Ex. 7-8: Ideale

Composed in 1882 by Francesco Paolo Tosti (1846–1916) to a poem by Carmelo Errico (1848–1892). Tosti was born in Ortona, Abruzzo, and studied voice and composition at the Naples Conservatory. He was himself a tenor and worked as a vocal teacher.

Tosti later moved to London, where he became singing teacher to Queen Alexandra. In recognition of his service, he was awarded a knighthood — the title "Sir" — a rare honour for an Italian musician in Britain.

The poem speaks to a vanished ideal — not simply a lost lover, but a guiding light: "I followed you like a rainbow of peace along the paths of the sky. I felt you in the light, in the air, in the fragrance of flowers." The singer pleads: "Return, dear ideal, for just a moment — smile at me once more, and a new dawn will shine in your face."

A study by the Tokyo College of Music compared 20 recordings and found that tenor singers tend to change the written pitches — particularly raising the final high notes by a minor third above what Tosti wrote. Singers including Caruso, Björling, Gigli, and Di Stefano all made similar changes, suggesting an established performance tradition.