Cesare Bardelli, the youngest of three brothers, was born on December 25, 1910 in Sampierdarena, Genova (due to the fact that at the time, his father was train-station master in that city) but Cesare for long generations from both mother and father was from Pisa the “Leaning Tower Fame” in Italy, therefore always very proud to consider himself a “Pisano”.
From his father Alfredo, he inherited the love for “Bel Canto”. His father was a semi-professional tenor and would bring 6 year-old Cesare on holidays at local churches and weddings to sing arias from his own favourite operas with the hope of hard study and an eventual operatic career for his son. Cesare at the time, had a pleasant tenor-voice and therefore started studying very young music and voice at first with Maestri Barsanti and Pizzi and afterwards in Milano with the famous baritone Carlo Tagliabue. In New York his voice teacher was the unforgettable Daniele Serra.
In 1937 Cesare Bardelli made an auspicious debut in Alessandria (Piemonte) in Aida (Amonasro) and immediately the same year at Alessandria Egypt in both Aida (Amonasro) and Tosca (Scarpia),role destined to be his “Cavallo di Battaglia”(Battle-Horse). Bardelli sang Scarpia in Tosca almost 1000 times during his 43 year career gaining the fame as “The World’s Greatest Scarpia ” in Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca after Antonio Scotti.
In 1979, still in great voice, Cesare decided to retire from the stage and was asked by many young singers to give voice-lessons in his New York City Studio. Among his many outstanding pupils, he also gave voice-lessons to the famous Hollywood movie-actor Paul Sorvino (father of Mira Sorvino). He then moved with his wife Lina to Vercelli, Italy where their only daughter Vera still lives with her family. In 1980, Prof. Joseph Robbone asked Cesare Bardelli to be part of the “Società del Quartetto” of Vercelli as voice-teacher and also invited him to become Member of the Board for the “Concorso Internazionale di Musica G.B.Viotti of Vercelli”.
Cesare Bardelli passed away in Milano on December 23, 2000 – 2 days before his 90th Birthday.
Bardelli Figaro-Barbiere di Siviglia
Vera & Cesare Bardelli
Bardelli Rodeo Houston
New York Interview Bardel
GREAT SINGERS OF THE PAST 