Dal Monte, Toti (real name, Antonietta Meneghelli)
Dal Monte, Toti (real name, Antonietta Meneghelli)
Dal Monte, Toti (real name, Antonietta Meneghelli) , outstanding Italian soprano; b. Mogliano, near Treviso, June 27, 1893; d. Pieve di Soligo, Treviso, Jan. 26, 1975. She studied piano at the Venice Cons., then voice with Barbara Marchisio. She made her operatic debut at La Scala in Milan as Biancafiore in Zandonai’s Francesca da Rimini in 1916, and then sang throughout Italy. After a brilliant appearance as Gilda at La Scala in 1922, she pursued a notably acclaimed career in Europe, singing in Paris, Vienna, London, and Berlin with extraordinary success. On Dec. 5, 1924, she made her Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y. as Lucia, remaining on its roster for 1 season; she also sang at the Chicago Civic Opera (1924–28) and at London’s Covent Garden (1926). She continued to sing in opera until World War II, after which she made her farewell performance at the Verona Arena in 1949; thereafter she taught voice. She publ. an autobiography, Una voce nel mondo (Milan, 1962). Her other remarkable roles included Cio-Cio-San, Mimi, and Stravinsky’s Nightingale.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire