Lomelino Silva

Silva was born in Funchal. He first pursued a commercial activity, then decided to join the military, serving in Funchal during the First World War. In that period, he sang in a recital in Funchal. This induced him to leave the army and study singing.

In March 1918, he auditioned for Alberto Sarti singing the two Tosca arias. He made progress while studying in Lisbon at the Academia de Amadores de Música.

He decided to go to to study further with Giovanni Laura and then Ercole Pizzi. Making quick progress, Silva made his first professional public appearance at a concert at the Conservatorio Verdi in Milan in 1921. The same year, he sang further concerts in Bergamo, Como and Funchal.

In Milano, Oreste Poli, director of the Teatro Dal Verme, accepted to have him sing. He was hired to sing La bohème, but the tenor scheduled to sing Rigoletto fell ill and Silva was called at the last minute to replace him on 21 December 1921, making his operatic debut with Ginevra Amato, Lily Braggiotti, Stefano Smeraldi, Massimiliano Serra, and Uriel Nespoli conducting. Rivista Nazionale di Musica, 30 December 1921, stated that Silva had a great future in opera.

This was followed by another Rigoletto on 22 January 1922, and finally La bohème on 10 February with Fumagalli-Riva, Castellani, Torti, Fregosi, Serra and Lucon conducting.

The impresario De Hondt hired Silva for appearances in Holland (Rigoletto; La bohème on 3 May 1922 with Torri, Gianni, Conati, Sandrini, Zaccarini with Fratini conducting in Amsterdam; and a concert in Utrecht on 27 May).

In November 1922, Silva was in Brazil with the baritone Armando Saraiva for the International Exhibition. Both took part in concerts on 11 November and 14 December.

There is no information on the activity of the tenor in 1923.

On 2 February 1924, Silva sang for the first time at the Teatro São Carlos in Lisbon (Mefistofele with Cannetti, Lanskoy with Serafin conducting for a total of 5 times). On 17 March, he sang Rigoletto (total 2) and Tosca on 4 May (total 1).

Silva sang in Porto at the São João Rigoletto (3 May), and Tosca (4 May).

Silva moved to Italy to start a career outside Portugal: Sermide (Teatro Sociale, 24 October as Faust), Napoli (Faust on 4 November and Il barbiere di Siviglia on 22 November). In 1925, Silva sang in Bergamo (Rigoletto), Bologna (Barbiere), Alessandria (Gioconda, Rigoletto) and Teramo (Barbiere).

Silva returned to Portugal on 28 May 1925, singing concerts in Funchal and Lisbon.

In 1926, he continued to sing concerts in Porto and Funchal before going to London in July to sing a concert (16 July) and make records.

He returned to Portugal on 26 October to sing concerts in Funchal, Ponta Delgada, and Anga de Heroismo.

Silva resumed his international career singing in the US:
1927
Pittsburgh (18 January, Cavalleria rusticana with Campiña)
Harrisburgh (20 January, Rigoletto)
Pittsburgh (21 January, Lucia di Lammermor)
Lynchburg (26 January, Cavalleria rusticana)
Durham (29 January, Il barbiere di Siviglia)
Greenville (early February, Faust)
Charlotte (5 February, Faust)
Charlston (11 February, Lucia di Lammermoor)
Charlston (12 February, Faust)
Jacksonville (15 February, Faust)
Jacksonville (16 February, Lucia di Lammermoor)
Jacksonville (20 February, concert)
Orlando (22 February, Lucia di Lammmermoor)
Orlando (25 February, Cavalleria rusticana)
Orlando (26 February, Faust)
Tampa (1 March, Lucia di Lammermoor)
Brooklyn (18 June, Traviata)

This was followed by a series of concerts until the end of 1927 (Fall River, New Bedford, Newport, Newark, Philadelphia and Scranton) with one stage appearance on 7 December in Philadelphia in La traviata with Caravelli and Royer.

During 1928, 1929, 1930, Silva sang mostly in concerts: New York, Fall River, Cambridge, Oakland, San Francisco, San José, Sacramento, Funchal, Lisbon, Belém, São Luis, Recife, Salvador, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Juiz de Fora, and São Paulo.

Finally in November 1930, Silva returned to the opera stage: Porto (Lucia di Lammermoor, La traviata, Rigoletto) and Lisboa (Rigoletto).

From 1931 to 1949, Silva, with few exceptions, sang in concerts: Newark, New York, Oakland, Honolulu, Kahului, Hilo, Honokaa, Kaumakani, Līhu'e, Fort Kamehameha, Shanghai, Macau, Hong Kong, Manila, Singapore, Mumbai, Nova Goa (today Panaji), Mombasa, Lourenço Marques (today Maputo), Beira (Mozambique), Johannesburg, Cape Town, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Funchal, Lisboa, Port of Spain, Georgetown (Guyana), St. John (US Virgin Islands), Caracas, Willemstad (Curaçao), Bogotá, Schenectady, Brooklyn, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Havana, Ciudad de Panamá, Cayenne, Manaus, Belém (Brazil), Recife, São Luís, Salvador, Rio de Janeiro, Santos, Porto Alegre, Pelotas, Portimão, Monte Carlo, Madrid, Campos (Mallorca), Belo Horizonte, Juiz de Fora, Vitória, Aracaju, Ilhéus, Itabuna, Curitiba, Florianópolis, Tanger... His last concert was in Lisbon at the Tivoli on 6 February 1949.

The few exceptions when he appeared on stage were: Brooklyn (18 April 1938 in Rigoletto), and Lisboa (15 June 1939 in Rigoletto).

Silva retired to Lisbon, where he died on 17 November 1967 at the Saint Louis Hospital.

Reference: Mário Moreau, Cantores de ópera portugueses, Lisbon 1981 and 1987 (3 volumes)

I wish to thank Richard J Venezia for the recording (Fado das romarias).

Discography

His Master's Voice, London, 20 April 1926
Bb8288-1 Rigoletto (Verdi): Questa o quella				unpublished
Bb8288-2 Rigoletto (Verdi): Questa o quella				unpublished
Bb8289-1 Vindima (Alberto Sarti)					unpublished

His Master's Voice, London, 26 April 1926
Bb8289-2 Vindima (Sarti)						unpublished
Bb8346-1 Cancão das folhas (Sarti)					unpublished
Bb8347-1 Mãesinha (Sarti)						B4667, AE1651
Bb8348-1 Guitarrada (Sarti)						B4667, AE1651
Bb8349-1 As amendoeiras (Sarti)						B4668, AE1652
Bb8350-1 As cotovias (Sarti)						B4669, AE1653
Bb8351-1 Canto de rouzinol (Sarti)					B4668, AE1652

His Master's Voice, London, 30 April 1926
Bb8370-1 Rigoletto (Verdi): Questa o quella				unpublished
Bb8370-2 Rigoletto (Verdi): Questa o quella				B4675, DA798
Bb8371-1 Rigoletto (Verdi): La donna è mobile				B4675, DA798
Bb8371-2 Rigoletto (Verdi): La donna è mobile				unpublished
Bb8372-1 Tosca (Puccini): Recondita armonia				unpublished
Bb8372-2 Tosca (Puccini): Recondita armonia				unpublished
Bb8373-1 Manon Lescaut (Puccini): Donna non vidi mai			unpublished
Bb8373-2 Manon Lescaut (Puccini): Donna non vidi mai			unpublished

His Master's Voice, London, 18 May 1926
Bb8398-1 Fado dos passarinhos (António Menano)				unpublished
Bb8398-2 Fado dos passarinhos (Menano)					unpublished
Bb8399-1 Fado das romarias (Menano)					unpublished
Bb8399-2 Fado das romarias (Menano)					B4672, AE1656
Bb8400-1 Fado da granja (Menano)					unpublished
Bb8400-2 Fado da granja (Menano)					B4673, AE1657
Bb8401-1 Fado do choupal (Menano)					unpublished
Bb8401-2 Fado do choupal (Menano)					unpublished
Bb8402-1 Canção perdida (Tomás de Lima)					unpublished
Bb8402-2 Canção perdida (Tomás de Lima)					B4672, AE1656

His Master's Voice, London, 2 June 1926
Bb8466-1 Fado (Ruy Coelho)						unpublished
Bb8466-2 Fado (Coelho)							B4674, AE1658
Bb8481-1 Serrana (Alfredo Keil): Porque duvidas tu d'este amor louco	unpublished
Bb8481-2 Serrana (Keil): Porque duvidas tu d'este amor louco		B4673, AE1657
Bb8482-1 L'arlesiana (Cilea): È la solita storia			unpublished
Bb8482-1 L'arlesiana (Cilea): È la solita storia			B4674, AE1658

His Master's Voice, London, 3 June 1926
Bb8289-3 Vindima (Sarti)						unpublished
Bb8289-4 Vindima (Sarti)						B4669, AE1653
Bb8490-1 Para as raparigas de Coimbra (de Lima)				unpublished
Bb8490-2 Para as raparigas de Coimbra (de Lima)				unpublished
Bb8490-3 Para as raparigas de Coimbra (de Lima)				B4670, AE1654
Bb8491-1 As pombas (Fernando Moutinho)					B4670, AE1654
Bb8491-2 As pombas (Moutinho)						unpublished
Bb8491-1 Papoulas (Sarti)						unpublished
Bb8491-2 Papoulas (Sarti)						unpublished
Bb8491-3 Papoulas (Sarti)						B4671, AE1655
Bb8493-1 Carta da aldeia (José Coutinho de Oliveira)			B4671, AE1655
Bb8493-2 Carta da aldeia (Coutinho de Oliveira)				unpublished