Description

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

 

 

 

 

He began his education with L. A. Phelps in Chicago and then went to Europe, where he studied under Giraudet and Giovanni Sbriglia. In 1898, he made his debut at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels as Count Capulet in Roméo et Juliette by C. Gounod. In 1899, performing under the artistic name Eugene Clarence (as the only American opera singer), he appeared at the Opéra-Comique in Paris as Nilakantha in Lakmé. In 1900, he joined the Savage Opera Company and went on a tour in the USA. In 1901, he made his German debut at the Stadttheater in Lübeck. In 1902, he refined his vocal technique with Julius Stockhausen in Frankfurt am Main. During the 1902-1904 seasons, he sang at the Stadttheater in Elberfeld. From 1904 to 1909, he was engaged by the Opernhaus in Cologne. On March 30, 1904, he sang in Elberfeld in the premiere of Koanga by F. Delius. In 1905, he achieved great success in Cologne with the German premiere of I. de Lara’s Messaline. In the same year, he appeared at the Hoftheater in Hannover. During the 1906-1907 season, Whitehill joined the Hofoper in Munich. In 1908, he guest-starred in Amsterdam. The public especially appreciated his interpretations of Richard Wagner’s operas, which he studied under Julius Kniese in Bayreuth at the behest of Cosima Wagner. At the Bayreuth Festival, he appeared in the following operas: Tannhäuser (Wolfram, 1904), Parsifal (Amfortas, 1906), and 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’s ensemble until 1910 and then again from 1914 to 1932. At the Metropolitan Opera, he sang in the premieres of the following operas: The Pipe of Desire by Converse (1910), Ägyptische Helena by R. Strauss (1928), Louise by G. Charpentier (1921), and Violanta by Korngold (1927). During the 1911-1916 seasons, 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 R. Strauss’s Salome (Jochanaan, 1910). In 1909, he performed at the Grand Opéra in Tannhäuser (Wolfram) and Die Walküre (Wotan). In 1914 and 1922, he was heard as a member of the British National Opera Company in London. After his retirement, he taught singing in New York.

 

Chronology of some appearances

 

1898 Brussels Théatre de la Monnaie Roméo et Juliette (Count Capulet)

1899 Paris Opéra-Comique Lakmé (Nilakantha)

1904 Bayreuth festival Tannhäuser (Wolfram)

1909 New York Metropolitan Opera Parsifal (Amfortas)

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

1. America (Carey) 64677 B19486 Victor, USA 1917-04-16
2. Bedouin love song (Pinsuti) 64279 B12263 Victor, USA 1912-07-30
3. Carmen (Bizet) Sirs! Your toast 02418 z6708f Gramophone, London 1912-10-21
4. Die beiden Grenadiere (Schumann) 74556 C20860 Victrola, USA 1917-10-12
5. Dream faces (Hutchinson) 74451 C16128 Victor, USA 1915-06-29
6. Elias (Mendelssohn) It is enough 74380 C13493 Victor, USA 1913-07-11
7. Elias (Mendelssohn) Lord, God of Abraham 74320 C13494 Victor, USA 1913-07-18
8. Faust (Gounod) The calf of gold 4-2235 y15830e Gramophone, London 1912-10-21
9. I want to see the old home (Stewart) (w. qt Macdonough, Murphy, Werrenrath & Hooley) 74433 C16145 Victor, USA 1915-07-06
10. Ich grolle nicht (Schumann) 64519 B16130 Victor, USA 1915-06-29
11. I’ll take you home again, Kathleen (Westendorf) 1275 BVE14969 Victor, USA 1927-06-30
12. I’ll take you home again, Kathleen (Westendorf) 74425 C14969 Victor, USA 1914-07-30
13. In the gloaming (Harrison) 850 B12261 Victor, USA 1913-06-26
14. In the gloaming (Harrison) 1275 BVE12261 Victor, USA 1927-06-09
15. Love’s old sweet song (Molloy) 74321 C12262 Victor, USA 1912-07-30
16. Marching through Georgia (Work) (w. qt Macdonough, Murphy, Hooley & Rous) 64602 B17714 Victor, USA 1916-05-22
17. Mate o’mine (Elliott) 64789 B22103 Victrola, USA 1918-07-05
18. My homeland (Speaks) 64719 B20340 Victor, USA 1917-07-16