Pasquale Amato

Amato was born in Naples and studied locally at the Conservatory of San Pietro a Majella under Beniamino Carelli and Vincenzo Lombardo (who also gave singing lessons to the great Neapolitan tenor Enrico Caruso).

In December of that same year, he created the part of Jack Rance in the Met's world premiere of Puccini's La fanciulla del West, singing opposite Caruso, Emmy Destinn, Dinh Gilly and Antonio Pini-Corsi and conducted by Toscanini.

Amato was by now a celebrity, and his return to the United States by ship in October 1912 with fellow baritones Titta Ruffo, Antonio Scotti and William Hinshaw, and soprano Lucrezia Bori, received extensive press coverage.

He retired to Italy during the 1920s, to relax and recuperate, but in 1933, 25 years after his American debut, he appeared there again at the New York Hippodrome, singing the role of the elder Germont in La Traviata.

Although it was not quite so opulent as the vocal instrument possessed by his famous contemporary Titta Ruffo, it was still wonderfully resonant and secure, with plenty of carrying power and flexibility.

[3] Amato made a number of extremely impressive operatic recordings in America for the Victor Talking Machine Company—including some duets with Caruso, Johanna Gadski and other stars of the Met.

Prior to his contract with Victor, Amato had made a series of discs in Italy for Fonotipia, which included operatic arias and a remarkably intimate "A Sirena" (a Neapolitan song).

As well as receiving honours from the Italian government, Amato was initiated as an honorary member of the Beta Omega chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, at Louisiana State University in 1939.