Description

RICHARD ALEXANDER CROOKS (TRENTON, NEW JERSEY, JUNE 26, 1900 – PORTOLA VALLEY, CALIFORNIA SEPTEMBER 29, 1972)

 

 

 

 

He first gained attention as a boy soprano in a church choir and later served in the American Air Corps during World War I. After the war, he studied with Frank La Forge, Léon Rothier, and Sidney Bourne in New York. He became a soloist at the Presbyterian church in New York and, despite financial difficulties, declined to appear in the musical The Student Prince on Broadway.

His career took off in 1923 when he achieved sensational success by performing in nine concerts with the New York Symphony Orchestra under Walter Damrosch. In 1926, he embarked on a European concert tour, and in 1927 he made his operatic stage debut at the Stadttheater in Hamburg as Cavaradossi in Tosca. That same year, he performed the tenor solo in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony under Toscanini in New York and in 1928 took part in the American premiere of Gustav Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde under Willem Mengelberg.

Following guest appearances in Berlin, Riga (1928), Warsaw, Prague, Stockholm, Copenhagen, and various venues in Holland, Belgium, and England, he joined the Philadelphia Opera in 1930, debuting once again as Cavaradossi in Tosca. His career continued with great success at the Metropolitan Opera in New York from 1933 to 1946, where he debuted as Des Grieux in Massenet’s Manon. During his time at the Met, he appeared in 51 performances across nine roles, including Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Faust, Alfredo in La Traviata, Wilhelm Meister in Mignon, and Carlo in Linda di Chamounix.

In addition to his Met career, he performed at the opera houses of Chicago (1940-1943) and San Francisco (1934), and made guest appearances in Australia in 1936 and 1938. He even embarked on concert tours in Africa. He retired from the stage in 1946, after a distinguished and far-reaching career.

 

 

TRACKLIST

 

A Dream (Cory-Bartlett) 4000-B Victor 11 9 1926

A little Love, a Little Kiss (Ross) 1691-B Victor 3 13 1933

Absent (Glenn-Metcalf) 4000-A Victor 11 8 1926

Ah! May the Red Rose Live Alway! (Foster) 1829 BS010355-1 Victor, 27 May 1937

Aida (Verdi) Holde Aida E.J. 345 Electrola

Arise O Sun (Lockton-Days) D.A. 1449 OA87877 HMV 6 27 1935

Arlesiana (Cilea) E la solita storia 15544 1939 a Victor

Beautiful Dreamer (Foster) 1825 BS010346-3 Victor, 8 July 1937

Because (Teschemachar-d’Hardelot) 1497-B Victor 6 13 1930

Bird Songs at Eventide (Barry-Coates) DA 1536 OAA 6 HMV

Camptown Races (Foster) 1829 BS010354-2 Victor, 8 July 1937

Carmen (Bizet) Hier am Herzen E.J. 345 Electrola

Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) O Lola, rosengleich blüh’n deine Wangen E. W. 75 Electrola

Colleen Aroon (Lily Strickland) 45373-A Victor 7 24 1923

Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming (Foster) 1826 BS010351-1 Victor, 27 May 1937

Don Giovanni (Mozart) Il mio tesoro 15235 1937 a Victor

Dubarry (Millöcker) Without your love (w. Moore) 1615 BS74707-2 Victor, USA 1932-12-19

Elegie (Massenet) 11-8490-B Victor

Elisir d’amore (Donizetti) Heimlich stahl aus ihrem Auge E. W. 76 Electrola

Faust (Gounod) Salut! Demeure chaste et pure 15542 1937 a Victor

Fedora (Giordano) Amor ti vieta DA1769 1939 a HMV

For Love Alone (Seiver-Thayer) I have so little to give D.A.1436 OA92544 HMV 6 28 1935

For you alone (Geehl) 45422 B29615-13 Victor, Camden NJ 1924-05-23

Forgotten (Cowles) CVE34280-5 Cat 9008 Victor, 19 January 1926

Garden of happiness (Lockton) D.A.1449 OA87396 HMV 1 17 1935

Gipsy moon (Borganoff) DA1283 0B4240-2 HMV, London 1932-09-30

Gypsy Songs, Op. 55 – No. 4, Songs My Mother Taught Me (Dvořák) 1806 MVKT19831-1c Victor, 16 September 1936

Have you seen but a whyte Lilie grow (Anon) 2178 BS056120-1 Victor, 16 September 1940

I Bring a Love Song (Hammerstein – Romberg) 1500-B Victor 9 31 930

Irish Love Song (Margaret R. Lang) 45373-B Victor 7 24 1923

Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair (Foster) 1828 BS010356-1 Victor, 27 May 1937

Jocelyn (Godard) Angels guard thee DA2093 1933 b HMV

Just To Linger In Your Arms (Arnold) 1618-B Victor

L’Adieu de Matin (Pessard) 2176 BS056148-1 Victor, 18 September 1940

Le Roi d’Ys (Lalo) Vainement, ma bien aimée 15543 1937 a Victor

Lohengrin (Wagner) In fernem Land 2-042031 A 37306 HMV

Lohengrin (Wagner) Mein liebe Schwan – Abschied DB3498 1937 c HMV

Love everlasting L’amour, toujours l’amour (Friml) D.A. 1142 40-2530 HMV 7 7 1930

Love is Mine (Teschemacher-Gartner) 45422-A Victor 3 31 924

Macushla (Rowe-Macmurrough) 1691-A Victor 3 13 1933

Manon (Massenet) Ah! fuyez, douce image 15543 1937 a Victor

Manon (Massenet) Le Rêve DB2093 1933 b HMV

Massa’s in de Cold, Cold Ground (Foster) 1828 BS010350-1 Victor, 27 May 1937

Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Wagner) Morgenlich leuchtend 2-042030 A 37305 HMV

Moonbeams (Blossom-Herbert) 1371-B Victor 2 11 1929

Mother o’ Mine (Tours) 1806 MVKT19832-1c Victor, 16 September 1936

My Old Kentucky Home (Foster) 1826 BS010347-1 Victor, 8 July 1937

Naughty Marietta (Herbert) Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life 1343-A Victor 4 23 1928

Naughty Marietta (Herbert) I’m falling in love with someone 1371 Victor

Nazareth (Gounod) DA1288 0B3442-4 HMV, London 1932-10-03

O Dry Those Tears (Del Riego) CVE34281-5 Cat 9008 Victor, 19 January 1926

Oh Susanah (Foster) 1827 BS010349-2 Victor, 27 May 1937

Old Black Joe (Foster) 1827 BS010353-2 Victor, 27 May 1937

Old Folks at Home (Foster) 1825 BS010352-3 Victor, 27 May 1937

Only a Rose (Brian Hooker – Rudolf Friml) 1448-B Victor 1 10 1930

Only My Song (Lehár) 1619-B Victor

Panis Angelicus (Franck) 11-8490-A Victor

Pêcheurs de Perles (Bizet) Mi par d’udir ancora 15544 1939 a Victor

Red, Red Rose (Fred Rath) Love theme in the Motion Picture Production, Monsieur Beaucaire 45481-A Victor 10 8 1924

Rigoletto (Verdi) O wie so trügerisch E.W. 76 Electrola

Rio Rita (Joseph McCarthy) From the RADIO picture, Rio Rita 1448-A Victor 1 10 1930

Romeo et Juliette (Gounod) Ah! Lève-toi, soleil 15542 1939 a Victor

Sadko (Rimsky-Korsakov) Chanson hindoue 10-1093 1939 a Victor

Schwanengesang, D. 957 – Standchen (Serenade) (Schubert) 2177 BS066779-1 Victor, 12 September 1941

Smilin’ Through (Arthur A. Penn) 1696-A Victor 12 18 1933

Song of Songs (Voucaire-Moya) 1343-B Victor 4 23 1928

Tell Me Tonight (Spoliansky) From the Film Tell Me Tonight 1619-A Victor

The green Hills of Ireland (Shields-Del Riego) DA 1536 OAA 5 4 8 1925

The holy city (Adams) DB1798, 2B3440-1 HMV, London 1932-09-29

The Irish Love Song (Lang) 45373 B28410-9 Victor, 30 Aug 1923

The Red Mill (Herbert) Moonbeams 1371 Victor

The rosary (Nevin) DA1288 0B3443-2 HMV, London 1932-09-29

The star of Bethlehem (Adams) DB1798 2B3441-2 HMV, London 1932-09-29

The Unforgotten Melody (Lockton-Wood) D.A.1436 OA92545 HMV 6 28 1935

Tosca (Puccini) Recondita Armonia E601 1929 HMV

Tosca (Puccini) Wie sich die Bilder gleichen E.W. 75 Electrola

Werther (Massenet) Pourquoi me reveiller 10-1093 1939 a Victor

When You’re Away (Henry Blossom) From The Only Girl 1370-B Victor 2 11 1929

You Will Remember Vienna (Hammerstein-Romberg) 1500-A Victor 9 3 1930

Yours is My Heart Alone (Herzer-Lohner-Smith-Lehar) 1509-A Victor 4 23 1931