tonal quality,, which became markedly darker after his studies with de Reszke in 1908. Slezak was a master of mezza-voce singing and he could also deliver haunting Schenkerian analysis#Initial ascent, initial arpeggiationhead notes. With time and hard use, his top register developed a strained and unsteady quality when used at full volume He made hundreds of disc and cylinder recordings, beginning in the early 1900s and ending in the 1930s. They were produced by several different record companies and include arias, duets and songs by a wide selection of composers, ranging from Mozart to Wagner. Most of his best records have been released on CD compilations. Some of his film work as an actor survives as well. Books Slezak's autobiography, published in 1938 in English as Song of Motley: Being the Reminiscences of a Hungry Tenor, contains pen-portraits of many of the musicians and artists with whom he worked, including Gustav Mahler, Arturo Toscanini and Cosima Wagner. It describes his tours of America, Russia and the Balkans and recalls his doomed audition for Frau Wagner at Bayreuth, when he foolishly chose to sing music from Pagliacci. Later in life, he published several very humorous, semi-autobiographical books, notably: Meine sämtlichen Werke ("All of my works"), his first book Der Wortbruch ("The broken promise") Der Rückfall ("The relapse") Leo Slezak by Dr. Christopher Norton-Welsh, with discography by Alex Weggen in "Étude" n° 27, July–August–September 2004 (Association internationale de chant lyrique TITTA RUFFO). Films In 1932, Slezak began appearing in German cinema. As an actor/comedian, he played humorous characters, but mostly he sang. His movies included La Paloma (1934) and Gasparone (1937). Slezak's final film role was as a portly sultan in the 1943 UFA prestige production Münchhausen. His son, Walter Slezak, who started off in musical theater, became a successful character actor in Hollywood during the 1940s. His granddaughter (Walter's daughter) is the actress Erika Slezak, noted for her role on the soap opera One Life to Live. Selected filmography Scandal on Park Street (1932) The Ladies Diplomat (1932) A Mad Idea (1932) Modern Dowry (1932) The Gentleman from Maxim's (1933) Grand Duchess Alexandra (1933) Our Emperor (1933) Enjoy Yourselves (1934) Music in the Blood (1934) Tales from the Vienna Woods (1934) The Gentleman Without a Residence (1934) Dance Music (1935) Circus Saran (1935) A Night on the Danube (1935) The Blonde Carmen (1935) The World's in Love (1935) The Postman from