Re: Inquiry regarding Opera Carmen Film 1909

From: RM Bernier [[email protected]]

 I have found a newsclipping announcing the screening of a movie in 1909 in
Puerto Rico which featured the opera *Carmen* being synchronized with the
music of the opera with the participation of the  Puerto Rican tenor
Antonio Paoli.
This data is not known to the Biographers of Paoli and is fairly important
for the history of movies related to Puerto Rico; being probably one of the
first recordings of a Puerto Rican Muscian and the synchronization with the
moving image is what makes it so unique.  It is said that Paoli was the
first in the world to record a complete opera, perhaps that can be a lead.

I am trying to search for information that will disclose *where* was this
filmed- recorded, with *which* technology, and, of course hoping we can
find more information and a copy, print, image, anything related.
Where do you recommend we begin searching? Which archive would specialize,
which Catalog may include this.  I have copied here some excerpt from
Paoli's biography.

Thanks, in advance for any leads.

*Antonio Paoli: 1871-1946*
Internationally acclaimed opera singer. He was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico,
and was known as "the king of tenors" in his day and the first Puerto Rican
to reach international fame in the arts. Paoli's sister Amalia helped
arrange a scholarship from Spain's Queen María Cristina, for Paoli. In
1882, he started his studies under that scholarship, at the Real Monasterio
del Escorial. He later studied at the Academia de Canto La Scala in Milan,
Italy in 1897, and subsequently debuted in Rossini's opera "William Tell",
in Paris, only two years later. Paoli's great talent brought him much
recognition across Europe. Shortly after appearing at Covent Garden in
London he returned to Puerto Rico. His repertoire included the operas
"Lohengrin" by Wagner and Verdi's "Il Trovatore." He also appeared in opera
houses in Egypt, Palestine, Hungary, Belgium, Cuba, Chile, Haiti, Colombia,
Venezuela, Brazil, Canada, and the United States. Paoli was the first opera
artist in the world to record an entire opera: Leoncavallo's "I Pagliacci",
in 1907. Only three years later, Paoli was appointed "first tenor" by La
Scala, in Milan, Italy.

*-----------------------------------------------**
**Rose Marí Bernier Rodríguez*
Researcher on the History of Movie Culture in Puerto Rico
Facebook: CInes San Juan- Recorridos guiados
  Síganos en *Twitter*: CinesSan Juan