Tino Folgar

Juventino Folgar Ascaso, artistically known as Tino Folgar, was born in Barcelona on 25 January 1892. He was the son of Juan Folgar (originating from Salamanca) and Mrs. Luisa Ascaso (from Huesca).
He studied in Catholic schools in Barcelona, and when he was 17 years old, the family moved to Sarriá, where he started singing in amateur associations, standing out for his qualities as a singer and actor.
A relative noted his extraordinary talent and obtained an audition for him at the conservatory of the Liceu in Barcelona, where he was heard by Joaquín Vidal Nunell, who was also the singing teacher of the famous soprano Mercedes Capsir. The teacher told him that he had a precious voice, similar to Giuseppe Anselmi; though at the time Folgar's voice was small, but soft and sweet and with a perfect musicality.
Tino Folgar then started his singing studies with a private lady teacher, who prepared him for his debut at the Orfeó Gracienc in Barcelona, on 1 February 1922, as Rodolfo in La bohème. He soon repeated his success at the Teatro Tívoli in Barcelona. He sang four times La bohème and four times Il barbiere di Siviglia, with laudatory comments from public and critics. The director of the Teatre del Liceu advised him to go to Italy for further studies.
The tenor arrived in 1922 to Milan, but unfortunately he chose the wrong teacher, a certain Bellini, who ruined his voice in a short time so that he could not sing a single note. He did not know what to do, either go back to Spain with the shame of his failure, or stay in Italy doing some other work. In a meeting of Spanish friends he met a bizarre and pictureque character, Esteban Pascual, who taught the nearly forgotten Porpora singing method. Folgar believed in that teacher, and after one and half year of hard studies, Tino Folgar recovered his voice and improved his range, now being able to reach, vocalizing, an F over the staff.
His Italian debut took place in early 1925 in Acqui, singing Il barbiere di Siviglia and Lucia di Lammermoor. In April 1925, he sang again Il barbiere di Siviglia and La bohème, both at the Teatro Sociale in Voghera.
It was as Almaviva that he made his debut at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome (four performances) in September and October 1925. In April 1926, he was singing Il barbiere, with Spanish soprano Margarita Salvi, at the Teatro Paganini in Genova, and in November of the same year, he toured several cities in Holland singing the same opera.
At the end of 1926, he obtained a big success singing the role of Lindoro in L'italiana in Algeri by Rossini in four performances that took place at the Teatro Argentina in Rome, with Conchita Supervía (Isabella), Laura Pasini (Elvira), Vincenzo Bettoni (Mustafá), Carlo Scattola (Taddeo) and Vittorio Gui conducting. The first performance took place on 28 December. Later the cast repeated the opera in Turin. Folgar also sang in La cambiale di matrimonio. In Cremona he sang Il barbiere, now with the soprano Maria Gentile and the baritone Benvenuto Franci.
The year 1927 was a very important one in the personal and artistic life of Tino Folgar. He married Yole Solito de Solís, a lady that belonged to the Italian nobilty and to a family of art intellectuals and musicians. She was to be his wife for almost fifty years. Also, that year he was chosen by the Gramophone Company (La Voce del Padrone) to sing the role of the Duke in the first electrical recording of Rigoletto. The recording sessions took place at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi in Milan, and in the cast were the soprano Lina Pagliughi, the mezzosoprano Vera De Christoff, the baritone Luigi Piazza and the bass Salvatore Baccaloni, with professors of the orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, conducted by Carlo Sabajno.
As a member of an Italian company, he toured Holland during four consecutive seasons, singing in La bohème, Lucia di Lammermoor, La traviata, La favorite, Rigoletto, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Cavalleria rusticana and L'amico Fritz. He also sang in a cycle of concerts in the Netherlands.
Back in Spain, he sang on 29 August 1928 at the Teatro Principal in Zaragoza, Il barbiere di Siviglia with the soprano Isabel Soria and the baritone Víctor Damiani. A tour followed with the soprano Ofelia Nieto in Manon, and with Pilar Duamirg and Víctor Damiani in Il barbiere di Siviglia. The performances took place in Bilbao, Santander and San Sebastián, where he also triumphed as Cavaradossi in Tosca with Ofelia Nieto and Víctor Damiani.
At this point of his career he decided to try a new experience singing the traditional Spanish operettas, known as "zarzuelas". He sang his first zarzuela in December 1928 at the Teatro Victoria in Barcelona, as Américo in the new work, Martierra by Jacinto Guerrero, which had first been performed on 28 September of the same year at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid, with the Argentinean tenor Rogelio Baldrich. Folgar obtained a great success and was announced as "the magician with the golden voice". At the Victoria, he also sang in Doña Francisquita, Molinos de viento, Los gavilanes, Bohemios and a zarzuela named En Sevilla está el amor with music from Il barbiere di Siviglia.
In January 1929, he sang Doña Francisquita at the Teatro Olympia in Barcelona with Cora Roga. On 6 April 1929, he sang the role of Fernando in the first performance of Los claveles by José Serrano, at the Teatro Fontalba in Madrid. He later sang at the same theatre Luisa Fernanda, El huésped del sevillano, Doña Francisquita, Los de Aragón, Bohemios, Molinos de viento and Los gavilanes.
On 9 December 1929, he was Torralba in the premiére of La ventera de Alcalá by Pablo Luna, at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid.
He also sang Viennese operetta with such success that he was nicknamed "the prince of the operetta". He formed his own company and made tours throughout Spain, offering Spanish versions of classics like Eva, Der Graf von Luxemburg, Die lustige Witwe, Mi amor eres tú (Spanish version of Lehár's Friederike) and El primo de las Indias (with Spanish text by Folgar himself for Eduard Künneke's Der Vetter aus Dingsda).
In 1930, he was called to act and sing in the first Spanish sound picture, La canción del día , conducted by George Berthold Jamuelson. The picture was first shown at the Real Cinema in Madrid, on 9 April 1930.
It was also in 1930 that he visited Argentina for the first time as a member of the zarzuela company of maestro Jacinto Guerrero, with Laura Nieto as first soprano. His debut was at the Teatro Onrubia in Buenos Aires with El huésped del sevillano. The company stayed six months, performing not only in the capital city but also in the provinces and in Montevideo (Uruguay).
In 1931, Tino Folgar visited England. He sang in concerts broadcasted by the BBC, made several gramophone records, some in English, and turned a short film for British Pathé, singing "Señorita", a song of which he was also the author.
Back in Spain, he formed a new operetta company, performing everywhere in Spain until the end of the Civil War, when the company was forced to dissolve for economic reasons.
In 1941, he sang at the Teatro Victoria in Barcelona, La montería and La generala. In July 1945, he visited Argentina for the second time, singing at Radio Splendid in Buenos Aires for seven months. He also sang at Radio Belgrano and in the Argentinean provinces. In November, he sang in Montevideo. The last time he sang in Montevideo was on 22 October 1948 in a recital at the Teatro Solís, where he sang a program that ranged from zarzuela arias from Los gavilanes and Don Manolito to operatic arias from Les pêcheurs de perles and Manon.
He continued to sing in Spain until 1952, when he was called to step in for the indisposed baritone Luis Sagi-Vela in Los claveles and El conde de Luxemburgo. It was his farewell to the theatre.
He took up residence in Buenos Aires, where he had a well-known singing academy.
His health was delicate and his body very weak after May 1982. From time to time he gave lessons to a reduced group of young singers, but his health deteriorated so much that he had to be interned in the Spanish Hospital in Buenos Aires.
Tino Folgar died in Buenos Aires on 31 December 1982. The next day, he was buried at the Cementerio de Chacarita, his tomb is very near to that of his beloved wife.

The discography of Tino Folgar

Tino Folgar made more than 80 records (78 rpm) besides the already mentioned complete "Rigoletto" (1927), which is also available on CD.
He sang selections from the zarzuelas Bohemios, Martierra, Molinos de viento, Los flamencos and Luisa Fernanda. He left beautiful recordings of the principal zarzuela tenor arias. Also remarkable are his versions of Catalan songs like "Pel teu amor", "L'emigrant", "Canço de taverne", "Romanc de Santa Llucia" and "Muntanyenca". He even recorded Argentinean tangos: "Tomo y obligo", "Canto por no llorar", "Congojas", "Negro" and "Mi caballo murió". While in London, he recorded among others, in English, the serenade from Lehár's Frasquita, "Just one of my dreams" and "Lady of Spain".

JUAN DZAZÓPULOS, MARCH 2008

I wish to thank Juan Dzazópulos for the recordings and biographical information.