An appreciation by Alan Bilgora
That Melba was Marchesi’s favourite pupil is not in doubt. Blanche Marchesi, herself a distinguished singer, and later also a noted teacher, is reported to have said:-
“although I disliked Melba as a person she is one of the singers I admired most as an artist, and she was my mother’s favourite”.
This is all the more remarkable as a number of outstandingly great sopranos gracing the international opera scene at that time, had been or were also pupils of Matilde Marchesi, then considered the leading teacher of vocal technique in the world.
Devotees of recorded vocal art have long argued over the merits of Melba on record and her detractors have usually acknowledged her legato, breath control and accurate florid technique in decorated passages, but thought it was mechanical and without humanity or feminine charm. Certainly, the voices Marchesi pupils all possess a special tonal brilliance, but do seem to lack a sense of what the Italians call morbidezza, (tenderness). Much of this might be attributed to the purity of vocal tone, an exceptional cleanness of attack, particularly on their acuti (high notes) and what appears to be a minimum of vibrato, which did not always allow the true quality of the vocal timbre of those singers to be captured. Many years ago the writer recalls such comments made in the International Collectors Agency in London’s Newport Court, whose proprietor was Colin Shreve, the noted dealer in historic recordings. He rose in all his majesty from behind the counter and ordered the collector out of his shop with the words: – “leave this establishment immediately; do not return; here we worship at the shrine of Melba”. Although hailing from what in Australia was a basically middle- class background, at the height of her fame Melba truly revelled in being fêted by Royalty and the wealthy influential Society on two continents, and it is said this reflected in her singing, which had a somewhat imperious quality. Perhaps it is those late electric recordings that capture most that timbre that delighted her audiences over a forty-year career, but that Melba’s voice always had a beauty and a sound that graced the ear should not really be questioned. She became a true ‘Diva’ and contemporary reviews, by some of the most demanding critics, whilst usually heaping ecstatic praise on her singing, also pay tribute to her ‘vocal charm’.
Her initial 1904 recording sessions, made at her London home in Great Cumberland Place; demonstrate her special talents, and in the attractive booklet accompanying the HM issue, Roger Neill recounts the interesting story of how they came about.
He also gives an excellent overview of her life and career and includes an erudite and interesting section dealing with pitch and the suggested playing speeds of her records. Also in the booklet, in his introduction to this series, Stanley Henig, the Managing Director of Historic Masters, points out how important it is that we can now issue fourteen pressings from the original metals and two from copy metals. In wonderful clarity they demonstrate her talents to best advantage.
There is a companion CD with this set which covers the sixteen recordings and includes one extra item – Melba’s very last recording of Swing low, sweet chariot, demonstrating her vocal preservation at the age of 65.
This set is surely an important and worthy tribute to one of the most iconic operatic stars of the ‘Golden Age of Singing’.
Explore More on this topic:
External Links:
- Melba Recordings
- Nellie Melba (From Wikipedia)
Internal Links:
- Purchase Melba Issue Online
- Nellie Melba’s Recordings – Special Issue
- Nellie Melba and Pitch – HM Re-issues
- Nellie Melba’s First Recordings
- Nellie Melba’s Life and Work
- Nellie Melba – Cumberland Place Recordings