Mattia Battistini is unique among baritones. Battistini was born in 1856 and sang in the tradition of Tamburini, Ronconi, and Cotogni. Due to an exceedingly long career the zenith of which coincided with the invention of the gramophone, we can enjoy a rare glimpse into a bygone era of baritone-singing, especially since Battistini was still singing beautifully well into his sixties. To round off this six CD set, Marston adds eleven Fonotipia sides from 1910-1911 of baritone Giuseppe Bellantoni (1880 - 1946). Bellantoni is a “modern” singer who overlaps Battistini on the musical timeline. Pairing these two baritones on one CD set provides the contrast needed to paint a more complete history of baritone singing on record.