Arturo Testa

Arturo Testa
Born15 August 1932 (1932-08-15)
Milan, Kingdom of Italy
Died12 May 2021(2021-05-12) (aged 88)
Milan, Italy
OccupationSinger

Arturo Testa (15 August 1932 - 12 May 2021) was an Italian baritone and pop singer, mainly successful between the 1950s and the 1970s.

Life and career

Born in Milan, a passionate about opera since childhood, Testa played the shepherd boy in a production of Giacomo Puccini's Tosca at the age of nine.[1] After studiyng with Carlo Tagliabue,[2] in 1951 he started a professional career as a baritone.[1] In 1955, he entered the orchestra by Piero Soffici, and in 1958, he became a member of the Pippo Barzizza Orchestra.[1]

In 1959, Testa had his breakout with his signature song, "Io sono il vento", which ranked second at the 9th Sanremo Music Festival.[1][2][3] In the following years, he took part in four more editions of the Sanremo Festival, two editions of the Festival di Napoli and in Canzonissima.[1] In 1968, he shifted his focus to opera and operetta and achieved major success over the next decade.[1][3] In 2001, he ran for mayor of Milan with the Pensioners' Party, getting just 0.78% of the votes.[2][4] He died on 12 May 2021, at the age of 88.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Giannelli, Enzo. "Testa, Arturo". Castaldo, Gino (edited by). Dizionario della canzone italiana. Curcio Editore, 1990. pp. 1646-9.
  2. ^ a b c d Porro, Maurizio (13 May 2021). "È morto Arturo Testa, baritono che arrivo dietro Modugno a Sanremo". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  3. ^ a b Anselmi, Eddy (2009). "Arturo Testa". Festival di Sanremo: almanacco illustrato della canzone italiana. Panini. p. 919. ISBN 8863462291.
  4. ^ Piano, Giuseppina (14 April 2001). "E sulle ali del vento arriva Arturo Testa". La Repubblica. p. 3.