Description

CLARENCE WHITEHILL (MARENGO, IOWA, 1871, 5/11 – NEW YORK, 1932, 18/12)

 

 

 

 

He began his education with L. A. Phelps in Chicago and later continued in Europe, studying under Giraudet and Giovanni Sbriglia. In 1898, he made his operatic debut at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels, performing the role of Count Capulet in Roméo et Juliette by Charles Gounod.

In 1899, performing under the artistic name Eugene Clarence (as the only American opera singer at the time), he appeared at the Opéra-Comique in Paris as Nilakantha in Lakmé. In 1900, he joined the Savage Opera Company and toured the United States.

In 1901, he made his German debut at the Stadttheater in Lübeck. The following year, he refined his vocal technique under Julius Stockhausen in Frankfurt am Main. From 1902 to 1904, he sang at the Stadttheater in Elberfeld, and from 1904 to 1909, he was engaged at the Opernhaus in Cologne.

On March 30, 1904, he performed in Elberfeld in the premiere of Koanga by Frederick Delius. In 1905, he gained significant acclaim in Cologne for the German premiere of Isidore de Lara’s Messaline. That same year, he also appeared at the Hoftheater in Hannover.

During the 1906–1907 season, Whitehill joined the Hofoper in Munich, and in 1908, he gave a guest performance in Amsterdam. He was especially admired for his interpretations of Richard Wagner’s operas, which he had studied with Julius Kniese in Bayreuth at the request of Cosima Wagner.

At the Bayreuth Festival, he appeared in:

• Tannhäuser (Wolfram, 1904)
• Parsifal (Amfortas, 1906)
• Götterdämmerung (Gunther, 1908–1909)

In 1909, he was engaged by the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where he made his debut as Amfortas in Parsifal. He was a member of the Metropolitan Opera ensemble until 1910, and then again from 1914 to 1932.

At the Met, he sang in the American premieres of:

• The Pipe of Desire by Converse (1910)
• Louise by Charpentier (1921)
• Violanta by Korngold (1927)
• Ägyptische Helena by Richard Strauss (1928)

Between 1911 and 1916, he was engaged by the Chicago Opera. From 1905 to 1910, he made guest appearances at Covent Garden in London, where he sang in the English premiere of Strauss’s Salome (Jochanaan, 1910).

In 1909, he performed at the Grand Opéra in Paris in Tannhäuser (Wolfram) and Die Walküre (Wotan). He also performed with the British National Opera Company in 1914 and 1922 in London.

After retiring from the stage, he taught singing in New York.

 

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

Carmen (Bizet) Sirs! Your toast 02418 z6708f Gramophone, London 1912-10-21

Faust (Gounod) The calf of gold 4-2235 y15830e Gramophone, London 1912-10-21

Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Wagner) Wahn! Wahn! 2-042020 DB442 HMV, London 1922-06-20

Parsifal (Wagner) Mein Vater 2-042014 DB439 HMV, USA 1914-07-22

Siegfried (Wagner) Siegfried’s ascent (w. T. Davies) 3-0779 DB441 HMV, London 1922-06-30

Siegfried (Wagner) Wotan invokes Erda (Opening act 3) 3-0783 DB441 HMV, London 1922-06-22

Tannhäuser (Wagner) Wohl wüsst’ ich hier sie im Gebet 042196 2814f Gramophone, London 1909-02-12

Walküre (Wagner) Feuerzauber (Wotan’s farewell, pt 3) 3-0782 DB439 HMV, London 1922-06-22

Walküre (Wagner) Seek not, o maiden (w. Saltzmann-Stevens) 04041 2812f Gramophone, London 1909-02-12

 

America (Carey) 64677 B19486 Victor, USA 1917-04-16

Bedouin love song (Pinsuti) 64279 B12263 Victor, USA 1912-07-30

Bohemian Girl (Balfe) The heart bow’d down 74407 C15037-4 Victor, USA 1914-07-21

Die beiden Grenadiere (Schumann) 74556 C20860 Victor, USA 1917-10-12

Dream faces (Hutchinson) 74451 C16128 Victor, USA 1915-06-29

Elias (Mendelssohn) It is enough 74380 C13493 Victor, USA 1913-07-11

Elias (Mendelssohn) Lord, God of Abraham 74320 C13494 Victor, USA 1913-07-18

I want to see the old home (Stewart) (w. qt Macdonough, Murphy, Werrenrath & Hooley) 74433 C16145 Victor, USA 1915-07-06

Ich grolle nicht (Schumann) 64519 B16130 Victor, USA 1915-06-29

I’ll take you home again, Kathleen (Westendorf) 1275 BVE14969 Victor, USA 1927-06-30

I’ll take you home again, Kathleen (Westendorf) 74425 C14969 Victor, USA 1914-07-30

In the gloaming (Harrison) 850 B12261 Victor, USA 1913-06-26

In the gloaming (Harrison) 1275 BVE12261 Victor, USA 1927-06-09

In the gloaming (Harrison) 64360 B12261-6 Victor, USA 1913-06-26

Love’s old sweet song (Molloy) 6732 CVE12262-8 Victor, USA 1927-06-09

Love’s old sweet song (Molloy) 74321 C12262 Victor, USA 1912-07-30

Marching through Georgia (Work) (w. qt Macdonough, Murphy, Hooley & Rous) 64602 B17714 Victor, USA 1916-05-22

Mate o’mine (Elliott) 64789 B22103 Victor, USA 1918-07-05

 

My homeland (Speaks) 64719 B20340 Victor, USA 1917-07-16

Nancy Lee (Adams) 1290 BVE17725-7 Victor, USA 1927-06-15

Nancy Lee (Adams) 64613 B17725 Victor, Camden NJ 1916-05-24

Old black Joe (Foster) 64359 B13496 Victor, USA 1913-06-26

Panurge (Massenet) Je suis né 64735 B20342 Victor, USA 1917-07-17

Parsifal (Wagner) Mein Vater 74406 C15076-1 Victor, USA 1914-07-22

Requiem (Verdi) Confutatis maledictis 74405 C14971 Victor, USA 1914-06-18

Some day (Wellings) 74452 C16129 Victor, USA 1915-06-22

Some day I’ll wander abck again (Huntley) (w. qt Macdonough, Murphy, Hooley & Rous) 64609 B17715 Victor, USA 1916-05-22

Take me back to home and mother (Huntley) (w. qt Macdonough, Murphy, Hooley & Rous) 64610 B17716 Victor, USA 1916-05-22

Thaïs (Massenet) Voilà donc la terrible cité 74364 C13606 Victor, USA 1913-11-07

The slumber boat (Gaynor) 64359 B13496 Victor, USA 1913-06-26

‘Tis but a little faded flower (Thomas) 64707 B20341-4 Victor, USA 1917-07-17

Tramp, tramp, tramp (Root) (w. qt Macdonough, Murphy, Hooley & Rous) 64608 B17713 Victor, USA 1916-05-22

Uncle Rome (Homer) 64388 B13564 Victor, USA 1913-07-18

Walküre (Wagner) Wotans Abschied, pt 1 64278 B12274 Victor, USA 1912-07-30

Walküre (Wagner) Wotans Abschied, pt 2 74305 C12275 Victor, USA 1912-07-30