Francesco Mottino

Francesco Mottino was an Italian opera singer, voice teacher, drama teacher, librettist, and writer. He had a prolific international opera career from the 1850s through the 1870s. After retiring from the stage, he worked actively as a writer and teacher in his native country.

As a child Mottino was a student of many languages and became a highly proficient writer and speaker in English and French at a young age. He began his career as writer for magazines and also performed on the Italian stage in plays by William Shakespeare. He became interested in opera and entered the Milan Conservatory in 1855.

Mottino began his opera career performing in smaller baritone roles at various Italian theatres while still a pupil in Milan. During the 1860s, he performed in leading roles in operas in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Greece, Turkey and Egypt in addition to appearing at many of the principal Italian theatres. He was particularly known for his portrayal of the title role in Giuseppe Verdi's I due Foscari, a role he sang at many opera houses.

He reached the pinnacle of his stage career in England during the 1870s where he performed frequently at both the Royal Opera House and at Her Majesty's Theatre. He also often appeared in London concerts, including several performances with soprano Adelina Patti at The Crystal Palace. He was the leading baritone of the Carl Rosa Opera Company from 1875–1879 and toured with that company to many British cities. Rosa had hired Mottino largely because of his mastery of the English language which enabled him to sing Italian operas in English with excellent pronunciation and diction. Among the roles for which he was praised by London audiences were the Count di Luna in Il trovatore and the title role in Rossini's William Tell. He also starred in the world premiere of Lauro Rossi's Biron on 17 January 1877 at Her Majesty's Theatre.

Mottino retired from the stage in 1880, returning to Milan that year with his wife soprano Adele Cesarini with whom he had often performed. From 1880-1887 he ran the literary magazine L'Utopista, working as both the magazine's editor and a contributor of articles. He also wrote the librettos for Giovanni Consolini's Il conte di Salto (1894) and Cesare Rossi's I fuggitivi (1896). In addition, he taught singing and acting in Milan for several decades. Among his pupils were tenor Kirk Towns and soprano Enrica Clay Dillon.