, De Cisneros Eleonora, Corà Giovanni, Bini Alfredo
1902, in August Garlasco - Teatro Martinetti with Orcesi Antonietta, De Cisneros Eleonora, Corà Giovanni, Bini Alfredo
1902, in October Milano - Teatro Verdi with De Luca Luigia, De Cisneros Eleonora, Felici Ezio, Fioretti Giorgio
1902, in December Faenza - Teatro Comunale with Paoli Isabella, De Cisneros Eleonora, Barettin Isidoro, Stefani Guido
1905, in January Venezia - Teatro Rossini
1906, in June Bologna - Arena Azeglio with Burchi Teresina, Jullibert Achilli Casilda, Favaron Pietro, Cassia Vincenzo
1910, in October (sharing with Perico Attilio) Bassano del Grappa - Teatro Sociale
1911, in August (sharing with Albani Carlo) Viareggio - Politeama with Mazzanti Zelmira/Bey Maria, Vannini Ines, Faticanti Edoardo/Del Chiaro Giuseppe, Masiello
1912, in August Savona - Teatro Wanda with Magana Lopez Maria, Pezzati Renata, Marturano Ugo, Galli Ruggero
1913, in December Reggio Emilia - Teatro Municipale with Viscardi Maria, Sandra Marina, Zani Dario, Cesari Ignazio
1914, in March Valencia - Teatro Principal with Darnis Maria, Golmary Vittorina, Azzolini Gaetano, Giralt Corrado
1916, in March Torino - Teatro Torinese with Pellegrino G., Camozzi Maria, Del Chiaro Giuseppe, Sabellico Antonio
1917, in April (sharing with Romani de Lay Luigi/Comparini Alcibiade/Righi Briani Italo/Chiodo Umberto) Milano - Teatro Carcano with Du Lac Marta/Odoni Manca Margherita/Aicardi Mercedes/Giovannelli Wanda/Bottero Alessandrina, Gallo Toscani Rina/Zinetti Giuseppina/Del Bosco Irene, Almodovar Luis/Vinci Salvatore/Maugeri Carmelo, Manfrini Luigi
1918, month unknown (sharing with Zunino Angelo/Maurini Attilio) Voghera - Teatro Sociale with Cocchi Bice/Rjal Vera, Warko Lucia, D'Andria Pietro, Vittori Achille
1919, in July Costantinopoli - Teatro Nouveau with De Revers Anna, De Grandi Lia, Scamuzzi Wicleffo

His repertory included: Luna, Malatesta, Cabrion (Pipelet), Schaunard, Antonio (Linda di Chamounix), Schaunard (Leoncavallo), Silvio, Radames, Edgardo, Enzo, Oronte, Ernani, Manrico, Chénier, Riccardo, Santo (Il santo by Ghin), Ruy Blas, Raoul, Manuel (Manuel Menendez by Filiasi), Ernesto, Alvaro, ? (L'astro in Italia by Pascucci), ? (L'Ebreo), Canio, Cardo (Per la patria by Cocchi), Pery, Federico, Vassily, Faust, Giovanni (Giovanni Gallurese by Montemezzi), Turiddu (Cavalleria by Monleone), Giorgio (Amica), Hagenbach, ? (Nozze istriane by Smareglia), Walter, Turiddu, Alfredo, ? (Zingari by Leoncavallo), Andriù (La giostra dei falchi by Monleone), ...

After retiring, he taught singing in Milan. Among his students were Alessandro Granda and Alessandro Ziliani.

I wish to thank Richard J Venezia for the recording (Pira).

Dicography

Odeon
7012  Il trovatore: Deserto sulla terra
37006 Il trovatore: Di quella pira
37008 Un ballo in maschera: La rivedrà nell'estasi
37011 Il trovatore: Di geloso amor
      with Corradetti Ferruccio, Tebro Ernestina 
37012 Ernani: Mercè diletti amici
37034 Pagliacci: Un tal gioco                                matrix Xm 86
37036 Il trovatore: Miserere                                 matrix Xm 94
      with Tebro Ernestina
37063 Ernani: O sommo Carlo
      with Corradetti Ferruccio, Tebro Ernestina

I wish to thank Roberto Marcocci for the pictures, discographical and biographical information.

I would like to thank Richard J Venezia for the addition to the discography.

I would like to thank Dr Eduardo Marcelino Herrera for the additions to the discography