Description

KATHLEEN HOWARD (CLIFTON HILL, ONTARIO, CANADA, JULY 27, 1884 – HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S., APRIL 15, 1956)

As a child, she moved to Buffalo with her parents. She received her first singing lessons from her father, further training with Elizabeth Cronyn in Buffalo, than under Oscar Saenger in New York, Jacques Bouhy in Paris, also she received vocal lessons in Berlin. She made her debut at the Metz Municipal Theater in 1907 as Azucena in “Trovatore”. There she sang 30 different roles in the following two years. From 1909 to 1912 she was engaged by the Court Theater in Darmstadt and during this time completed her training with Jean de Reszke in Paris. In 1913 she sang the role of Hexe in the premiere of “Hansel and Gretel” by Humperdinck at the Covent Garden Opera in London and appeared there in Wagner roles. In the 1914-1915 season she toured North America with the Century Opera Company. In 1916 she joined to the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where she was the third lady in “Die Zauberflöte”. Here she performed with great success until 1928. Here she sang the role of Zita in the world premiere of G. Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi” on December 14, 1918, and Frugola in the simultaneous performance of “Il Tabarro” (both operas were parts of “Trittico”). In 1926 she was heard at this house in the premiere of Manuel de Falla’s “La vida breve”, as early as 1921 in the premiere of U. Giordano’s “Andrea Chénier” and in 1922 in the premiere of N. Rimsky-Korsakov’s “The Snow Maiden”. After leaving the Metropolitan Opera she worked mainly in film and as a journalist. She was one of the editors of the magazine “Harper’s Bazaar”. She published her memoirs under the title Confessions of an Opera Singer (New York, 1918).

TRACKLIST

1. Calm as the night (Bohm) 27507, 1298 Pathé, New York 1917 – 1919
2. Carmen (Bizet) Card song 60079 Pathé, New York 1917 – 1919
3. Carmen (Bizet) Habanera 60086 5692 Pathé, New York 1917 – 1919
4. Contes d’Hoffmann (Offenbach) Barcarole (w. Muzio) 54026, E67177-1 Pathé, New York 1917 – 1919
5. Deep river (Burleigh) 27504 Pathé, New York 1917 – 1919
6. Elijah (Mendelssohn) O rest in the Lord 60069 5193 Pathé, New York 1917 – 1919
7. Faust (Gounod) Faites-lui mes aveux 60058 Pathé, New York 1917 – 1919
8. Faust (Gounod) When all was young 27509 T67071-1 Pathé, New York 1917 – 1919
9. Forever and forever (Tosti) 27508 1298 Pathé, New York 1917 – 1919
10. Gioconda (Ponchielli) Voce di donna 60058 Pathé, New York 1917 – 1919
11. Homing (Del Riego) 27513 Pathé, New York 1917 – 1919
12. Martha (Flotow) In my heart 27515 Pathé, New York 1917 – 1919
13. Mignon (Thomas) Connais-tu le pays 27515 Pathé, New York 1917 – 1919
14. Mireille (Gounod) Chanson de la sorcière 60086 5692 Pathé, New York 1917 – 1919
15. Orfeo ed Euridice (Gluck) Che farò senza Euridice 60050 Pathé, New York 1917 – 1919
16. Paulus (Mendelssohn) But the Lord is mindful 60069 5193 Pathé, New York 1917 – 1919
17. Rose in the bud (Forster) 27513 Pathé, New York 1917 – 1919
18. Samson et Dalila (Saint-Saëns) My heart at thy sweet voice 60079 E67204-1 Pathé, New York 1917 – 1919
19. Samson et Dalila (Saint-Saëns) Printemps qui commence 60050 Pathé, New York 1917 – 1919
20. Samson et Dalila (Saint-Saëns) Printemps qui commence 82106 3737 Edison 4 – 30 – 1915