Antonio Scotti was born at Naples, Jan. 25, 1866, and did much of his
vocal study there with Mme. Trifari Paganini. His debut was made at the
Teatro Reale, in the Island of Malta, in 1889. The opera was _Martha_.
After touring the Italian opera houses he spent seven seasons in South
America at a time when the interest in grand opera on that continent was
developing tremendously. He then toured Spain and Russia with great
success and made his debut at Covent Garden, London, in 1899. His
success was so great that he was immediately engaged for the
Metropolitan in New York, where he has sung every season since that
time. His most successful roles have been in _La Tosca_, _La Boheme_, _I
Pagliacci_, _Carmen_, _Falstaff_, _L'Oracolo_ and _Otello_. His voice is
a rich and powerful baritone. He is considered one of the finest actors
among the grand opera singers. During recent years he has toured with an
opera company of his own, making many successful appearances in some of
the smaller as well as the larger American cities.
[Illustration: PORTRAIT OF ANTONIO SCOTTI IN THE COSTUME OF HIS MOST
FAMOUS ROLE, SCARPIA, IN "LA TOSCA," BY PUCCINI.]