Description

SOPHIE BRASLAU (MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY, AUGUST 16, 1892 – MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY, DECEMBER 22, 1935)

Braslau was born on August 16, 1892 in Manhattan, New York City to Abel Braslau and Alexandra Goodelman Braslau. As a child, Braslau studied piano. Her vocal talent was discovered by voice teacher Arturo Buzzi-Peccia, a family friend, who heard the little girl humming while she practiced piano. Braslau herself claimed to be inspired to a singing career after hearing Alma Gluck, another student of Buzzi-Peccia. She studied with Buzzi-Peccia for three years and then with a number of other instructors. She auditioned for New York’s Metropolitan Opera in April 1913, was promptly signed to a contract, and debuted in November of that year. Her first leading role was in 1918 as Shanewis. Braslau also sang in concert and toured widely and frequently, first in the United States and Canada, then in Europe in the 1920s, using a repertoire which included works in English, French, German, Italian, Russian, and Yiddish. She retired from her full-time opera career in the late 1920s and performed very little as frail health brought her life to an early close. Sophie Braslau died of cancer on December 22, 1935 in Manhattan. At her funeral Sergei Rachmaninoff was an honorary pallbearer; the eulogy was delivered by Olin Downes, music critic for The New York Times.

TRACKLIST

1. Baby mine (Johnson) Victor 64810 B22240-4 Victor, 1918-10-09
2. Bid me good-bye (Tosti) 64541 B16653-1 Victor, 1915-10-20
3. Birds in the night (Sullivan) 64539 B16650-2 Victor, 1915-10-20
4. Carmen (Bizet) L’amour est un oiseau rebelle (Habanera) 64469 B13998-10 Victor, 1914-10-21
5. Chant Juif (Moussorgsky) 64478 B15298-2 Victor, 1914-10-21
6. Cradle song (Ilzhinsky) 66035 B25971-4 Victor, 1922-01-23
7. Croon, croon underneat’ de moon (Clutsam) (w. chorus Hart, James, Shaw & Glenn) 64799 B22281-1 Victor, 1918-10-09
8. Der Tod und das Madchen (Schubert) 67431 W98498-5 Columbia, New York 1928-04-27
9. Die junge Nonne (Schubert) 67432-D W98510-5 Columbia, New York 1928-04-30
10. Eili, Eili (Sandler, arr Schalit) 74577 C21694-2 Victor, 1918-04-29
11. Ever of Thee I’m fondly dreaming (Hall) 64833 B23039-2 Victor, 1919-06-27
12. Greatest miracle of all (Guion) 64887 B23171-3 Victor, 1919-12-23
13. I love you truly (Jacobs-Bond) 170-M W146584-2 Columbia, New York 1928-06-26
14. I’m a-Longin’ fo’ You (Hathaway) 64747 B20348-3 Victor, 1917-10-12
15. Just a little house of love (Wood) Victor 64937 B24481-5 Victor, 1921-01-24
16. Just a-Wearyin’ for You (Jacobs-Bond) 170-M W146585-2 Columbia, New York 1928-06-26
17. La Girometta (Sibella) 64967 B24909-2 Victor, 1921-01-24
18. Last night (Kjerulf) 64540 B14001-8 Victor, 1914-01-05
19. Love’s old sweet song (Molloy) 2052-M W144586-2 Columbia, New York 1927-08-29
20. Lucrezia Borgia (Donizetti) Il segreto per esser felice 64468 B14000-9 Victor, 1914-10-21