RINA DE TATA
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Rina De Tata, lyric soprano, a strong-willed and tenacious woman who in the early 1940s had the courage to break down the chastened culture of women, embarking on the study of singing with sacrifice and passion, despite coming from a non-wealthy class.
Since she was a little girl she was chosen for school plays and shows, but the first to sense her talent was her father, Pasquale De Tata, Marshal of the Carabinieri, killed on duty by a mad criminal. Father Pasquale was in love with opera and also with the voice of his daughter Rina, so he took her to study privately with illustrious Masters of Naples and then at the Conservatory.
The eldest of seven children, Rina tried not to burden the family with expenses, so to go to the Conservatory she jumped on horse-drawn carts that transported hay from one village to another and she even sewed her own clothes, inspired by the ideas of Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone with the Wind"; in fact, Rina, when her mother changed the curtains, took advantage of the opportunity to make new clothes to be up to the environment of the Conservatory. She said, in fact, that in those days the Masters of the Conservatory caused a lot of anxiety and suggestion, they were dressed in dark, elegant suits and with bow ties and addressed everyone with the formal "lei", even young boys.
He made his debut at the Frattamaggiore theatre at just 13 years old with “Cenerentola”, the comic drama by Gioachino Rossini and already then showed great mastery of the stage.
After obtaining her teaching diploma, she attended the San Pietro a Majella Conservatory in Naples, where she perfected her voice, becoming increasingly well-known in Frattamaggiore and throughout the Neapolitan hinterland, until she gradually became a sought-after light soprano. In 1945, she married Francesco Marchese, general secretary of the Province of Naples, who became her first supporter, not only supporting her in her career, but also acting as her real manager. From this happy marriage three children were born, Mario, Genni and Milena, for whom she gave up leaving Italy in the 60s to pursue a career in the world.
Francesco Marchese, her husband, dedicated a book to her in the early 90s entitled “Addio Chicago”, which tells the story of Rina's artistic career and, above all, the vicissitudes related to a contract with the impresario Ermenegildo Ziccardi, Founder President of the Infant Christ Association of Chicago America, who was very impressed by the quality and technique of Rina's voice, as well as her stage presence, so much so that he proposed a contract that would have seen her spend many months in America in the early 60s. All the documents were sent by plane which unfortunately crashed, ruining Chicago and all the opportunities it offered.
The tragic event did not mark Rina, who as a good Neapolitan thought it was a sign of destiny that should not be forced; in reality Rina, deep down in her heart, even though she dreamed of America, did not want to leave her country, nor her family. After the war, Rina began a career studded with successes. She sang a vast operatic repertoire, but her acclaimed masterpiece was “Lucia di Lammermoor” by G. Donizetti, which she also mentioned shortly before passing away.
Until 1970 he interpreted solo roles of primary importance, appearing on the stages of many important theatres in Italy including the San Carlo in Naples, the Verdi in Salerno, the Petruzzelli in Bari, the Eliseo in Rome, the Massimo in Palermo, the Teatro Nuovo (La Scala) in Milan.
She worked with famous colleagues including Maestro Patanè (conductor), Beniamino Gigli (tenor), Cesare Valletti (tenor), Franco Corelli (tenor), Nunzio Todisco (tenor), Toti Dal Monte (soprano), Benvenuto Franci (baritone), Ugo Savarese (baritone), Maestro Pasquarello (conductor). From 1970 to 1985 she continued her concert career, dedicating herself above all to teaching bel canto. She was an appreciated singing improvement teacher, successfully introducing young singers from the Campania region to artistic life and a love for opera. Rina De Tata is also remembered for being a very generous woman and sensitive to the problems of the poor people, the sick and children in need. He also financially supported cloistered nuns and young people who wanted to become priests. He did a lot of charity, but he said he didn't divulge this because "... good is done, but not shown off ...".
She had only three great loves in her life: music, family and God. She loved and was loved by ordinary people, by students both in the schools where she taught and at the Conservatory and also by those who still today enter important theaters and continue to remember her with recognition and infinite love. Rina De Tata was a serious and good artist, a faithful and attentive wife, a loving and generous mother, a tender and irreplaceable grandmother and great-grandmother.