Leoncavallo is said to have composed his most famous song, Mattinata, especially for The Gramophone Company, and Caruso’s disc with the composer at the piano, recorded in April 1904, became one of the greatest successes of the early part of the tenor’s career. At least two more similar songs followed (Lasciati amar and Sérénade francaise, both included here) but nothing else from Leoncavallo’s song output ever caught on to the same extent.

Nearly all the songs gathered here stick to the same formula, a lilting tune, often in waltz-time, giving the opportunity for some plangent emotion, building up to a flashy climax. The sentiments are rather too similar to make for a varied programme, but this shouldn’t stop other singers from exploring them: here is a cache of effective numbers any one of which would round off an evening with a flourish.

Fausto Tenzi’s voice is on the dry side and on sustained, often loud, climactic notes it takes on a strident tremolo, which rather spoils the composer’s dramatic effects. Nevertheless, he has a pleasant enough manner and invests several of the songs with considerable feeling. In particular, his performance of Canzone d’amore has a passionate ring. The words are by the Locarno poet Angelo Nessi, the librettist for Leoncavallo’s operas Maià and Malbruk. Among the other writers set are André Chénier in La chanson des yeux, and French authors Armand Silvestre, Alexandre Dumas fils and Victor Hugo (Leoncavallo’s own translation for L’addio). This enterprising recital is to be welcomed – and Tenzi has also recorded a CD devoted to Mascagni.