Description

WALTER HYDE (BIRMINGHAM, 6 FEBRUARY, 1875 – LONDON, 11 NOVEMBER, 1951)

 

 

 

 

He was one of the greatest dramatic tenors in Britain during the early decades of the twentieth century. He trained in London at the Royal College of Music under Gustave Garcia and Walter Parratt, performing in student productions of Euryanthe and Stanford’s Much Ado About Nothing. His early professional career was in musical comedy, including roles in Miss Hook of Holland (Rubens, 1907) and Three Kisses (Talbot, 1907).

Percy Pitt recruited him to sing Siegmund in the 1908 English-language Ring cycles at Covent Garden, conducted by Hans Richter and directed by E.C. Hedmondt. He continued to perform regularly at Covent Garden until 1923. Among his early roles there was Sali in the British premiere of Delius’ A Village Romeo and Juliet, conducted by Thomas Beecham in 1910. He collaborated extensively with Beecham’s company and, in the 1920s, became a director of the British National Opera Company (BNOC), continuing to perform with them until the company’s closure.

He sang Siegmund at the New York Metropolitan Opera and toured the United States in 1912 as part of Robin Hood. Aside from Siegmund, one of his most notable Wagnerian roles was Parsifal. Later in his career, he became a Professor of Singing at the Guildhall School of Music, where his students included distinguished artists such as John Heddle Nash and Eric Shilling.

 

Chronology of some appearances

 

1908-1923 London Covent Garden

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

 Carmen (Bizet) The Flower Song XX84212 Odeon, London

Contes d’Hoffmann (Offenbach) Legend of Kleinsack (w. chorus) 02256 4341f HMV, London 1910-07-27

Faust (Gounod) Be mine the delight (w. Radford) 04308 Ho4345af HMV, London 1920-04-19

For all Eternity (Mascheroni) X57598 Odeon, London

H.M.S. Pinafore (Sullivan) A maiden fair to see 77682 Pathé, London 1908

H.M.S. Pinafore (Sullivan) Farewell my own Octette and chorus (w. Dearth, Florence, Pike & Turner) 951 Sterling Record

H.M.S. Pinafore (Sullivan) Never mind the why and wherefore (w. Pike & Florence) 948 Sterling Record

Maritana (Wallace) Oh, Maritana (w. Buckman) 04217 Ho3005af HMV, London 1917-12-11

Mikado (Sullivan) A wandering minstrel Lx2226 Odeon, London 1907

O lovely night (Ronald) (w. Buckman) 04249 Ho3009af HMV, London 1917-12-11

The Garden of Sleep (de Lara) X44862 Odeon, London

The Pilgrim of Love (Bishop) XX84222 Odeon, London

Walküre (Wagner) Winter storms have waned (Spring song) D598 (02932) HMV, London 1921-07-13