Gigli the Master Tenor

The Book:

More than twenty years in the making, Gigli: The Master Tenor by Colin Bain (Barry R. Ashpole, General Editor) promises to be a definitive biography of Beniamino Gigli (1890-1957), offering a detailed, intimate portrait of the singer and his extraordinary career. Based on thousands of official and personal documents secured by the author as well as interviews with opera stars, musicians, teachers, and loved ones—including extensive interviews with members of the Gigli family and household—the new biography spans a lifetime, opening and closing in Recanati, Italy, ancestral home of the Gigli family where Beniamino reportedly sang as soon as he learned to talk.

The Contributors:

Colin BAIN was born in Liverpool, Sydney, Australia, on 22 September 1926. He began collecting recordings of classical singers at an early age and went on to establish himself as an authority on opera ­ in particular, on notable singer of the past.
Colin enjoyed a measure of celebrity and gave numerous broadcasts on great singers of past and present for Australian radio. As a management consultant, he travelled widely and, in the course of his travels, had the opportunity to witness firsthand performances in many of the great opera houses of Europe and the United States, eventually undertaking exhaustive research for a biography of Beniamino Gigli at the request of the Gigli family. Colin was acknowledged as Gigli 's official biographer by the tenor's daughter, Rina, who died in 2000.

Barry R. ASHPOLE was editor of the ARSC Journal (Association of Recorded Sound Collection) from 1993 to 2015 and is recipient of the 2017 Distinguished Service to ARSC award. ln addition to his responsibilities as the editor of the journal, he authored several articles and was a regular contributor to the book and sound record review sections of the publication. Barry's musical interests are somewhat eclectic, but the primary focus of his listening, reading and research is Italian opera - its history and performance, on record and in early film - and, in general, the early history of recorded sound.
By profession a communications consultant and educator, Barry works in the fields of healthcare and social services, specializing  in end-of-life care. He has published and presented on many aspects of hospice and palliative care, and also taught several college certificate in-class and online courses for frontline health professional.

 Read more:

Gigli the Master Tenor Website:  Home (giglithemastertenor.com)

Purchase the book:

The book, Gigli the Master tenor, 560 pages and 16 pages of high-quality pictures is available in print for 85 CND (ca. 57 EUR) and e-book for 29,95 CND (ca 20 EUR) and can be purchased on the website shop.

Donations:

All proceeds from the sale of the biography (limited edition and e-book) are being donated to Médecins Sans Frontières (Canada) (Doctors without Borders).