Paoli, Antonio

Paoli, Antonio (1871–1946) opera tenor; born in Ponce, Puerto Rico. He studied in Spain and Italy and was famous throughout Europe and the Americas as "the king of tenors and the tenor of kings" from his 1899 debut at the Paris Opera House in Rossini's William Tell until his career was interrupted by a stroke in 1925. He was decorated by most of the crowned heads of Europe, including the Czar of Russia in 1904 and Kaiser Wilhelm in 1912. In 1907 he sang Canio in I Pagliacci, the first opera to be completely recorded. He last appeared on the stage in Aida and Il Trovatore at the Teatro Municipal in San Juan (1928).