Francesco Merli & Bianca Scacciati - Vicino a te

Francesco Merli (1887-1976) was born into a family of humble means on a farm just outside Milan. The young man began his working life as a school janitor but always displayed a talent for singing. Merli had a few scattered voice lessons over the years, but never completely took his singing seriously. However, in June of 1913, the Milan City Council sponsored a concert at the Teatro dal Verme, intended to encourage musical education in the city’s schools. As a school janitor who was popular with students