Antonio Paoli - Honors, Accolades, and Legacy

Honors, Accolades, and Legacy

In Antonio Paoli, Puerto Rico had the first Puerto Rican to reach international recognition in the performing arts. He gave 1,725 performances between 1888 and 1942 and interpreted Verdi's Otello 575 times. To his credit, Paoli was also the first opera singer in the world to record an entire opera when he participated in a performance of Pagliacci by Ruggiero Leoncavallo in Italy in 1907.

As early as 1904, Paoli was awarded The Cross of St. Mauricio medal by the Czar of Russia Nicholas II, and Maria Cristina de Habsburgo, Queen of Spain, declared Paoli Cantante de Camara de la Corte (Chamber Singer of the Court) and gave him La Gran Cruz de Isabel la Catolica (The Cross of Isabella the Catholic), while Carlos de Braganza, Prince of Portugal, named him Caballero Comendador del Cristo de Portugal y Cantante de Camara. Just two short years later, in 1906, the same title of Cammer Sanger (Chamber Singer of the Court) was given to Paoli by Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria, and in 1907 he was decorated by Carlos I of Braganza.

In 1909, Paoli received La Cruz de Alfonso II from Alfonso XIII, King of Spain, and was declared ’’Honor Singer of the Vatican’’ by Pope Pius X. In 1910, he was honored with the title of Hijo Predilecto de Espana (Favorite Son of Spain), while in 1911, Wilhelm II, Kaiser of Germany, declared Paoli ’’Kammer Sanger of the Empire’’, and in 1912, Paoli received a protocol-breaking standing ovation from the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph when Paoli sang Lohengrin in Vienna. In 1920, the tenor was knighted by Vittorio Emmanuelle III, King of Italy, making him Cavaliere De La Corona Italiana and Commendatore Dell Popolo Romano (Knight of the Italian Crown and Commandant of the Roman People).

Though he did not see it happen during his lifetime, Puerto Rico also built the Music Conservatory, something for which Paoli had worked so hard to establish. This dream was finally realized shortly after his death. In San Juan's "Centro de Bellas Artes" there is also a 1,883-seat "Antonio Paoli Festival Hall." San Juan's Municipal Theater was also renamed Teatro Paoli in his hjonor in 1935. In recognition of his fame and talent, the government of Puerto Rico also awarded Paoli a pension in 1934.

In 1983, the non-profit "Paoli Award" was created. This award honors the effort, work, and success of outstanding professionals in the various arts and media, including music and recording, television, radio, written communication, fashion, and beauty. Originally designated to recognize the outstanding achievements of Puerto Ricans, the Paoli Award has branched out internationally, and since 1992 it also includes Hispanics and Latin Americans around the world.

On October 9, 2009, the Government of the United States listed Casa Paoli in Antonio Paoli's hometown of Ponce, Puerto Rico, in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The house, Antonio's childhood house in Puerto Rico, is Paoli's only remaining residencial structure in Puerto Rico.

Among other honors bestowed on Paoli after his death are a music school named in his honor ("Escuela Libre de Musica Antonio Paoli"), in the city of Caguas, Puerto Rico, and in his hometown of Ponce, there is a theater at the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico, Ponce named in his memory, Teatro Paoli.

Paoli has also been the subject of many books written about his life and influence. Included is the work by Emilio J. Pasarell titled "Orígenes y desarrollo de la afición teatral en Puerto Rico" (Origins and development of the theatrical pursuit in Puerto Rico) where he describes the life of Paoli in detail.