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Jean de Reszke

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116-539: Jean de Reszke (Jan Reszke) (14 January 1850 – 3 April 1925) was a Polish dramatic tenor and opera star. Reszke came from a wealthy Polish family with classical and operatic musical traditions. His mother gave him his first singing lessons and provided a home that was a recognized music centre. His sister Josephine and younger brother Édouard performed in Western Europe, and Reszke would perform with each of them throughout his career. He began as

232-558: A baritone , but after having been trained by Giovanni Sbriglia he found that he was better suited and was most proficient as a tenor. His performance of Meyerbeer 's Robert le diable in Madrid in 1879, made him a notable singer. Reszke ranked as the foremost dramatic tenor from that point until his retirement from the stage. He performed at opera venues in Paris, London, and New York, including command performances for Queen Victoria . He

348-696: A metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and its monocentric metropolitan area is the second-largest in the EU. The municipality covers 604.3 km (233.3 sq mi) geographical area. Madrid lies on the River Manzanares in the central part of the Iberian Peninsula at about 650 meters above mean sea level. The capital city of both Spain and

464-401: A 0.8 km (0.31 sq mi) periurban park as well as municipal garden centres and compost plants. Madrid has a cold semi-arid climate ( Köppen BSk ), transitioning to a Mediterranean climate (Csa) in the western half. The city has continental influences. Winters are cool due to its altitude, which is approximately 667 m (2,188 ft) above sea level and distance from

580-523: A French countess. She was born Maria de Goulaine, and was first married to Count Mailly-Nesle. She was an amateur musician, a linguist and a student of Gounod. She translated Wagner works from German to French for Reszke and his brother. The Reszkes had a son Jean de Reszke Jr. who died during the Battle of Clermont on the French front during World War I . He was their only child. Throughout his career, Reszke

696-507: A baritone, such as Figaro in The Barber of Seville and Valentin in Faust . His voice was compared to that of Enrico Caruso . Reszke displayed limitations as a baritone and his voice had matured so that the "high notes became rounder and easier". He withdrew from the stage to allow for a further period of study, this time in Paris under Giovanni Sbriglia . His voice gained remarkably in

812-424: A borrowed Cantus firmus melody. Until the late 16th-century introduction of the contratenor singers, the tenor was usually the lowest voice, assuming the role of providing a foundation. It was also in the 18th century that "tenor" came to signify the male voice that sang such parts. Thus, for earlier repertoire, a line marked 'tenor' indicated the part's role, and not the required voice type; indeed, even as late as

928-470: A bright, steely timbre. Dramatic tenor roles in operas: The heldentenor (English: heroic tenor ) has a rich, dark, powerful and dramatic voice. As its name implies, the heldentenor vocal Fach features in the German romantic operatic repertoire. The heldentenor is the German equivalent of the tenore drammatico, however with a more baritonal quality: the typical Wagnerian protagonist. The keystone of

1044-466: A declaration of war calling all the Spaniards to fight against the French invaders. The city was invaded on 24 May 1823 by a French army—the so-called Hundred Thousand Sons of Saint Louis —called to intervene to restore the absolutism of Ferdinand that the latter had been deprived from during the 1820–1823 trienio liberal . Unlike other European capitals, during the first half of the 19th century

1160-456: A deeper meaning of the compositions. Music critic Camille Bellaigue stated that he "gave to every word the fullness of its meaning and to every note the perfection of sound." During his heyday, Reszke sang Italian operas less frequently than French or Wagnerian ones. Indeed, in 1891, his keenly awaited interpretation of the title role in Verdi's last tragic masterpiece, Otello , had disappointed

1276-412: A few notes below the C 3 . There are many vocal shades to the lyric tenor group, repertoire should be selected according to the weight, colors, and abilities of the voice. Gilbert Duprez (1806–1896) was a historically significant lyric tenor. He was the first tenor to sing on stage the operatic high C from the chest ( ut de poitrine ) as opposed to using falsettone . He is also known for originating

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1392-710: A formula for winning casts: the de Reszke brothers, Lassalle , Plancon , and two prima donnas . According to The New York Times , that period was considered the "golden days" of art and great voices. Over the course of his career, he mastered a number of roles: Vasco da Gama in L'Africaine and Raoul in Les Huguenots (both by Meyerbeer), Faust in Faust (by Gounod ), Lohengrin in Lohengrin (by Wagner ), Siegfried , and Wagner's Tristan in Tristan und Isolde . By making these roles his own, he pushed aside

1508-680: A house in Paris, and in Poland, a manor house in Skrzydlów . In Poland, the Reszke's had large estates of 10,000 acres with 400 workers who lived there. His wife Maria preferred to live in Paris, where Reszke operated a singing school after his retirement. He last lived at Skrzydlów in 1913 and did not leave France after his son's death. Reszke died on 3 April 1925 at his villa in Nice, having contracted bronchial influenza which brought on heart disease. He

1624-548: A number of monuments and cultural institutions. The reforms enacted by his Sicilian minister were however opposed in 1766 by the populace in the so-called Esquilache Riots , a revolt demanding to repeal a clothing decree banning the use of traditional hats and long cloaks aiming to curb crime in the city. In the context of the Peninsular War , the situation in French-occupied Madrid after March 1808

1740-602: A radial system of communications and transports for the country through public investments. Philip V built the Royal Palace, the Royal Tapestry Factory and the main Royal Academies. The reign of Charles III , who came to be known as "the best mayor of Madrid", saw an effort to turn the city into a true capital, with the construction of sewers, street lighting, cemeteries outside the city and

1856-425: A range from approximately the C one octave below middle C (C 3 ) to the C one octave above middle C (C 5 ). Spinto tenor roles in operas: Also "tenore robusto", the dramatic tenor has an emotive, ringing and very powerful, clarion, heroic tenor sound. The dramatic tenor's approximate range is from the B one octave below middle C (B 2 ) to the B one octave above middle C (B 4 ) with some able to sing up to

1972-567: A recognized musical centre. His mother, Emilia Ufniarska , first taught him to sing. She was a soprano who had studied under Manuel García and Pauline Viardot , his daughter. He sang with his siblings Josephine and Édouard at a soirée in 1869 and he sang soprano solos as a boy in Warsaw Cathedral . Édouard, a bass , debuted in Aida in Paris in April 1876. Reszke studied law at

2088-527: A severe housing shortage. Slums and squalor grew due to high population growth and the influx of the poor to the city. Construction of affordable housing failed to keep pace and increased political instability discouraged economic investment in housing in the years immediately prior to the Civil War. Anti-clericalism and Catholicism lived side by side in Madrid; the burning of convents initiated after riots in

2204-801: A singer dates from this moment. Reszke ranked as the foremost dramatic tenor until his retirement from the stage. He sang regularly at the Paris Opera during the ensuing years of his vocal prime. In 1884, he appeared in Hérodiade as John the Baptist , after which he secured a five-year contract with Paris Opera from 1885 through 1890. During that period, he performed as Rodrique in Le Cid , which Jules Massenet had written for him; as Roméo in Roméo et Juliette by Gounod , as Radamés In Verdi 's Aida ,

2320-652: A singer specialize in these roles for an entire career. In French opéra comique , supporting roles requiring a thin voice but good acting are sometimes described as 'trial', after the singer Antoine Trial (1737–1795), examples being in the operas of Ravel and in The Tales of Hoffmann . Tenor buffo or spieltenor roles in operas: All of Gilbert and Sullivan 's Savoy operas have at least one lead lyric tenor character. Notable operetta roles are: There are four parts in barbershop harmony : bass, baritone, lead, and tenor (lowest to highest), with "tenor" referring to

2436-566: A sizeable town of the Crown of Castile . The development of Madrid as administrative centre fostered after 1561, as it became the permanent seat of the court of the Hispanic Monarchy . The Madrid urban agglomeration has the fourth-largest GDP in the European Union and its influence in politics , education , entertainment , environment , media , fashion , science , culture , and the arts all contribute to its status as one of

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2552-554: A starting point for Muslim offensives. After the disintegration of the Caliphate of Córdoba in the early 11th century, Madrid was integrated in the Taifa of Toledo . In the context of the wider campaign for the conquest of the taifa of Toledo initiated in 1079, Madrid was seized in 1083 by Alfonso VI of León and Castile , who sought to use the town as an offensive outpost against the city of Toledo, in turn conquered in 1085. Following

2668-792: A transported ancient Egyptian temple. Other urban parks are the Parque de El Capricho , the Parque Juan Carlos I (both in northeast Madrid), Madrid Río , the Enrique Tierno Galván Park  [ es ] , the San Isidro Park  [ es ] as well as gardens such as the Campo del Moro (opened to the public in 1978) and the Sabatini Gardens (opened to the public in 1931) adjacent to

2784-470: A vocal academy in Paris (later Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art ). He was one of the most highly reputed and well-paid vocal teachers in Europe. The Musical Times stated that he brought the same devotion and skill that made him a successful singer to his role as a teacher. His pupils came from a variety of countries; most of them came from English-speaking countries. He once said that in gratitude to

2900-401: Is a basso, can even parallel him. With the conclusion of his stage career – and it must be remembered that de Reszke quit the operatic stage while still in possession of all that was best of his voice – he took up instruction. No one in all the world enjoyed so highly the confidence of producers and impresarios as did he. His judgment was practically infallible and his methods of instruction were

3016-494: Is called the lead. Tenor is sung an interval of a third above the lead. Baritone is the fifth of the scale that has the lead as a tonic, and may be sung below the lead, or even above the lead (and the tenor), in which case it is called "high baritone". Madrid Madrid ( / m ə ˈ d r ɪ d / mə- DRID ; Spanish: [maˈðɾið] ) is the capital and most populous municipality of Spain . It has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and

3132-566: Is defined as a tenor but requires an A ♭ 2 . Within more frequently performed repertoire, Mime and Herod both call for an A 2 . A few tenor roles in the standard repertoire call for a "tenor C" (C 5 , one octave above middle C). Some, if not all, of the few top Cs in the standard operatic repertoire are either optional—such as in " Che gelida manina " in Puccini's La bohème —or interpolated (added) by tradition, such as in " Di quella pira " from Verdi's Il trovatore ); however,

3248-765: Is located on the hills next to the left bank of the Manzanares River. The city grew to the east, reaching the Fuente Castellana Creek  [ es ] (now the Paseo de la Castellana ), and further east reaching the Abroñigal Creek  [ es ] (now the M-30 ). The city also grew through the annexation of neighbouring urban settlements, including those to the South West on

3364-539: Is the shortage of tenor voices. Most men 18 and older tend to have baritone chest voices, and because of this, many men in choirs tend to prefer singing in the bass section (though true basses are even rarer than tenors). Many baritones sing tenor even if they are not able to cover the full range in only their chest voice, and sometimes contraltos sing the tenor part. In men's choruses that consist of four male vocal parts (TTBB; tenor 1, tenor 2, bass 1, bass 2), tenors will often sing both in chest voice and falsetto, extending

3480-524: Is yet another distinct tenor type. In Mozart singing, the most important element is the instrumental approach of the vocal sound which implies: flawless and slender emission of sound, perfect intonation, legato, diction and phrasing, capability to cope with the dynamic requirements of the score, beauty of timbre, secure line of singing through perfect support and absolute breath control, musical intelligence, body discipline, elegance, nobility, agility and, most importantly, ability for dramatic expressiveness within

3596-484: The tenore di grazia , the leggero tenor is essentially the male equivalent of a lyric coloratura . This voice is light, agile, and capable of executing difficult passages of fioritura . The typical leggero tenor possesses a range spanning from approximately C 3 to E 5 , with a few being able to sing up to F 5 or higher in full voice . In some cases, the chest register of the leggero tenor may extend below C 3 . Voices of this type are utilized frequently in

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3712-532: The 1960s Spanish economic boom , while the south-eastern periphery became a large working-class area, which formed the base for active cultural and political movements. After the fall of the Francoist regime, the new 1978 constitution confirmed Madrid as the capital of Spain. The 1979 municipal election brought Madrid's first democratically elected mayor since the Second Republic to power. Madrid

3828-613: The Instituto Cervantes and the Foundation of Urgent Spanish ( Fundéu RAE). Madrid organises fairs such as FITUR, ARCO, SIMO TCI and the Madrid Fashion Week . Madrid is home to two world-famous football clubs, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid . While Madrid possesses modern infrastructure, it has preserved the look and feel of many of its historic neighbourhoods and streets. Its landmarks include

3944-497: The Latin word tenere , which means "to hold". As noted in the "Tenor" article at Grove Music Online : In polyphony between about 1250 and 1500, the [tenor was the] structurally fundamental (or 'holding') voice, vocal or instrumental; by the 15th century it came to signify the male voice that sang such parts. All other voices were normally calculated in relation to the tenor, which often proceeded in longer note values and carried

4060-711: The Plaza Mayor , the Royal Palace of Madrid ; the Royal Theatre with its restored 1850 Opera House; the Buen Retiro Park , founded in 1631; the 19th-century National Library building (founded in 1712) containing some of Spain's historical archives; many national museums, and the Golden Triangle of Art , located along the Paseo del Prado and comprising three art museums: Prado Museum ,

4176-610: The Reina Sofía Museum , a museum of modern art , and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum , which complements the holdings of the other two museums. The mayor is José Luis Martínez-Almeida from the People's Party . The origin of the name is unknown. There are various theories regarding the origin of the toponym "Madrid" (all of them with problems when it comes to fully explaining the phonetic evolution of

4292-478: The Royal Opera House at Covent Garden include: Gala appearances with Édouard de Reszke at Covent Garden and command performances at Windsor Castle include: Dramatic tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types . It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in

4408-602: The Royal Opera House , Covent Garden. Reszke's Covent Garden appearances in 1888 proved exceedingly popular with audiences. Indeed, they were mainly responsible for the revival of the operatic art form as a fashionable amusement in London. Reszke would sing in the British capital nearly every year until 1900. British critics stated that he was the greatest tenor since Mario . The Reszke's performed in Warsaw and Russia. From Poland,

4524-618: The Royal Victorian Order (R.V.O) cross (fourth class). Only Mapleson Cylinders , a primitive recording made privately during an actual performance at the Metropolitan Opera in 1901, exist. It has been released with other performances on CD by the Symposium label. About 1904, illness compelled him to retire from the stage, and he began teaching singing in Paris. He also taught in Nice. In 1906, he established

4640-575: The gentrification and the spike of tourist apartments in the city centre) and the profusion of betting shops in working-class areas, leading to an "epidemic" of gambling among young people. Madrid lies in the centre of the Iberian peninsula on the southern Meseta Central , 60 km south of the Guadarrama mountain range and straddling the Jarama and Manzanares river sub-drainage basins, in

4756-536: The revolt of the Comuneros , led by Juan Lopez de Padilla , Madrid joined the revolt against Charles, Holy Roman Emperor , but after defeat at the Battle of Villalar , Madrid was besieged and occupied by the imperial troops. The city was however granted the titles of Coronada (Crowned) and Imperial . The number of urban inhabitants grew from 4,060 in the year 1530 to 37,500 in the year 1594. The poor population of

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4872-644: The 10 m (108 sq ft) per inhabitant recommended by the World Health Organization. A great bulk of the most important parks in Madrid are related to areas originally belonging to the royal assets (including El Pardo, Soto de Viñuelas, Casa de Campo, El Buen Retiro, la Florida and the Príncipe Pío hill , and the Queen's Casino). The other main source for the "green" areas are the bienes de propios  [ es ] owned by

4988-577: The Bourbon army on 4 August 1706. The Habsburg army led by the Archduke Charles entered the city for a second time  [ es ] in September 1710, leaving the city less than three months after. Philip V entered the capital on 3 December 1710. Seeking to take advantage of the Madrid's location at the geographic centre of Spain, the 18th century saw a sustained effort to create

5104-415: The C one octave above middle C (C 5 ). Many successful dramatic tenors though have historically avoided the coveted high C in performance. Their lower range tends to extend into the baritone tessitura or, a few notes below the C 3 , even down to A♭ 2 . Some dramatic tenors have a rich and dark tonal colour to their voice (such as the mature Enrico Caruso ) while others (like Francesco Tamagno ) possess

5220-687: The City Council. They were the main infrastructure for the supply of water until the arrival of the Canal de Isabel II in the mid-19th century. Madrid derives almost 73.5 percent of its water supply from dams and reservoirs built on the Lozoya River , such as the El Atazar Dam . This water supply is managed by the Canal de Isabel II, a public entity created in 1851. It is responsible for

5336-509: The Madrid population temporarily plummeted accordingly). Being the capital was decisive for the evolution of the city and influenced its fate and during the rest of the reign of Philip II, the population boomed, going up from about 18,000 in 1561 to 80,000 in 1598. During the early 17th century, although Madrid recovered from the loss of the capital status, with the return of diplomats, lords and affluent people, as well as an entourage of noted writers and artists together with them, extreme poverty

5452-686: The Manzanares. Other large forested areas include the Soto de Viñuelas , the Dehesa de Valdelatas  [ es ] and the Dehesa de la Villa  [ es ] . As of 2015, the most recent big park in the municipality is the Valdebebas Park. Covering a total area of 4.7 km (1.8 sq mi), it is sub-divided in a 3.4 km (1.3 sq mi) forest park (the Parque forestal de Valdebebas-Felipe VI  [ es ] ),

5568-555: The Reszkes were Russian citizens. During the winter of 1889–1890, they were called to a command performance by the Tsar of Russia , which made Jean nervous. The performance, and other command performances, went well for the Tsar, who ennobled the Reszkes in appreciation. Jean was the only performer to dine with the Tsar at his own table. More than three decades earlier, their father Jan Reszke

5684-584: The Royal Palace. Further west, across the Manzanares, lies the Casa de Campo , a large forested area with more than 1700 hectares (6.6 sq mi) where the Madrid Zoo , and the Parque de Atracciones de Madrid amusement park are located. It was ceded to the municipality following the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic in 1931. The Monte de El Pardo is the largest forested area in

5800-441: The Spinto Fach is the Jugendlicher Heldentenor and encompasses many of the Dramatic tenor roles as well as some Wagner roles such as Lohengrin and Stolzing. The difference is often the depth and metal in the voice where some lyric tenors age or push their way into singing as a Spinto giving them a lighter tone and a Jugendlicher Heldentenor tends to be either a young heldentenor or true lyric spinto. Spinto tenors have

5916-496: The ability to create distinct voices for his characters. This voice specializes in smaller comic roles. The range of the tenor buffo is from the C one octave below middle C (C 3 ) to the C one octave above middle C (C 5 ). The tessitura of these parts ranges from lower than other tenor roles to very high and broad. These parts are often played by younger tenors who have not yet reached their full vocal potential or older tenors who are beyond their prime singing years. Only rarely will

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6032-427: The aegis of a wider coordinated urban planning. Madrid grew through the annexation of neighboring municipalities, achieving the present extent of 607 km (234.36 sq mi). The south of Madrid became heavily industrialized, and there was significant immigration from rural areas of Spain. Madrid's newly built north-western districts became the home of a newly enriched middle class that appeared as result of

6148-497: The agricultural and less repopulated town of Madrid. After the decline of Sepúlveda , another concejo north of the mountain range, Segovia had become a major actor south of the Guadarrama mountains, expanding across the Lozoya and Manzanares rivers to the north of Madrid and along the Guadarrama river course to its west. In 1309, the Courts of Castile convened at Madrid for the first time under Ferdinand IV , and later in 1329, 1339, 1391, 1393, 1419 and twice in 1435. During

6264-428: The best, in every way, that I have ever known. Reszke enjoyed smoking cigars, but found that doing so affected his singing. He tried a number of cigarettes, but found that they were problematic too. Jacob Millhoff, a Russian cigarette manufacturer and fan who settled in London, developed a tobacco that would not damage his voice. Out of gratitude, Reszke allowed for them to be marketed under his name. His appearances at

6380-428: The city by 1956). A transitional planning intended to temporarily replace the shanty towns were the poblados de absorción , introduced since the mid-1950s in locations such as Canillas , San Fermín , Caño Roto, Villaverde , Pan Bendito  [ es ] , Zofío and Fuencarral , aiming to work as a sort of "high-end" shacks (with the destinataries participating in the construction of their own housing) but under

6496-440: The city in May 1931 worsened the political environment. However, the 1934 insurrection largely failed in the city. Madrid was one of the most heavily affected cities in the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). It was a stronghold of the Republican faction from July 1936 and became an international symbol of anti-fascist struggle during the conflict. The city suffered aerial bombing, and in November 1936, its western suburbs were

6612-469: The city proliferated. The following administrations, also conservative, led by Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón and Ana Botella launched three unsuccessful bids for the 2012, 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics. By 2005, Madrid was the leading European destination for migrants from developing countries , as well as the largest employer of non-European workforce in Spain. Madrid was a centre of the anti-austerity protests that erupted in Spain in 2011. As consequence of

6728-417: The city's university , but after a few years he abandoned his legal schooling to study singing. He initially trained as a baritone under Francesco Ciaffei at the Warsaw Conservatoire, followed by lessons with Antonio Cotogni in Italy. In January 1874, Reszke made his debut in Venice undertaking the baritone part of Alfonso in a production of Donizetti 's La favorite . To appeal to his audience, he

6844-441: The city's history as the capital of formerly imperial Spain. The intense demographic growth experienced by the city via mass immigration from the rural areas of the country led to the construction of abundant housing in the peripheral areas of the city to absorb the new population (reinforcing the processes of social polarization of the city), initially comprising substandard housing (with as many as 50,000 shacks scattered around

6960-430: The city. Precipitation is typically concentrated in the autumn, winter, and spring. It is particularly sparse during the summer, taking the form of about two showers and/or thunderstorms during the season. Madrid is the european capital with the least amount of annual precipitation. At the metropolitan scale, Madrid features both substantial daytime urban cool island and nighttime urban heat island effects during

7076-423: The conquest, Christians occupied the center of the city, while Muslims and Jews were displaced to the suburbs. Madrid, located near Alcalá (under Muslim control until 1118), remained a borderland for a while, suffering a number of razzias during the Almoravid period, and its walls were destroyed in 1110. The city was confirmed as villa de realengo  [ es ] (linked to the Crown) in 1123, during

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7192-421: The court was composed of ex-soldiers, foreigners, rogues and Ruanes, dissatisfied with the lack of food and high prices. In June 1561 Phillip II set his court in Madrid, installing it in the old alcázar . Thanks to this, the city of Madrid became the political centre of the monarchy, being the capital of Spain except for a short period between 1601 and 1606, in which the Court was relocated to Valladolid (and

7308-548: The critics somewhat; while expertly sung, it lacked the clarion ring and elemental force that his main tenor rival, Francesco Tamagno (1850–1905), had brought to the part. On this occasion Shaw also chided him for his laziness and his customary lateness in meeting cues. Reszke's singing was admired by Queen Victoria , and between 1889 and 1900 he was invited to take part in a number of royal galas mounted at Covent Garden and command performances held privately at Windsor Castle . She invited Jean and Édouard to Windsor Castle after

7424-401: The eighteenth century, partbooks labelled 'tenor' might contain parts for a range of voice types. The vocal range of the tenor is the highest of the male voice types . Within opera , the lowest note in the standard tenor repertoire is widely defined to be B ♭ 2 . However, the role of Rodrigo di Dhu (written for Andrea Nozzari ) in Rossini's rarely performed La donna del lago

7540-400: The environmental value. During the reign of Ferdinand VII the regime of hunting prohibition for the Monte de El Pardo became one of full property and the expropriation of all possessions within its bounds was enforced, with dire consequences for the madrilenians at the time. It is designated as Special Protection Area for bird-life and it is also part of the Regional Park of the High Basin of

7656-424: The existence of an established settlement in Madrid dates from the Muslim age. In the second half of the 9th century, Umayyad Emir Muhammad I built a fortress on a headland near the river Manzanares as one of the many fortresses he ordered to be built on the border between Al-Andalus and the kingdoms of León and Castile , with the objective of protecting Toledo from the Christian reconquests and also as

7772-512: The freedom of its upper register under Sbriglia. Reszke traveled with his sister Josephine, a soprano, and his younger brother Édouard as they performed in Western Europe, during which he took of note what performer's skills he wished to emulate and what traits he wished to avoid. He made his first operatic reappearance in 1879 in Madrid , it was as a tenor, scoring a success in the title-role of Meyerbeer 's Robert le diable , which he sang opposite his sister. The then 29-year-old Reszke's fame as

7888-430: The frequent heat waves. Due to Madrid's altitude and dry climate, humidity is low and diurnal ranges are often significant, particularly on sunny winter days when the temperature rises in the afternoon before rapidly plummeting after nightfall. Madrid is among the sunniest capital cities in Europe. The highest recorded temperature was on 14 August 2021, with 40.7 °C (105.3 °F) and the lowest recorded temperature

8004-427: The headquarters of the UN 's World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB), the Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI), and the Public Interest Oversight Board (PIOB). It also hosts major international regulators and promoters of the Spanish language: the Standing Committee of the Association of Spanish Language Academies, headquarters of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE),

8120-501: The heldentenor's repertoire is arguably Wagner's Siegfried , an extremely demanding role requiring a wide vocal range and great power, plus tremendous stamina and acting ability. Often the heldentenor is a baritone who has transitioned to this Fach or tenors who have been misidentified as baritones. Therefore, the heldentenor voice might or might not have facility up to high B or C. The repertoire, however, rarely calls for such high notes. Heldentenor roles in operas: A Mozart tenor

8236-452: The highest demanded note in the standard tenor operatic repertoire is D 5 , found in " Mes amis, écoutez l'histoire " from Adolphe Adam 's Le postillon de Lonjumeau and " Loin de son amie " from Fromental Halévy's La Juive ). In the leggero repertoire, the highest note is F 5 (Arturo in "Credeasi, misera" from Bellini 's I puritani ), therefore, very few tenors have this role in their repertoire without transposition (given

8352-402: The highest part. The tenor generally sings in falsetto voice, corresponding roughly to the countertenor in classical music, and harmonizes above the lead, who sings the melody. The barbershop tenor range is Middle C to A one octave above Middle C, though it is written an octave lower. The "lead" in barbershop music is equivalent to the normal tenor range. In bluegrass music , the melody line

8468-453: The homes of the influx of workers, while Ensanche became a middle-class neighbourhood of Madrid. The Spanish Constitution of 1931 was the first to legislate the location of the country's capital, setting it explicitly in Madrid. During the 1930s, Madrid enjoyed "great vitality"; it was demographically young, becoming urbanized and the centre of new political movements. During this time, major construction projects were undertaken, including

8584-580: The latter's confluence with the Fuente Castellana thalweg in the south of the city. The Monte de El Pardo (a protected forested area covering over a quarter of the municipality) reaches its top altitude (843 m (2,766 ft)) on its perimeter, in the slopes surrounding El Pardo reservoir  [ es ] located at the north-western end of the municipality, in the Fuencarral-El Pardo district. The oldest urban core

8700-501: The majority of choral music places the tenors in the range from approximately B 2 up to A 4 . The requirements of the tenor voice in choral music are also tied to the style of music most often performed by a given choir. Orchestral choruses typically call for tenors with fully resonant voices, but chamber or a cappella choral music (choral music sung with no instrumental accompaniment) can rely on baritones singing in falsetto . Even so, one nearly ubiquitous facet of choral singing

8816-528: The moderating effect of the sea. While mostly sunny, rain, sporadic snowfalls and frequent frosts can occur between December and February with cooler temperatures particularly during the night and mornings as cold winds blow into the city from surrounding mountains. Summers are hot and sunny, in the warmest month, July, average temperatures during the day range from 32 to 34 °C (90 to 93 °F) depending on location, with maxima commonly climbing over 35 °C (95 °F) and occasionally up to 40 °C during

8932-573: The municipality (including the Dehesa de la Villa, the Dehesa de Arganzuela or Viveros). El Retiro is the most visited location of the city. Having an area bigger than 1.4 km (0.5 sq mi) (350 acres), it is the largest park within the Almendra Central , the inner part of the city enclosed by the M-30. Created during the reign of Philip IV (17th century), it was handed over to

9048-655: The municipality in 1868, after the Glorious Revolution. It lies next to the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid . Located northwest of the city centre, the Parque del Oeste ("Park of the West") comprises part of the area of the former royal possession of the "Real Florida", and it features a slope as the height decreases down to the Manzanares. Its southern extension includes the Temple of Debod ,

9164-574: The municipality. A holm oak forest covering a surface over 16,000 hectares, it is considered the best preserved mediterranean forest in the Community of Madrid and one of the best preserved in Europe. Already mentioned in the Alfonso XI 's Libro de la montería  [ es ] from the mid-14th century, its condition as hunting location linked to the Spanish monarchy help to preserve

9280-399: The narrow borders imposed by the strict Mozartian style. The German Mozart tenor tradition goes back to the end of the 1920s, when Mozart tenors started making use of Caruso's technique (a tenor who rarely sang Mozart) to achieve and improve the required dynamics and dramatic expressiveness. Mozart tenor roles in operas: A Tenor buffo or spieltenor is a tenor with good acting ability, and

9396-469: The northern extension of the Paseo de la Castellana , one of Madrid's major thoroughfares. The tertiary sector, including banking, insurance and telephone services, grew greatly. Illiteracy rates were down to below 20%, and the city's cultural life grew notably during the so-called Silver Age of Spanish Culture; the sales of newspapers also increased. Conversely, the proclamation of the Republic created

9512-686: The only noticeable bourgeois elements in Madrid (that experienced a delay in its industrial development up to that point) were merchants. The University of Alcalá de Henares was relocated to Madrid in 1836, becoming the Central University . The economy of the city further modernized during the second half of the 19th century, consolidating its status as a service and financial centre. New industries were mostly focused in book publishing, construction and low-tech sectors. The introduction of railway transport greatly helped Madrid's economic prowess, and led to changes in consumption patterns (such as

9628-494: The operas of Rossini , Donizetti , Bellini and in music dating from the Baroque period. Leggero tenor roles in operas: The lyric tenor is a warm graceful voice with a bright, full timbre that is strong but not heavy and can be heard over an orchestra. Lyric tenors have a range from approximately the C one octave below middle C (C 3 ) to the D one octave above middle C (D 5 ). Similarly, their lower range may extend

9744-399: The premiere of Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg . With soprano Emma Albani , they gave the Queen an improvised concert. They remained her friends of the Queen from that point forward, and were also friends of Prince of Wales Albert Edward, later King Edward VII . On 24 May 1899, Reszke performed Lohengrin for the Queen's eightieth birthday. After the performance, he was awarded

9860-406: The raising of concert pitch since its composition), or resorting to falsetto . In SATB four-part mixed chorus, the tenor is the second lowest vocal range, above the bass and below the alto and soprano . Men's chorus usually denotes an ensemble of TTBB in which the first tenor is the highest voice. Whilst certain choral music does require the first tenors to ascend the full tenor range,

9976-437: The range from the second B below middle C to the G above middle C (i.e. B 2 to G 4 ) in choral music, and from the second B flat below middle C to the C above middle C (B ♭ 2 to C 5 ) in operatic music, but the range can extend at either end. Subtypes of tenor include the leggero tenor, lyric tenor, spinto tenor, dramatic tenor, heldentenor, and tenor buffo or spieltenor . The name "tenor" derives from

10092-502: The reign of Alfonso VII . The 1123 Charter of Otorgamiento established the first explicit limits between Madrid and Segovia, namely the Puerto de El Berrueco and the Puerto de Lozoya. Beginning in 1188, Madrid had the right to be a city with representation in the courts of Castile. In 1202, Alfonso VIII gave Madrid its first charter to regulate the municipal council, which was expanded in 1222 by Ferdinand III . The government system of

10208-493: The rest of the country, a heroin crisis took a toll in the poor neighborhoods of Madrid in the 1980s. Benefiting from increasing prosperity in the 1980s and 1990s, the capital city of Spain consolidated its position as an important economic, cultural, industrial, educational, and technological centre on the European continent. During the mandate as Mayor of José María Álvarez del Manzano construction of traffic tunnels below

10324-419: The right bank of the Manzanares. Madrid has the second highest number of aligned trees in the world, with 248,000 units, only exceeded by Tokyo. Madrid's citizens have access to a green area within a 15-minute walk. Since 1997, green areas have increased by 16%. At present, 8.2% of Madrid's grounds are green areas, meaning that there are 16 m (172 sq ft) of green area per inhabitant, far exceeding

10440-491: The role of Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor . Lyric tenor roles in operas: The spinto tenor has the brightness and height of a lyric tenor, but with a heavier vocal weight enabling the voice to be "pushed" to dramatic climaxes with less strain than the lighter-voice counterparts. Spinto tenors have a darker timbre than a lyric tenor, without having a vocal color as dark as many (not all) dramatic tenors. The German equivalent of

10556-601: The scene of an all-out battle. The city fell to the Francoists in March 1939. A staple of post-war Madrid ( Madrid de la posguerra ) was the widespread use of ration coupons . Meat and fish consumption was scarce, resulting in high mortality due to malnutrition. Due to Madrid's history as a left-wing stronghold, the right-wing victors considered moving the capital elsewhere (most notably to Seville ), but such plans were never implemented. The Franco regime instead emphasized

10672-498: The spillover of the 2008 financial and mortgage crisis , Madrid has been affected by the increasing number of second-hand homes held by banks and house evictions . The mandate of left-wing Mayor Manuela Carmena (2015–2019) delivered the renaturalization of the course of the Manzanares across the city. Since the late 2010s, the challenges the city faces include the increasingly unaffordable rental prices (often in parallel with

10788-470: The stage just after the turn of the 20th century. He was then a renowned vocal teacher and a horse breeder. Jan Mieczysław Reszke was born into a prosperous family with operatic and classical music traditions in Warsaw , Congress Poland , in 1850. Both his parents were Poles; his father, Jan Reszke was a Polish state official and a controller of the railroad and his mother a soprano singer, their house being

10904-423: The substitution of salted fish for fresh fish from the Spanish coasts) as well as further strengthening the city's role as a logistics node in the country's distribution network. Electric lighting in the streets was introduced in the 1890s. During the first third of the 20th century the population nearly doubled, reaching more than 850,000 inhabitants. New suburbs such as Las Ventas, Tetuán and El Carmen became

11020-509: The success that he found in the United States, many of his students were from America. Just a few of his students were Maggie Teyte , Oscar Seagle and Minnie Saltzmann Stevens, Natalie Townsend , E. Azalia Hackley , and Esther Mundell . The already well established Austrian tenor Leo Slezak also took lessons from Reszke in 1908–1909, seeking advice on how to further improve his vocal technique. Reszke married Maria de Mailly-Nesle,

11136-612: The summer season in relation to its surroundings, which feature thinly vegetated dry land. In the 17th century, the viajes de agua (a kind of water channel or qanat ) were used to provide water to the city. Some of the most important ones were the Viaje de Amaniel  [ es ] (1610–1621, sponsored by the Crown), the Viaje de Fuente Castellana  [ es ] (1613–1620) and Abroñigal Alto  [ es ] / Abroñigal Bajo  [ es ] (1617–1630), sponsored by

11252-414: The supply, depurating waste water and the conservation of all the natural water resources of the Madrid region. The population of Madrid has overall increased since the city became the capital of Spain in the mid-sixteenth century, and has stabilised at approximately 3,000,000 since the 1970s. From 1970 until the mid-1990s, the population dropped. This phenomenon, which also affected other European cities,

11368-530: The surrounding autonomous community of Madrid (since 1983), it is also the political, economic, and cultural centre of the country. The climate of Madrid features hot summers and cool winters. The primitive core of Madrid, a walled military outpost, dates back to the late 9th century, under the Emirate of Córdoba . Conquered by Christians in 1083 or 1085, it consolidated in the Late Middle Ages as

11484-459: The time-worn faute de mieux and brought a fresh understanding of the characters. Herman Klein , an English music critic, described his Raoul as "superb", his Faust was "unsurpassable" and that he was "an ideal Lohengrin". The Australian lyric soprano Nellie Melba performed with Jean and Édouard and was a close personal friend. He performed in the United States until 1903. Reszke spoke German, French, Italian, Russian, Polish, and English. He

11600-522: The title role in Faust , Jean de Leyde in Meyerbeer 's Le prophète , and Vasco de Gama in L'Africaine by the same composer. Jean and his brother Édouard performed together at Covent Garden in London from 1887 to 1890. In 1887, Reszke was re-engaged by the management at London's Drury Lane, delivering among other things a notable Radamès in Verdi's Aida . The following year he was heard again in London, appearing no longer at Drury Lane but at

11716-578: The toponym), namely: Nicknames for Madrid include the plural Los Madriles and La Villa y Corte ( lit.   ' the town and court ' ). The site of modern-day Madrid has been occupied since prehistoric times, and there are archaeological remains of the Celtic Carpetani settlement, Roman villas , a Visigoth basilica near the church of Santa María de la Almudena and three Visigoth necropolises near Casa de Campo, Tetuán and Vicálvaro. The first historical document about

11832-543: The town was changed to a regimiento of 12 regidores by Alfonso XI on 6 January 1346. Starting in the mid-13th century and up to the late 14th century, the concejo of Madrid vied for the control of the Real de Manzanares territory against the concejo of Segovia , a powerful town north of the Sierra de Guadarrama mountain range, characterised by its repopulating prowess and its husbandry-based economy, contrasted with

11948-454: The vocal range of the choir. Within the tenor voice type category are seven generally recognized subcategories: leggero tenor, lyric tenor, spinto tenor, dramatic tenor, heldentenor, Mozart tenor, and tenor buffo or spieltenor. There is considerable overlap between the various categories of role and of voice-type; some tenor singers have begun with lyric voices but have transformed with time into spinto or even dramatic tenors. Also known as

12064-429: The wider Tagus River catchment area. With an average altitude of 650 m (2,130 ft), Madrid is the second highest capital of Europe (after Andorra la Vella ). The difference in altitude within the city proper ranges from the 700 m (2,297 ft) around Plaza de Castilla in the north of city to the 570 m (1,870 ft) around La China wastewater treatment plant on the Manzanares' riverbanks, near

12180-568: The world's major global cities . Madrid is considered the major financial centre and the leading economic hub of the Iberian Peninsula and of Southern Europe . The metropolitan area hosts major Spanish companies such as Telefónica , Iberia , BBVA and FCC . It concentrates the bulk of banking operations in the country and it is the Spanish-speaking city generating the largest number of webpages. Madrid houses

12296-487: Was adept at translating the styles of the different operatic traditions: "From the Italian one learned the legato line and the control that comes from agility, the French school gave charm and sobriety, while the German method taught energy of diction, the violence required in certain dramatic situations and a particular poetic vehemence, or exuberance…" At Covent Garden, operas were performed in Italian traditionally. Reszke

12412-505: Was aged 75. He left his estates in Poland to his sisters Emilia and Josephine, as well as Édouard's daughters. Oscar Seagle , the American baritone who studied under and then taught with Reszke said of his passing: I have lost my closest and most intimate artist friend. De Reszke was the greatest interpreter of the drama of opera I have ever known. As a tenor there is no one who has outranked him in his great roles, and only Chaliapin, who

12528-604: Was becoming more and more tense. On 2 May, a crowd began to gather near the Royal Palace protesting against the French attempt to evict the remaining members of the Bourbon royal family to Bayonne , prompting up an uprising against the French Imperial troops that lasted hours and spread throughout the city, including a famous last stand at the Monteleón barracks. Subsequent repression was brutal, with many insurgent Spaniards being summarily executed . The uprising led to

12644-531: Was billed as Giovanni de Reschi, an Italianised version of his name. He sang opposite his sister Josephine at Teatro Malibran . In April 1874, he sang for the first time in London, performing at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane , and on 11 October 1876 in Paris in La forza del Destino . His name was established or billed correctly as Jean de Reszke beginning with this Paris performance. He performed in other operas as

12760-775: Was exiled to Siberia in 1863 by the Russian government for his leadership role in the January Uprising ; he was there five years. In 1891, Reszke sang in the United States for the first time. He and his brother continued to frequently perform together. They starred with Nellie Melba in Elaine by Bemberg . From 1893 to 1899 he starred in every season at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. Maurice Grau of Abbey, Schoeffel and Grau had

12876-520: Was however rampant. The century also was a time of heyday for theatre, represented in the so-called corrales de comedias . The city changed hands several times during the War of the Spanish Succession : from the Bourbon control it passed to the allied "Austracist" army with Portuguese and English presence that entered the city in late June 1706  [ es ] , only to be retaken by

12992-487: Was known for his desire to perform operas in the language in which they were written. Rather than taking the time-honored interpretation of the music and the characters, he brought a fresh and fuller perspective that impressed the audience, impresarios, and conductors. Music critic Camille Bellaigue said that he "gave to every word the fullness of its meaning and to every note the perfection of sound." After suffering from illnesses that affected his performances, he retired from

13108-542: Was on 16 January 1945 with −10.1 °C (13.8 °F) in Madrid. While at the airport, in the eastern side of the city, the highest recorded temperature was on 24 July 1995, at 42.2 °C (108.0 °F), and the lowest recorded temperature was on 16 January 1945 at −15.3 °C (4.5 °F). From 7 to 9 January 2021 , Madrid received the most snow in its recorded history since 1904; Spain's meteorological agency AEMET reported between 50 and 60 cm (20 and 24 in) of accumulated snow in its weather stations within

13224-480: Was subject to bouts of flu and painful and anxiety-producing bronchial infections. While in the United States in his later years, Reszke had an operation to remove a growth from his vocal chords. His health problems affected his performances. Beginning in 1902 or 1904, he no longer performed on the stage and split his time breeding racehorses in Poland and teaching singing. He had the Villa Vergenere in Nice,

13340-608: Was the first to sing Wagner in German at the Covent Garden in the 1895–1896 season. He saw the composer's works as something sacred and brought intensity, skill, and charisma to his performances. Rather than following the interpretations of the music by the conductor, Reszke relied on his understanding about how a work should be performed. Some conductors were reticent to take his suggestions, while other conductors and impresarios were in awe of him. His bel canto performances, based upon his understanding of Wagner's works, provided

13456-430: Was the scene of some of the most important events of the time, such as the mass demonstrations of support for democracy after the failed coup, 23-F , on 23 February 1981. The first democratic mayors belonged to the centre-left PSOE ( Enrique Tierno Galván , Juan Barranco Gallardo ). Since the late 1970s and through the 1980s Madrid became the center of the cultural movement known as la Movida . Conversely, just like in

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