Primo Tenori: Serendipity and Pseudo-Serendipity in Early Career Paths

Authors

  • Cora L. Diaz de Chumaceiro

Keywords:

performing artists, opera singers, career management, chance, planned happenstance

Abstract

International opera singers aim for the highest levels of career success possible. How did chance events impact their careers? To date, careers in opera have remained overlooked in the empirical career and counseling literature. The present article sheds light on careers of great tenors in opera history who were ready to take advantage of chance phenomena that facilitated advancement at initial stages of career development. The career counseling theory of planned happenstance (Mitchell, Levin & Krumboltz, 1999) is underscored as an appropriate vista for exploring chance events. Historic data suggest careers in opera merit researchers’belated attention and the inclusion of the chance variable as a facilitator of success. Implications for research are noted.

References

Anthonisen, J. H. (2000). Richard Tucker. Retrieved March 6, 2002, from http://www.granditenori.com/bios /tucker.htm.

Anthonisen, J. H. (2002a). Salvatore Licitra. Retrieved August 16, 2002, from http://www.granditenori.com/bios/new/licitra.htm.

Anthonisen, J. H. (2002b). Beniamino Gigli. Retrieved February 2, 2003, from http://www.granditenori.com/bios/gigli.htm.

Bandura, A. (1982). The psychology of chance encounters and life paths. American Psychologist, 37, 747- 755.

Bandura, A. (1998). Exploration of fortuitous determinants of life paths. Psychological Inquiry, 9, 92-115.

Bernheimer, M. (1995a). José Carreras. In S. Sadie (Ed.) The new Grove dictionary of music & musicians (Vol. 3, p. 826). New York & London: Macmillan Publishers.

(Original publication 1980)

Bernheimer, M. (1995b). Jan Peerce. In S. Sadie (Ed.) The new Grove dictionary of music & musicians (Vol. 14, p. 334). New York & London: Macmillan Publishers (Original publication 1980).

Betsworth, D. G., & Hansen, J-I C. (1996). The categorization of serendipitous career developments events. Journal of Career Assessment, 4, 91-98.

Blum, R. (2002, May 19). Salvatore Licitra’s Met debut: How a life was changed. The Holland Sentinel Online. Retrieved August 15, 2002, from http://www.hollandsentinel.com/stories/051902/fea_051902077.shtml.

Cabral, A. C., & Salomone, P. R.(1990). Chance and careers: Normative versus contextual development. The Career Development Quarterly, 39, 5-17.

Campbell, M. (1999, February 28). A heldentenor worth waiting for. The Standard-Times. Retrieved March 10, 2003, from http://www.st.com/daily/02-99/02-28-99/e08ae197.htm.

CBC Radio Two (2000). In performance Jon Vickers. Retrieved August 6, 2002, from http://www.radio.cbc.ca/programs/inperformance/00Dec/Vickers.html.

Celletti, R. (1995). Enrico Caruso. In S. Sadie (Ed.) The new Grove dictionary of music & musicians (Vol. 3, p. 839-840). New York & London: Macmillan Publishers. (Original publication 1980)

Davis, P. G. (1997). The American opera singer: The lives & adventures of America’s great singers in opera & concert from 1825 to the present. New York: Anchor Books.

Díaz de Chumaceiro, C. L. (1999a). Research on career paths: Serendipity and it analog. Creativity Research Journal, 12, 227-229.

Díaz de Chumaceiro, C. L. (1999b). Serendipity. In M. A. Runco, & S. R. Pritzker (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Creativity (Vol. 2, pp. 543-549). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

Díaz de Chumaceiro, C. L. (1999c). Sortes Walpolianae: Discoveries “almost” like serendipity. Creativity Research Journal, 12, 339-341.

Díaz de Chumaceiro, C. L. (2003). Serendipity in the theatre: Maude Adams as James M. Barrie’s American Muse. Journal of Creative Behavior, 37, 193-214.

Díaz de Chumaceiro, C. L. (in press). Maude Adams (1872-1953): Serendipity in early career on stage. Journal of Poetry Therapy.

Díaz de Chumaceiro, C. L., & Yáber O, G. E. (1995). Serendipity analogues: Approval of modifications of the traditional case study for a psychotherapy research with

music. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 22, 155-159.

Dolan, P. F. (1974). John McCormack Mastersinger: A short account of his American career- Retrieved August 4, 2002, from http://www.jump.net/~pwworth/sword.html.

Douglas, N. (1995). More legendary voices. New York: Limelight editions.

Hart, D. H., Rayner, K., & Christensen, E. R. (1971). Planning, preparation, and chance in occupational entry. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 1, 279-285.

Johnson Victrola Museum (2002). The centennial of the first recording of Enrico Caruso. Retrieved January 23, 2003, from http://www.destatemuseums.org/attractions/johnson.html.

Key, P.V.R. (1973). John McCormack: His own life story. 2nd Ed. New York: Vienna House (Original publication Boston: Small, Maynard,1918).

Kolodin, I. (1966). The Metropolitan Opera, 1183-1966: A candid history. New York: Knopf.

Krumboltz, J. D. (1979). A social learning theory of career decision making. In A. M. Mitchell, G. B. Jones, & J. D. Krumboltz (Eds.), Social learning and career decision making (pp. 19-49). Cranston, RI: Carroll Press.

Krumboltz, J. D. (1996). A learning theory of career counseling. In M. L. Savickas & W. B. Walsh (Eds.), Handbook of career counseling theory and practice (pp. 55-80). Palo Alto, CA: Davies-Black Publishing.

Krumboltz, J. D. (1998). Serendipity is not serendipitous. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 45, 390-392.

Leff, L. J. (2000, November). Singers in cyberspace. Opera News, 65 (5), 22-25.

MacDonnell, W. M., & Norman, B. (2003). Jonathan Stewart Vickers. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 6, 2003, from http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&ArticleId=A0008357&MenuClosed=0

Manning, F. M. (1990). John McCormack: The artist and the man inside the legend. Remarks to the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick. The Racket Club, Philadelphia, PA,

January 16, 1990. Retrieved August 4, 2002, from http://www.jump.net/~pwworth/manning.html.

Metropolitan Opera Archives: Metropolitan Opera Broadcasts 1940-1943. Retrieved February 20, 2003, from http://www.metopera. org/history/week-980629.html.

Miller, M. J. (1983). The role of happenstance in career choice. The Vocational Guidance Quarterly, 32, 16-20.

Mirvis, P. H. (1998). Practice improvisation. Organization Science: A Journal of the Institute of Management Sciences, 9, 586-592.

Mitchell, K. E., Levin, A. S., & Krumboltz, J. (1999). Planned happenstance: Constructing unexpected career opportunities. Journal of Counseling & Development, 17,

-124.

Neault, R. A. (2002). Thriving in the new millennium: Career management in the changing world of work. Canadian Journal of Career Development. Retrieved March 10, 2003, from http://contactpoint.ca/cjcd/v1-n1/article2.pdf.

Paley, G. (1999). Jon Vickers: The complete tenor. Retrieved February 10, 2003, from http://www.granditenori.com/feat/vickers.htm

Pavarotti, L. (n.d.). Biography. Retrieved on March 5, 2003, from http://www.lucianopavarotti.com/eng/storia/storia02.shtml.

Peccei, J. (1999). José Carreras. Retrieved January 21, 2003, from http://www.jcarreras.homestead.com/CarrerasBio.html.

Peerce, J. (with A. Levy) (1976). The Bluebird of Happiness. The memoirs of Jan Peerce. New York: Harper & Row.

Roberts, R. M. (1989). Serendipity: Accidental discoveries in science. New York: Wiley.

Runco, M.A. (1999). Misjudgment. In M. A. Runco, & S. R. Pritzker (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Creativity (Vol. 2, pp. 235-240). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

Sandgren, M. (2002). Voice, soma, and psyche: A qualitative and quantitative study of opera singers. Medical Problems of Performing Artists, 17, 11-21.

Scott, J., & Hatala, J. (1990). The influence of chance and contingency factors on career patterns of college-educated women. The Career Development Quarterly, 39, 18-30.

Shawe-Taylor, D. (1995). John McCormack. In S. Sadie (Ed.) The new Grove dictionary of music & musicians (Vol. 11, p. 414). New York & London: Macmillan

Publishers. (Original publication 1980)

Snyder, S. H. (1990). Pharmacology: Planning for serendipity. Nature, 346 (6284), 508.

So, J. K. (2003). Ben Heppner. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 3, 2003, from http://www.canadianencyclopedia.ca/index.cfm?dgNm=TCE&ArticleId=A0003718.

Sony Classical (2002). Salvatore Licitra. Retrieved February 18, 2002, from http://www.sonyclassical.com/artists/licitra/splash-f.html.

Thompson, O. (Ed.). The International Cyclopedia of Music and Musicians, 10th Ed. New York & London: Dodd, Mead.

Tommasini, A. (1999, September 27). Domingo to break Caruso’s record for opening nights at the Met. The New York Times. Retrieved January 5, 2003, from http://www.tenorissimo.com/domingo/Articles/ny092799.htm.

Vernon, R. (1994). Enrico Caruso in Opera, Vol. 2. Nimbus Records, Prima Voce, NI 7866. Booklet Note. Retrieved August 21, 2002, from http://www.wyastone.co.uk/nrl/pvoce/7866c.html.

Walpole, H. (1754). Letter to Horace Mann, January 28. In W.S. Lewis (Ed.). The correspondence of Horace Walpole. The Yale Edition, Vol. 20 (pp. 407-409). New Haven, CT, Yale University Press, 1960.

White, N. (1990). Enrico Caruso in Song. Nimbus Records, Prima Voce, NI 7809, Booklet Note. Retrieved August 21, 2002, from http://www.wyastone.co.uk/nrl/pvo

ce/7809c.html.

Williams, E.N., Soeprapto, E., Like, K., Touradji, P., Hess, S., & Hill, C. E. (1998). Perceptions of serendipity: Career paths of prominent academic women in counseling psychology. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 45, 379-389.

Williams, D. (2002, July 10). An heir to Pavarotti’s throne? Salvatore Licitra touted as the fourth tenor. Washington Post, Wednesday, July 10, 2002, p. A01.

Worth, P. W. (1997). John Francis McCormack. A singer’s life: 1884- 1945. Retrieved on August 1, 2002, from http://www.jump.net/~pwworth/biodex.html.

Downloads

Published

2004-01-19

How to Cite

Diaz de Chumaceiro, C. L. . (2004). Primo Tenori: Serendipity and Pseudo-Serendipity in Early Career Paths. Canadian Journal of Career Development, 3(1), 12–20. Retrieved from https://cjcd-rcdc.ceric.ca/index.php/cjcd/article/view/300

Issue

Section

Articles