- published: 10 Apr 2010
- views: 12670
Dame Nellie Melba GBE (19 May 1861 – 23 February 1931), born Helen Porter Mitchell, was an Australian operatic soprano. She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era and the early 20th century. She was the first Australian to achieve international recognition as a classical musician. She took the pseudonym "Melba" from Melbourne, her home town.
Melba studied singing in Melbourne and made a modest success in performances there. After a brief and unsuccessful marriage, she moved to Europe in search of a singing career. Failing to find engagements in London in 1886, she studied in Paris and soon made a great success there and in Brussels. Returning to London she quickly established herself as the leading lyric soprano at Covent Garden from 1888. She soon achieved further success in Paris and elsewhere in Europe, and later at the Metropolitan Opera, New York, debuting there in 1893. Her repertoire was small; in her whole career she sang no more than 25 roles and was closely identified with only ten. She was known for her performances in French and Italian opera, but sang little German opera.
Nellie Melba 1904 Mozart The Marriage of Figaro "Porgi, amor" Nellie Melba's first original recordings London March 1904. Dame Nellie Melba. Melba, the last of the 19th century tradition of bel canto sopranos. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) "Porgi, amor" from The Marriage of Figaro London March 1904 Words by Lorenzo Da Ponte (1749-1838) Dame Nellie Melba GBE, Soprano (1861-1931) Ms. Helen Porter Mitchell an operbathosa video Porgi, amor, qualche ristoro - No. 10, Cavatina from Act II of the Italian opera, Le Nozze di Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Libretto : Lorenzo da Ponte Role : The Countess Almaviva, wife of the Count Almaviva Voice Part : soprano Fach : lyric soprano Setting : The Countess's bedroom Range : D4 to G#/Ab5. Tessitur...
Nellie Melba 1904 Verdi (1813-1901) "Caro nome" from Rigoletto Nellie Melba's first original recordings London March 1904. Dame Nellie Melba. Melba, the last of the 19th century tradition of bel canto sopranos. Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) "Caro nome" from Rigoletto London March 1904 Words by Francesco Maria Piave (1810-1876) after Victor Hugo. Dame Nellie Melba GBE, Soprano (1861-1931) Ms. Helen Porter Mitchell an operbathosa video
I've put this video together, as much as anything, to gather up all the tiny fragments of film footage that I've found of the great Australian soprano, Dame Nellie Melba (1861-1931). Somewhat to my surprise, they give a strong sense of the diva's determined personality, as I understand it from 'Melba -- A Biography' (1968) by John Heatherington. To complement this footage, I've added an audio of the legendary soprano singing 'Del ciel clemente un riso' from Gaetano Donizetti's 'Lucia di Lammermoor' (1835). This recording was one of a number of London metal masters from 1904 discovered in a vault at the old Gramophone Company's manufacturing plant in Hanover in Germany in 2007 -- the event being reported in 2008 on ABC Television in Australia with the sopranoYvonne Kenny as talking head. ...
This documantary is dedicated to the life and legacy of the wonderful Dame Nellie Melba
nellie melba puccini tosca "vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore" orchestra conducted by walter b rogers 1907 picture: melba-longstaff's portrait TOSCA nel massimo dolore Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore, non feci mai male ad anima viva!... Con man furtiva quante miserie conobbi, aiutai... Sempre con fe' sincera, la mia preghiera ai santi tabernacoli salì. Sempre con fe' sincera diedi fiori agli altar. alzandosi Nell'ora del dolore perché, perché Signore, perché me ne rimuneri così? Diedi gioielli della Madonna al manto, e diedi il canto agli astri, al ciel, che ne ridean più belli. Nell'ora del dolore, perché, perché Signore, perché me ne rimuneri così? Personaggi: FLORIA TOSCA, celebre cantante (Soprano) MARIO CAVARADOSSI, pittore (Tenore) IL BARONE SCARPIA, capo d...
Red Seal 88073 take 3 recorded 8/23/1910 music by Henry Rowley Bishop flute obbligato by John Lemmone lyrics Lo, here the gentle lark, weary of rest, From his moist cabinet mounts up on high, And wakes the morning, from whose silver breast The sun ariseth in his majesty; Who doth the world so gloriously behold That cedar-tops and hills seem burnish'd gold. Venus salutes him with this fair good-morrow: 'O thou clear god, and patron of all light, From whom each lamp and shining star doth borrow The beauteous influence that makes him bright, There lives a son that suck'd an earthly mother, May lend thee light, as thou dost lend to other.
This is early Melba, recorded in 1904. The great soprano shows the middle range of her voice, always strong, to considerable advantage in this simple but attractive song, as she is only 43 years old at the time of its recording. Melba was a world-wide phonemon in her day, and her hauteur and severe bearing, while it made her few friends among other musicians, served her well enough with the general public during the Victorian era, with its marked aristocratic vogue. YOU CAN FOLLOW MY BLOG AT: GREATOPERASINGERS.BLOGSPOT.COM
A Newsreel footage fragment from a British Fox Movietone Newsreel, released on April 14th, 1931. It shows the scene of Funeral of the great soprano Dame Nellie Melba.
In a clip from the 2010 documentary 'What Makes A Great Soprano?', Dame Kiri Te Kanawa tells us about the Australian soprano Dame Nellie Melba, whom she later played in an episode of Downton Abbey. Follow KiriOnLine - Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Fan Site on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/KiriOnLine-Dame-Kiri-Te-Kanawa-Fan-Site/205668582811613?ref=br_tf Twitter, https://twitter.com/KiriOnLine2 Tumblr, http://kirionline-dame-kiri-te-kanawa.tumblr.com/