The San Carlo Opera Company of America was unique in the history of live opera performances in America.  In the pre-radio and pre-television days, opera was only heard by phonograph records and live performances.  While many opera recordings were available in disparate parts of America, few communities had access to live performances of complete operas, with full sets, costumes and orchestra.  The Metropolitan Opera did begin touring in 1883 with a jaunt to Boston and later increased their touring to other major cities as Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Chicago, St. Louis and Cincinnati; eventually including San Francisco to the West and Atlanta to the South.  Enter Fortune Gallo's San Carlo Opera Company in 1913 and the touring began.  This opera company brought live opera performances to many smaller communities which had never seen opera before.  Having this opportunity to attend these San Carlo Opera Company performances made life-long opera buffs of myriad attendees. Even today, there are still amongst us, many opera goers who fondly recall their first attendance of an opera was at a San Carlo Opera Company performance.

Perhaps the most lasting testimonial of this pioneering touring company is that they performed in the very first sound film of a complete opera, PAGLIACCI in 1931.  This was an Audio-Cinema Production, Hollywood, California.  The cast for the opera is:

Nedda:
Canio:
Tonio:
Silvio:
Beppe:

Alba Novella
Fernando Bertini
Mario Valle
Giuseppe Interrante
Francesco Curci

An interesting aspect of this first complete opera filmed in sound is that Fortune Gallo did not try to turn the opera into a "moving picture."  Instead, he merely screened the opera.  It is all acted out on a stage with stage sets framed by the proscenium arch. 

 
The Durbeck Archive print of this 16mm sound film is the only known extant copy outside of The Library of Congress.

... now here's the man who brought us The San Carlo Opera  -


First Edition.   New York: Exposition Press, 1967.  304 p.

Bishop, Cardell. THE SAN CARLO OPERA COMPANY OF AMERICA, 
Volume One, 1913 to 1936.  Second Edition.
Santa Monica, CA: Privately published by Cardell Bishop, 194 pages, 1980.

Bishop, Cardell.  THE SAN CARLO OPERA COMPANY OF AMERICA, 
Volume Two, 1936 to 1955.  Second Edition.
Santa Monica, CA: Privately published by Cardell Bishop, 152 pages, 1980.

This is the dedication Cardell Bishop wrote when he donated these and all of his other publications to The Durbeck Archive after he was shown this PAGLIACCI film, at which time a cassette was made of the soundtrack and given to him.  He had never seen the film before and did not realize that a copy of it even existed.

This two record LP set features many of the singers who performed with the San Carlo Opera Company.  Many of these singers are unknown to modern opera audiences while other names are recognized as prominent recording artists as well as featured singers at the Metropolitan Opera and other world-class houses.  The most interesting aspect of this anthology is that the contemporary listener can know the quality of singers who sang regularly and as guest performers with the San Carlo Opera Company. 

With this film of PAGLIACCI, these books by Cardell Bishop, this LP anthology of 42 musical selections, The San Carlo Opera Company of America "lives" at The Durbeck Archive.

These are other books donated to The Durbeck Archive by Cardell Bishop. 
All of them are autographed to Edward F. Durbeck III.

Bishop, Cardell.  BOSTON NATIONAL OPERA COMPANY and BOSTON THEATRE OPERA COMPANY.  Santa Monica, CA: Privately published by Cardell Bishop, 40 pages, 1981.

Bishop, Cardell.  OPERA AT THE HIPPODROME IN NEW YORK CITY 1933-1939
Santa Monica, CA: Privately published by Cardell Bishop, 53 pages, 1980.

Bishop, Cardell.  THE LOS ANGELES GRAND OPERA ASSOCIATION 1924-1934.  Santa Monica, CA: Privately published by Cardell Bishop, 54 pages,
First Edition, 1979.

Bishop, Cardell.  SCOTTI GRAND OPERA COMPANY
Santa Monica, CA: Privately published by Cardell Bishop, 31 pages, 1982.


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