Aureliano Pertile (1885-1952) was a celebrated Italian tenor who enjoyed a 35 year career in major theaters on both sides of the Atlantic. The son of a poor shoemaker and his wife, Pertile was born in Montagnana…just a few blocks away and 18 days after the birth of fellow tenor Giovanni Martinelli. His vocal talents were apparent from a very early age. In 1894, Pertile began singing alto with the choir of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta. At his parents’ insistence, he apprenticed as a goldsmith during his teens, but continued singing. At age 20, he was heard by composer Vittorio Orefice, who invited the young man to study with him in Padua. After five years of work, Pertile made his debut as Lionel in Martha at Vicenza’s Teatro Eretenio on February 16, 1911. In May, he sang the role of Vinicius in the Italian premiere of Jean Nouguès’ Quo Vadis? at Milan’s Teatro dal Verme. Reviews were stellar and the tenor’s career took off quickly. Over the next two years, Pertile made appearances in Brescia, Torino, Asti, Padua and Genoa, with his international debut occurring in Santiago as des Grieux in Manon Lescaut during the fall of 1913. While in South America, the tenor also sang in Buenos Aires and Valparaiso in such works as Un Ballo in Maschera, Mefistofele, Tosca, and La Traviata. Late in 1913, Pertile returned to Italy, where he spent the next few years appearing in Naples, Palermo, Florence, Bologna, and Rome. His La Scala debut occurred on February 22, 1916 as Paolo in Francesca da Rimini, leading to a lengthy association with the company.
By 1921, Pertile had appeared at most of the major theaters of Italy, Spain and South America. Following his Mexico City debut as Faust in Mefistofele in August, Pertile began his only season at New York’s Metropolitan as Cavaradossi in Tosca on December 1. Henderson of the New York Sun reported, “His voice has a tendency toward whiteness, but in its fullest volume it is warmer and resonant. His acting was that of the everyday tenor.” …not exactly the definition of a glowing review. In addition to Cavaradossi, he also sang des Grieux in Manon Lescaut, Grigori in Boris Godunov, Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana, Canio in Pagliacci, Radames in Aïda, and Julien in Louise. Sadly, the New York public never quite warmed up to Pertile. After only 13 performances of the aforementioned roles, as well as a pair of Sunday Night Concerts, Pertile was finished in the U.S. His Met career had lasted exactly seven weeks.
Pertile fared much better in his homeland. Arturo Toscanini, who had recently taken the reins at La Scala, invited the tenor to join him for a production of Mefistofele in March. This began a decade long alliance between the two, a highlight of which was Pertile’s creation of the title role of Boito’s Nerone at its premiere on May 1, 1924. Other world premieres entrusted to Pertile during his La Scala tenure were Wolf Ferrari’s Sly in 1927 (under Ettore Panizza) and Mascagni’s Nerone in 1935 (under the composer). The tenor was a superstar at La Scala, with “Pertile Nights” marketed to an adoring public. After Toscanini’s departure in 1929, however, Pertile’s importance in Milan began to diminish. Although the tenor would remain at La Scala until the early 1940s, he was no longer the central figure he had been during the 1920s.
