A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Gardoni, Italo
GARDONI, Italo, born at Parma late in 1821, studied singing under De' Cesari. He made his début at Viadana in 1840 in 'Roberto Devereux.' In the same year he was engaged by Ronzani, with whom he went to Turin and Berlin, where he sang the rôle of Rodrigo, with Rubini as Otello. Rubini took a great fancy for the young artist, and predicted for him a brilliant career. Gardoni sang during two seasons at Milan, and afterwards at Brescia. Thence he went to Vienna, and sang, in company with Viardot, Alboni, and Tadolini, in the 'Barbiere,' 'Linda,' etc. In 1844–5 he appeared at the Académie Royale, creating the tenor parts in 'Marie Stuart,' 'L'Ame en peine,' etc. In Paris Gardoni remained for three years, singing the principal rôles in the 'Favorite,' 'Robert le Diablo,' 'Charles Six,' etc. In 1847 he went to the Théâtre des Italiens, and in the same spring made his first appearance at Her Majesty's Theatre, and 'by his charm of person and of voice (somewhat slight though the latter has proved) did more to reconcile the public to the loss of Signor Mario than could have been expected. A word is his due—as the due of a real artist, who has finished every phrase that he has sung, and has pointed every word that he has said. There has always been the real Italian elegance—and that more universal elegance which belongs to no country in Signor Gardoni' (Chorley). Here he created the tenor rôle in Verdi's 'Masnadieri.' Since then, with the exception of a few seasons spent at St. Petersburg, Madrid, Amsterdam, and Rome, Gardoni has come every spring to London, and returned to Paris (Italiens) for the winter.
Gardoni belonged to the mezzo carattere class of tenors. His répertoire was rather exceptionally large; for he sung in the 'Barbiere,' 'L'Italiana in Algieri,' and 'Le Comte Ory,' as well as in the 'Puritani,' 'Sonnambula,' 'Robert le Diable,' 'Masaniello,' and Gounod's 'Faust.' He is a member of the 'Société de Bienfaisance Italienne' of Paris, and a chevalier of the 'Corona d'ltalia.' He married a daughter of Tamburini Aug. 14, 1847; and in 1874 retired from the stage. [App. p.645 "date of death, March 30, 1882."]