Description

JOSEPH CHEETHAM (ROCHDALE, LANCASHIRE, 1875 – LONDON, 1932)

His father was a prosperous grocer, and Joseph appears to have left school around the age of twelve to become a grocer’s assistant. His first significant musical opportunity came at age thirty in 1905 when he entered the Blackpool competition. Out of 3,150 contestants, nine first prizes were awarded. The tenor test piece was Beethoven’s Adelaide, and he won one of the first prizes. The adjudicator, William Gray McNaught, likely mentored Cheetham and helped him gain entrance to the Manchester College of Music, where he studied with John Acton, a pupil of Francesco Lamperti.

The earliest billing of Cheetham found so far dates to 1906 at the Scarborough Aquarium, where he was described as “Joseph Cheetham, Lancashire tenor, who shows great vocal ability.” Newspaper notices from 1907 report his appearances at several Bournemouth concerts under Dan Godfrey. In 1908, he sang in Mendelssohn’s St. Paul and continued performing in provincial venues to enthusiastic acclaim.

Cheetham made his first London appearance in 1910 at one of the Polytechnic Popular Entertainments and soon after shared the Queen’s Hall stage with Phyllis Lett, Thorpe Bates, and cellist W.H. Squire. At the time, he was often styled as “Mr. Joseph Cheetham, tenor of the Royal Opera, Covent Garden,” although no confirmation of this claim has been found. Around this time, he made his first recordings for Pathé.

In 1911, he debuted at the Henry Wood Proms with two popular ballads, and the following year, he appeared in a supporting role alongside Nellie Melba at a concert in Guildford. He remained a regular on the British concert circuit, performing again at the Proms twice in 1915 and twice in 1917. However, by 1918, his career had shifted toward music hall entertainment. He retired from the stage early in 1928.

TRACKLIST

1. Because (d’Hardelot) Z-042044 z 6816f Zonophone, London 22-11-12
2. Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Wagner) Morning was gleaming A 92 Z-042042 Zonophone
3. I hear you calling me (Marshall) 78853 Pathé, London 1910
4. In an old-fashioned town (Squire) 537 174 Bulldog
5. My dreams (Tosti) 78862 Pathé, London 1910
6. Reine de Saba (Gounod) Lend me your aid, recitative A 121 Z-042055 Zonophone
7. Rigoletto (Verdi) Quartet (w. Sparkes, Herwin & Baker) 78857 Pathé, London 1910
8. Samson (Handel) Total Eclipse A 121 Z042054 Zonophone
9. Sometimes you’ll remember (Head) 537 175 Bulldog
10. Trovatore (Verdi) Miserere (w. Sparkes) 78856 Pathé, London 1910