Gottardo Aldighieri

Gottardo Aldighieri (6 January 1824 – 11 May 1906) was an Italian operatic baritone who had a major opera career in Italy from 1858 to 1885. He possessed a powerful and beautiful voice and appeared on the stages of most of Italy's great opera houses. He sang a broad repertoire which encompassed works by Italian, French, and German composers. His vocal range was wide, which enabled him to tackle some tenor roles during his career, although he mostly stayed within the baritone repertory. He wrote the lyrics to composer Luigi Arditi famous waltz song, "Il bacio". He was married to the soprano Maria Spezia-Aldighieri, who also had an important opera career in Italy. He is the great-grandfather of singer George Aaron.