Description

MURIEL LUCY BRUNSKILL (KENDAL, WESTMORLAND, ENGLAND, 18 DECEMBER, 1899 – BARNSTAPLE, DEVON, ENGLAND, 18 FEBRUARY, 1980)

 

 

 

 

A student of Blanche Marchesi in London, she made her concert debut there in 1920. Her stage debut followed in 1922 with the British National Opera Company, where she remained until 1927. Among her roles were Geneviève in Pelléas et Mélisande, Erda in the Ring Cycle, and the title role in Rutland Boughton’s opera Alceste.

In 1925, she married the conductor Robert Ainsworth (d. 1947). She was regarded as the foremost English oratorio contralto of her generation and appeared as a soloist at numerous English music festivals.

She toured Canada in 1930 and the USA in 1931, achieving particular success at the Cincinnati Festival. Also in 1931, she sang Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius in Amsterdam. When the Italian contralto Nini Giani, engaged at London’s Covent Garden, fell ill in 1933, she stepped in as Amneris in Aida. Despite her brilliant success, she was not invited to join the Covent Garden roster.

From 1934 to 1936, she sang in Australia, and she gave concerts in the Netherlands in 1937 and again in 1946. She also appeared in several sound films. Later, she settled in London, where she once more took to the stage in 1952 in the American musical Roberta.

Her expressive contralto voice was noted for its unusual richness of tone and refined stylistic artistry. Recordings: exclusively for Columbia, made around 1930.

 

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

Messiah (Händel) 19) He was despised and rejected, pt 1, pt 2 9329, 9329, WAX2935-2, WAX2936-3 Columbia, London 1927

O lovely night (Ronald) 9199 Columbia, London

Rigoletto (Verdi) Fairest daughter of the graces (w. Licette, Nash & Noble) DX302 CAX6233-3 Columbia, London 1931-10-12

Samson et Dalila (Saint-Saëns) Softly awakes my heart 3328 A136 Columbia, London (ac)

Sea Wrack (Harty) 9687 Columbia, London

Serenade to Music, pt 1, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4 (Vaughan Williams) LX757, LX757, LX758, LX758, CAX8367-2,2A, CAX8368-2,2A, CAX8369,1,1A, CAX8370-1,1A Columbia, London 1938-10-15

The Enchantress (Hatton) 9088 Columbia, London

The Erl King (Schubert) 9088 Columbia, London

 

Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony no. 9 in d op. 125 “Choral”

1  allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso

2  molto vivace

3  adagio molto e cantabile

4  finale

London Symphony Orchestra c.b. Felix Weingartner

Soloists:

Miriam Licette, soprano

Muriel Brunskill, contralto

Hubert Eisdell, tenor

Harold Williams, baritone

78rpm 30 cm: Columbia L 1775-1782

Matrix nrs.:  (W)AX 1350-1365

Recorded:  1926 03 16 (WAX 1350-1353); 1926 03 17 (WAX 1354-1365)