Gigli Beniamino, *20 March 1890 Recanati, †30 November 1957 Rome, Italian tenor singer. He spent his childhood in Recanati; from the age of 7 he sang in a church choir as a soprano and took singing lessons with a local teacher, M. Lazzerini. In 1908–10 he studied in Rome with A. Bonucci, and in 1911–14 at the Liceo Musicale (now Conservatorio) di S. Cecilia with E. Rosati and A. Cotogni. In 1914 he made his debut in Rovigo near Venice as Enzo Grimaldo in La Gioconda by A. Ponchielli. Soon he was singing in Bologna, Naples, Rome, and other Italian cities; in 1917 he began performing abroad: in Madrid and Barcelona, then in Dresden, Berlin, and Paris. In 1918 he achieved great success in the role of Faust in Mefistofele by A. Boito at La Scala. In 1919/20 he performed in South America; from 1920 to 1932 he appeared at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, where he created nearly 30 stage roles. In 1929 he sang in Scandinavian countries and Central Europe, in 1930 in London (Covent Garden), and in 1938/39 again in New York. He spent the years of World War II in Italy. After the fall of Mussolini, he suspended public performances until March 1945. In the postwar period he sang more often in concert halls than in opera houses; however, until 1953 he remained associated with the opera companies of Naples and Rome. In 1946–49 he performed with great success in Great Britain, including at Covent Garden in La Bohème by G. Puccini (with his daughter, Rina Gigli, as Mimì). In 1955 he gave a series of successful concerts in the USA. Soon afterwards he ended his career. Gigli had more than 60 operatic roles in his repertoire (mostly from Italian operas) as well as numerous songs. His greatest stage successes were in lyric roles from the operas of Verdi and Puccini. His interpretations in operas by Donizetti, Ponchielli, Leoncavallo, Giordano, Mascagni, Massenet, and Flotow were also highly valued. Gigli’s art is documented in numerous recordings, which also contributed to his great popularity. He appeared in several English and German musical films.
Literature: B. Gigli Confidenze, 3rd ed. Rome 1943, expanded ed. titled Le memorie di Gigli, Milan 1957, Eng. ed. London 1957, 2nd ed. 1977 (contains a discography), Spanish ed. Buenos Aires 1958, Russian ed. Leningrad 1964, Polish ed. Pamiętniki, trans. H. Wiśniowska, Krakow 1973; R. Rosner Beniamino Gigli, Vienna 1929, 3rd ed. 1933; R. de Rensis Il cantare del popolo. Beniamino Gigli, Rome 1933, German ed. Beniamino Gigli, Munich 1936; D. Silvestrini Beniamino Gigli, Bologna 1937; E. Herbert-Caesari Tradition and Gigli, London 1958; H. Hahn Un’anima cantava. Eine Seele sang. Begegnungen mit Beniamino Gigli, Stuttgart 1966.
