1 4 ▁children ▁born ▁to ▁an ▁Aust rian ▁father ▁and ▁a ▁local ▁mother , ▁Eugen ia ▁Ivan c ich . ▁Poss essed ▁of ▁a ▁fine ▁natural ▁voice ▁and ▁a ▁facility ▁with ▁languages , ▁he ▁abandoned ▁a ▁planned ▁career ▁in ▁the ▁law , ▁to ▁study ▁singing ▁instead ▁with ▁Ivan ▁Z aj c ▁in ▁Zag reb . ▁ ▁His ▁first ▁public ▁performance ▁occurred ▁in ▁Zag reb ▁during ▁ 1 8 6 9 . ▁He ▁was ▁then ▁cast ▁in ▁the ▁lead ▁role ▁in ▁a ▁production ▁of ▁the ▁first ▁full ▁scale ▁Cro at ian ▁opera , ▁Mis lav , ▁on ▁October ▁ 2 , ▁ 1 8 7 0 . ▁Six ▁years ▁later ▁he ▁made ▁his ▁Italian ▁oper atic ▁debut ▁at ▁Tur in ▁( in ▁Ga et ano ▁Don iz etti ' s ▁La ▁favor ita ). ▁Eng ag ements ▁in ▁Ven ice , ▁Rome , ▁Bolog na ▁and ▁Tri este ▁followed . ▁Before ▁long , ▁he ▁had ▁established ▁himself ▁as ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁best ▁bar it ones ▁in ▁Italy , ▁making ▁an ▁impress ive ▁debut ▁at ▁La ▁Scala , ▁Milan , ▁in ▁ 1 8 7 8 ▁in ▁Don ▁Carlo . ▁It ▁was ▁during ▁this ▁phase ▁of ▁his ▁career ▁that ▁he ▁seems ▁to ▁have ▁alter ed ▁his ▁name ▁from ▁Joseph ▁Kas ch mann ▁to ▁Giuseppe ▁Kas ch mann ▁for ▁the atr ical ▁purposes . ▁ ▁He ▁reached ▁the ▁peak ▁of ▁his ▁success ▁as ▁a ▁singer ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 8 8 0 s ▁and ▁ 1 8 9 0 s , ▁building ▁an ▁international ▁reputation ▁(