A member of the musical Reszke family, he was a successful opera singer, as were his brother Jean and his sister Josephine.

Born with an impressive natural voice and equipped with compelling histrionic skills, he became one of the most illustrious opera singers active in Europe and America during the late-Victorian era.

The Reszke brothers were entertained near London by Lady de Grey, a patron of the arts.

[5][6] The Reszkes held concerts on Friday nights with duets, arias and choral music.

[10] He went to Italy and studied under Francesco Steller and later the retired baritone Filippo Coletti, who was also a friend.

[13] By 1875, his sister Josephine was a prima donna at the Paris Opera; Reszke and his mother travelled with her.

[12][13] In 1879, he performed in Maria Tudor at the Teatro alla Scala and Indra in the premiere of Le roi de Lahore in Milan.

He performed as Charles V in Don Giovanni d'Austria and the king in Elda in cities including Lisbon, Trieste, and Turin.

[12] While there, the Reszkes were often entertained at the residence of Lady de Grey, who treated the men like royalty and enjoyed their senses of humor.

[12] Reszke and his brother Jean and sister Josephine were described as a jolly trio: Energetic, handsome, even-tempered, gifted linguists, free from the customary eccentricities of stardom, they were social favorites.

He excelled as Mephistopheles due to his genuine bass voice and his imposing physical presence.

[20] They performed in French productions of a full-length version of Faust as well as Les Huguenots with Jean Lassalle and under the impresario Augustus Harris.

During the winter of 1889–1890, they were called to a command performance by the Tsar of Russia, which made Jean nervous.

[21] More than three decades earlier, their father Jan Reszke had been exiled to Siberia in 1863 by the Russian government for his leadership role in the January Uprising; he was there five years.

According to The New York Times, that period was considered the "golden days" of art and great voices.

[24] Reszke performed a wide range of roles in French, German and Italian operas, including works by Wagner, Verdi, Gounod, and Meyerbeer.

[2] A tall, genial man, Reszke possessed a big, smooth, flexible and ripe-toned voice that matched his imposing physique and extroverted personality.

[12] He had a "full, resonant bass, capable of sending forth notes of immense volume or those of the most tender quality.

His appearance was that of a broad-shouldered giant, with fair skin and blue eyes, and his stage presence was imposing.

[2][25] In 1909, he closed his school in London due to recurring bouts of bronchitis and dizziness and began to teach in Warsaw until forced into retirement by health problems.

[27] In the 25 years since Prince Albert's death, Queen Victoria did little entertaining, but in 1889 she issued a command for Emma Albani and the Reszke brothers to join her at Windsor Castle.

The three performed solos and duets from L'Étoile du Nord, Lohengrin, Faust, Sweet Bird, Carmen, and La traviata.

[8] In 1890, after a performance of Faust at Windsor Castle, Reszke was given the Royal Victorian Order by the Queen, as was his brother fourteen months earlier.

[31] Mapleson Cylinders, primitive recordings made privately during an actual performance at the Metropolitan Opera in 1901, exist.

[36] While they were single, the brothers spent the summers at Borowno, near Klomnice, where they owned an ancient castle or chateau of French and Russian architecture.

[10][37] The stud farm and racing stable at Borowno employed about 400 local people, which was most of the residents of the village.

It was his main residence in Poland[37] and he owned a property named Klobukowice, which had one simple house.

As children marched across the bridge, Reszke sang Jescze Polska nie zginęła (pl) (English: Poland Is Not Yet Lost).

He was cared for by his wife and children, during which time he told funny and interesting stories about his career to lighten the mood.

[41] Reszke died of illness on 25 May 1917 in Garnek, near Częstochowa, Poland (16 kilometres (9.9 miles) from the village of Borowno.