Description

GERVASE HENRY CARY-ELWES (BILLING HALL, NORTHAMPTON, ENGLAND 15 NOVEMBER 1866 – BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, USA 12 JANUARY 1921)

He was a member of the English landed gentry who initially pursued a career in the diplomatic service, working at various foreign embassies from 1891 to 1895. However, he later transitioned to a career in music, studying singing with several prominent pedagogues, including Demest in Brussels, Henry Russell in London, and Jacques Bouhy in Paris.

His musical debut occurred in 1903 at the Westmoreland Festival in Kendal, where he performed in Humperdinck’s Pilgrimage to Kevelaer. That same year, he gave his first concert in London. To further refine his technique, he briefly studied with Victor Beigel in London after his debut. In 1904, he sang the solo part in Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius for the first time, quickly becoming renowned as the definitive interpreter of this role. His performance of The Dream of Gerontius would define much of his career.

He gained further prominence in 1904 when he performed in front of the English royal family at Windsor Castle. His career continued to flourish, with successful guest appearances in Germany in 1907 alongside the pianist Fanny Davies, where his performances of Brahms songs were particularly admired. In 1908, he had a series of successful concerts in Brussels and was a central figure at the Three Choirs Festival in Gloucester, England.

In 1909, he premiered Ralph Vaughan Williams’s song cycle On Wenlock Edge in London and had great success in New York, where he performed The Dream of Gerontius and participated in song recitals in Boston and New York, as well as singing the role of the Evangelist in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. His performance of the St. Matthew Passion in Amsterdam under the baton of Willem Mengelberg in 1914 was also highly praised.

During World War I, he continued to perform in England and gave concerts for Allied soldiers in France in 1917. His career remained active after the war, including a major North American tour during the 1920-1921 season, which began in Winnipeg, Canada, and featured a successful concert at New York’s Aeolian Hall in 1921.

Tragically, his life was cut short on January 12, 1921, when he was killed in an accident at Back Bay railway station in Boston, Massachusetts, during a high-profile recital tour in the United States. The evening before his death, he had performed at Princeton University. The accident occurred when he attempted to return an overcoat that had fallen off the train to the conductor; he leaned too far over and was struck by the train, falling between the moving carriages and the platform. He succumbed to his injuries a few hours later at the age of 54.

TRACKLIST

1. A carol of bells (Stanford) L1152 75357 Columbia, London 1917
2. Now sleeps the crimson petal (Quilter); Love’s philosophy (Quilter) L1055 6850 Columbia, London 1916?
3. A Shropshire Lad (Vaughan-Williams) 2) From far, 4) Oh when I was in love 7147 75420 Columbia, London 1917
4. A Shropshire Lad (Vaughan-Williams) 1) On Wenlock Edge 7146 75419 Columbia, London 1917
5. A Shropshire Lad (Vaughan-Williams) 3) Is my team ploughing 7148 75421 Columbia, London 1917
6. A Shropshire Lad (Vaughan-Williams) 5) Bredon Hill 7149 75422 Columbia, London 1917
7. A Shropshire Lad (Vaughan-Williams) 6) Clun 7150 75423 Columbia, London 1917
8. Blow, blow, thou winter wind (Quilter) L1055 6847 Columbia, London 1916
9. Cuckoo Song (Quilter) L1074 6852 Columbia, London 1916
10. Fill a glass with golden wine (Quilter) L1101 6848 Columbia, London 1916
11. Lift up your heads on high (Bach) L1325 76093 Columbia, London 1918
12. Love went a-riding (Bridge) L1325 76092 Columbia, London 1918
13. O mistress mine! (Quilter); Fair house of joy (Quilter) L1119 75329 Columbia, London 1917-01
14. Semele (Händel) Where’er you walk L1152 75360 Columbia, London 1917
15. Songs my mother taught me (Dvořák) L1119 75330 Columbia, London 1917-01
16. Summertime on Bredon (Peel) L1101 6849 Columbia, London 1916?
17. The Roadside Fire (Vaughan-Williams) L1074 6851 Columbia, London 1916?