GIORGIO

RONCONI (1810—189o)  , Italian baritone vocalist, was born in 181o . He learnt singing from his father Domenico, who had been a celebrated tenor in his time, and made his debut in 1831 at Pavia . After singing in Italy for some years with ever-growing success, he appeared for the first time in England, in 1842, as Henry Ashton in Lucia di Lammermoor . His success was immediate, and he continued to be one of the most popular artists on the lyric stage until his retirement in 1866 . His voice was neither extensive in compass nor fine in quality, but the genius of his acting and the strength of his personality fully atoned for his vocal defects . He was equally at home in comedy and tragedy, and the two parts by which he is best remembered, Rigoletto and Figaro, show conclusively the range of his talent . In his later years Ronconi founded a school of singing at Granada, and he also accepted the post of professor of singing at the Madrid Conservatoire . He died in 189o .