Editing Maria Callas (section)

==Alleged Callas–Tebaldi rivalry==
[[File:Renata Tebaldi-head&shoulders-1961.jpg|thumb|upright|Callas's rival, [[Renata Tebaldi]], 1961]]
During the early 1950s, an alleged rivalry arose between Callas and Renata Tebaldi, an Italian lyrico [[spinto]] soprano.<ref name="artandlife" />{{page needed|date=May 2021}} The contrast between Callas's often unconventional vocal qualities and Tebaldi's classically beautiful sound resurrected a debate, namely, beauty of sound versus the expressive use of sound.<ref name="artandlife" />{{page needed|date=May 2021}}<ref name="debate" />

In 1951, Tebaldi and Maria Callas were jointly booked for a vocal recital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Although the singers agreed that neither would perform encores, Tebaldi took two, and Callas was reportedly incensed.<ref>[http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Renata_Tebaldi.aspx "Renata Tebaldi"]. ''Encyclopedia of World Biography''. The Gale Group Inc, 2006. Reprinted on Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved July 29, 2016.</ref> This incident began the rivalry, which reached a fever pitch in the mid-1950s, at times even engulfing the two women themselves, who were said by their more fanatical followers to have engaged in verbal barbs in each other's direction.

Tebaldi was quoted as saying, "I have one thing that Callas doesn't have: a heart",<ref name="stassinopoulos"/> and Callas was quoted in ''Time'' magazine as saying that comparing her with Tebaldi was like "comparing Champagne with [[Cognac]]&nbsp;... No&nbsp;... with Coca Cola".<ref>"Diva Serena", ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', November 3, 1958</ref> However, witnesses to the interview stated that Callas had said only "champagne with cognac", and that it was a bystander who had quipped: "...&nbsp;No&nbsp;... with Coca-Cola." Nevertheless, the ''Time'' reporter attributed the latter comment to Callas.<ref name="stassinopoulos"/>

According to [[John Ardoin]], these two singers never should have been compared.<ref name="artandlife" />{{page needed|date=May 2021}} Tebaldi was trained by [[Carmen Melis]], a noted [[verismo]] specialist, and she was rooted in the early 20th century Italian school of singing just as firmly as Callas was rooted in 19th century [[bel canto]].<ref name="artandlife" />{{page needed|date=May 2021}} Callas was a dramatic soprano, whereas Tebaldi was considered essentially a lyric soprano. Callas and Tebaldi generally sang a different repertoire: In the early years of her career, Callas concentrated on the heavy dramatic soprano roles and later in her career on the bel canto repertoire, whereas Tebaldi concentrated on late [[Giuseppe Verdi|Verdi]] and verismo roles, where her limited upper extension<ref name="debate"/> and her lack of a florid technique were not issues.<ref name="artandlife" />{{page needed|date=May 2021}} They shared a few roles, including [[Tosca]] in Puccini's opera and ''[[La Gioconda (opera)|La Gioconda]]'', which Tebaldi performed only late in her career.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}

The alleged rivalry aside, Callas made remarks appreciative of Tebaldi, and vice versa. During an interview with Norman Ross Jr. in Chicago, Callas said, "I admire Tebaldi's tone; it's beautiful—also some beautiful phrasing. Sometimes, I actually wish I had her voice." Francis Robinson of the Met wrote of an incident in which Tebaldi asked him to recommend a recording of ''La Gioconda'' in order to help her learn the role. Being fully aware of the alleged rivalry, he recommended [[Zinka Milanov]]'s version. A few days later, he went to visit Tebaldi, only to find her sitting by the speakers, listening intently to Callas's recording. She then looked up at him and asked, "Why didn't you tell me Maria's was the best?"<ref name=robinson>{{cite book|last=Robinson|first=Francis|title=Celebration: The Metropolitan Opera|publisher=Doubleday|location=Garden City, New Jersey|year=1979|isbn=978-0-385-12975-6|url=https://archive.org/details/celebrationmetro00robi}}</ref>

Callas visited Tebaldi after a performance of ''[[Adriana Lecouvreur]]'' at the Met in 1968, and the two were reunited. In 1978, Tebaldi spoke warmly of her late colleague and summarized this rivalry:
<blockquote>This rivality{{sic}} was really building from the people of the newspapers and the fans. But I think it was very good for both of us, because the publicity was so big and it created a very big interest about me and Maria and was very good in the end. But I don't know why they put this kind of rivality{{sic}}, because the voice was very different. She was really something unusual. And I remember that I was very young artist too, and I stayed near the radio every time that I know that there was something on radio by Maria.<ref name="documentary"/></blockquote>