Barthelemy, Richard

Italian composer and pianist Riccardo Barthélemy was born in Izmir, Turkey (then called Smyrna) to French-born Joseph Bonaventure Barthélemy and his Italian-born wife Victoria Cocchino, Greek citizens. He is best known as the accompanist for Enrico Caruso, whose brief biography he wrote. He studied at the San Pietro a Majella conservatory of music in Naples and wrote songs and stage works there until 1898 when he moved to Paris with his widowed mother. He began working with Caruso in 1904 and went to New York City to accompany him when Caruso sang at the Metropolitan Opera in 1908, 1909 and 1916. In 1912, his composition “Marcia Trionfale Olimpica” won the Gold Medal in the first Music competition in the Olympics at Stockholm. From 1912 to 1926 he was a singing teacher in Paris where soprano Grace Moore was among his students. In 1925 he began working for the Prince of Monaco, living at the palace and instructing his children in music. He divided his time between Monaco and Paris until 1930. He accompanied the soprano Ellen Dosia at the Salle Pleyel in Paris. He finally settled permanently in Monaco in 1938.