Description

HARRY LAMBERT MURPHY (SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, 1 APRIL 15, 1885 – HANCOCK, NEW HAMPSHIRE, JULY 25, 1954)

 

 

 

 

He was a Harvard University student and sang in a university choir. In 1908 he finished his scientific studies. On the advice of tenor Riccardo Martin he studied singing under Isadore Luckstone and Herbert Witherspoon. He became a soloist of St. Bartholomew’s Church in New York and appeared at the concert hall in 1908 with the Boston Festival Orchestra and the Handel and Haydn Society. His stage debut was in 1911 at the Metropolitan Opera in New York as young sailor in “Tristan und Isolde” under Arturo Toscanini. A day after his debut, he participated at the Metropolitan Opera in the American premiere of the opera “Lobetanz” by Ludwig Thuille. Until 1914 he remained at the Metropolitan Opera, where he participated in various premieres: in 1912 in the American premiere of “Le Donne curiose” by Wolf Ferrari, in 1913 in the premiere of “Cyrano de Bergérac” by Damrosch, the same year in the first performance of the “Rosenkavalier”, in 1914 in the premiere of Charpentier’s “Julien” as a partner of Enrico Caruso and Frances Alda. After 1914 he appeared as a concert and oratorio singer and was one of the leading performers in North America. In the 1930’s he appeared in many concerts and especially valued as an evangelist in the passions of J. S. Bach; the Dutch oratorio singer Tom Denijs described him as the best evangelist he had ever heard. Around 1940, after a larynx surgery, he retired and since then worked as teacher at the Malkin Conservatory in Boston.

 

Chronology of some appearances

 

1911-1914 New York Metropolitan Opera

 

TRACKLIST

 

A dream of your smile (Conrad) Victor 45259

Africana (Meyerbeer) O paradiso Victor 70100

Beam from yonder star (Bullard) Victor 60109

Boheme (Puccini) Ah! Mimi tu piu with Reinald Werrenrath Victor 60108

Call me back (Denza) Victor 70081

Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) Ave Maria Victor 31837

Chansonette (Friml) Victor 45395

Chimes of Normandy (Bryan- Wells) Victor 45148

Christ in Flanders (Stephens) Victor 45175

Darling (Schonberg) Victor 45245

Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Wagner) Walther’s Preislied Victor 70080

Dreams (La Mont – Van Alstyne) Victor 45493

Drifting along with the tide (Gershwin) Victor 45259

Forza del Destino (Verdi) Solenne in quest’ora with Reinald Werrenrath Victor 70103

Good night, little girl, good night (Cartwright Macy) Victor 45126

Hark! Hark! The Lark (Shakespeare – Schubert) From Cymbeline Victrola 4008

I dream of Jeanie with the light brown hair (Foster) Victor 45324

I love a little cottage (Gilmore Stott – O’Hara) Victor 45345

I want to see the old home (Stewart) (w. qt Macdonough, Whitehill, Werrenrath & Hooley) Victor 74433

If this rose told you all it knows (Mahoney – Morse) Victor 17007

II bianco cigno (Arcadelt) Victor 17793

It was not so to be (Nessler) Victor 45352

Just an Ivy Covered Shack (Davidson – Rupp) Victrola 4006

Kashmiri song (Woodforde – Finden) Victor 45106

Life and Love (Blossom – Herbert) Victor 45164

Life’s twilight (Speaks) Victor 45103

Little log cabin of dreams (Hanley – Dowling) Victrola 4038

Lonesome—that’s all (Roberts) Victor 45162

Lorna Doone (Vanderpool) Victor 45345

Love in lilac time (Lensen) Victor 45245

Love’s garden of roses (Wood) Victor 45150

Marching through Georgia (Work) (w. qt Macdonough, Whitehill, Hooley & Rous) Victor 64602 B17714

Mavourneen roamin’ (O’Neill) Victor 55069

Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Wagner) Morgenlich leuchtend Victor 70080

Memory Lane (Conrad – Spier) Victor 45453

Merci clamant (de Coucy – Thibaud) Victor 17760

Mon coeur se recommande à vous (di Lasso) Victor 17793

Mother (Romberg) Victor 45111

My days have been so wondrous free (Hopkinson) Victor 45324

My dream girl (Herbert) Victor 45453

Nearer, my God, to Thee (Adams – Mason) Victor 17029

‘Neath the South Sea moon (Hirsch – Stamper) Victor 45332

O mistress mine (Morley) Victor 17662

Once upon a time (Romberg) Victor 45214

Rob Roy (de Koven) Gems (as Victor Light Opera Company, w. H Keyes, E Wheeler, Dunlap, Macdonough, Kimball, van Brunt, Werrenrath & Hooley) Victor 31858

Robins m’aime (de La Halle) Victor 17760

Roméo et Juliette (Gounod) Ah! lève-toi, soleil Victor 70102

Rose of old Castille (Spencer) Victor 45395

Rose-Marie (Friml) Victor 45456

Roses of memory (Hamblen) Victor 45215

Roses of Picardy (Wood) Victor 45150

Serenade (Schubert) Victrola 4013

Smile through your tears (Hamblen) Victor 45267

Smiles (Will Callahan – Roberts) Victor 4515

Some day I’ll wander abck again (Huntley) (w. qt Macdonough, Whitehill, Hooley & Rous) Victor 64609 B17715

Stabat Mater (Rossini) Cujus animam Victor 55162

Sylvia (Speaks) Victor 45249

Take me back to home and mother (Huntley) (w. qt Macdonough, Whitehill, Hooley & Rous) Victor 64610

Tell me (Kortlander) Victor 45171

The battle cry of freedom (Root) Victor 17582

The Birthday of a King (Neidinger) Victor 60083

The blush rose (O’Hara) Victor 45126

The chimes of Normandy (Wells) Victor 45148

The far green hills of home (Connor) Victor 45375

The girl I left behind me (Lover) Victor 17597

The Miracle of Love (McKee) Victor 45111

The Winding Trail (Hayden) Victrola 4006

There is no death (O’Hara) Victor 45175

Tramp, tramp, tramp (Root) (w. qt Macdonough, Whitehill, Hooley & Rous) Victor 64608 B17713

Underneath the stars (Spencer) Victor 17946

Waiting (Orlob) Victor 45164

Waiting for the sun to come out (Gershwin) Victor 45199

When the roses bloom (Reichardt) Victor 45103

Yearning (Moret) Victor 45171