The SaddestStory in Opera

This is one of the saddest stories I have ever heard in opera, or really, anywhere. I had never even heard of José Oxilia prior to seeing his name in a great biography of Tamagno. "There were two other singers, Oxilia and De Negri, who performed in Otello and had a respectful success and following."

https://www.taminoautographs.com/blogs/autograph-blog/francesco-tamagno-the-fantastic-tenor-and-first-otello

There is a biography in the description of this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tarDy0X5Abs

Not even the greatest librettists could have written anything more tragic, ironic, or heart-wrenching, not just in relation to his voice, but to his life. When I first heard him, prior to reading the information, I thought he was in his eighties! I know that,, over time, voices change. But I have never heard of anyone losing his voice at only thirty, and these recordings would have been made in his forties! I could be very wrong, as I am nowhere near an expert on singing. But I don't hear anything even approaching Tamagno or De Negri. At best, I hear a man who was probably a leggero or lyric, who would have done wonderfully with Schipa's repertoir, and maybe the lighter things from Gigli. I can't see how he could have sung Otello. It's a poignent reminder of something that was drilled into Schipa's head from the moment he sang his first note. Don't do things that will ruin your voice! And, to modern people, Iwould add, don't use Tagliavini's voice change as an example that singing heavy roles is fine when your voice is light. He was very, very lucky.