P. Mario (Pasqual Mario) Marafioti

Born in 1878 and later active in the United States, Pasqual Mario Marafioti was an Italian-American physician and laryngologist who worked with singers and developed a strong interest in how the human voice functions. He is especially associated with the world of opera and with medical work connected to professional performers.

Marafioti served as a laryngologist for the Metropolitan Opera, and his writing brought a doctor’s perspective to questions of breath, resonance, and vocal training. He is best known as the author of books including Caruso's Method of Voice Production and The New Vocal Art, works that tried to explain singing through both practical experience and scientific ideas.

He died in 1951. Today, he is remembered less as a literary figure than as a voice specialist whose books capture an unusual meeting point between medicine and the performing arts.