Description

JOHN FRANCIS MCCORMACK (ATHLONE, COUNTY WESTMEATH, IRELAND, 14 JUNE, 1884 – BOOTERSTOWN, DUBLIN, IRELAND, 16 SEPTEMBER, 1945)

The singer’s father and mother were originally from Scotland. His father worked in a spinning mill in Dublin. John McCormack began his training with Vincent O’Brien in Dublin in 1902, became a member of the Palestrina Choir of Dublin Cathedral, and won a singing competition in Dublin in the same year. At that competition, his future wife, Lily Foley, won a prize for sopranos. In 1904, he sang at the World’s Fair in St. Louis in the Irish Village with the soprano Marie Narelle. After further training with Vincenzo Sabbatini in Milan, he made his debut in 1906 under the name Giovanni Foli at the City Theater of Savona as the title role in L’Amico Fritz by P. Mascagni.

In 1907, he gave successful concerts in London and made his debut at Covent Garden Opera in London as Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana. From then on, he was highly successful in America as well. In 1910, he was a member of the Chicago-Philadelphia Opera Company and made his debut that same year, once again as Alfredo (this time with Nellie Melba), at the New York Metropolitan Opera, where he was also a member from 1912 to 1914 and again in the 1917-1918 season. He only appeared six times at the Metropolitan Opera over five seasons but performed more frequently at the Chicago and Boston operas.

In 1911, he created the role of Paul Merrill in the world premiere of Victor Herbert’s opera Natoma in Philadelphia. That same year, he joined an opera company for a tour of Australia with the famous soprano Nellie Melba. In 1912, McCormack embarked on a major international concert tour and became widely celebrated in concert halls worldwide.

During World War I, he was an advocate for Irish independence and reduced his stage appearances. He performed occasionally, including at the Monte Carlo Opera in 1921 and 1923, and in the 1923 premiere of a new adaptation of M. Mussorgsky’s The Sorochintsy Fair. In 1919, he became a naturalized American citizen and was later appointed a Papal Count.

At the closing event of the World Eucharistic Congress in Dublin in 1932, he sang Panis Angelicus by César Franck. He donated large sums of money from his fortune to charitable institutions of the Catholic Church. McCormack gave his farewell concert in London in 1938, though he continued to appear on Irish radio during World War II.

From the 1920s, he resided in his Irish homeland on a country estate near Dublin. Over his career, McCormack sang a total of 21 operatic roles, most notably as Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, the Duke in Rigoletto, Elvino in La Sonnambula, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, and Rodolfo in La Bohème.

Lit.: J. McCormack, John McCormack: His Life Story (1919); R. Foxall, John McCormack (1963); G.R. Ledbetter, The Great Irish Tenor (London, 1977).

TRACKLIST

1. An evening song (Blumenthal) 74243 C10135 Victor, Camden NJ 1911-03-30
2. Annie Laurie (Scott) 64138 B8683 Victor, Camden NJ 1910-03-04
3. Barry from Ballymore (Olcott) Mother Machree 64181 B10069 Victor, Camden NJ 1911-03-17
4. Believe me if all those endearing young charms (trad) 74204 B8537 Victor, Camden NJ 1910-03-04
5. Bohème (Puccini) Ah, Mimì, tu più (w. Sammarco) 89044 C8737 Victor, Camden, NJ 1910-03-23
6. Bohème (Puccini) Che gelida manina 74222 C8589 Victor, Camden NJ 1910-02-01
7. Carmen (Bizet) Il fior 74218 C8538 Victor, Camden NJ 1910-01-07
8. Come back to Erin (Claribel) 74158 C8588 Victor, Camden NJ 1910-02-01
9. Dear little shamrock (Cherry) 64153 B8819 Victor, Camden, NJ 1910-04-08
10. Drink to me only with thine eyes (trad) 74204 C8587 Victor, Camden NJ 1910-03-04
11. Elisir d’amore (Donizetti) Una furtiva lagrima 74219 C8536 Victor, Camden NJ 1910-02-01
12. Faust (Gounod) Salve, dimora casta e pura 74220 C8694 Victor, Camden, NJ 1910-03-10
13. Fille du Régiment (Donizetti) Per viver vicino a Maria 74221 C8739 Victor, Camden, NJ 1910-03-23
14. Happy morning waits (Parelli) 64250 B10136 Victor, Camden NJ 1911-03-31
15. Has sorrow thy young days shaded (trad) 74184 C8753 Victor, New York 1910-03-25
16. I hear you calling me (Marshall) 64120 B8695 Victor, Camden, NJ 1910-03-10
17. In a Persian Garden (Lehmann) Ah, moon of my delight 74232 C10063 Victor, Camden NJ 1911-03-16
18. Kathleen Mavourneen (Crouch) 74236 C10061 Victor, Camden NJ 1911-03-16
19. Killarney (Balfe) (made for test, later given mx number) 74157 C8594 Victor, Camden NJ 1910-01-03
20. Lakmé (Delibes) Vieni al contento profondo 64171 B8750 Victor, New York 1910-03-25
21. Li Marinari (Rossini) (w. Sammarco) 87078 B10137 Victor, Camden NJ 1911-04-04
22. Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti) Fra poco a me 74223 C8535 Victor, Camden NJ 1910-01-03
23. Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti) Tu che a Dio 74224 C8740 Victor, Camden, NJ 1910-03-23
24. Macushla (MacMurrough) 64205 B10134 Victor, Camden NJ 1911-03-30
25. Molly Bawn (Lover) (some copies S8, rerecordings) 74175 C8752 Victor, Camden NJ 1911-03-17
26. Molly Bawn (Lover) 74175 C8752 Victor, New York 1910-03-25
27. My Lagan love (Cathenhavil) 64154 B8751 Victor, New York 1910-03-25
28. Naughty Marietta (Herbert) I’m falling in love with someone 74232 C10063 Victor, Camden NJ 1911-03-16
29. Pêcheurs de perles (Bizet) Del tempio al limitar (w. Sammarco) 87082 B8738 Victor, Camden NJ 1911-04-04
30. The Irish emigrant (Barker) 74237 C10060 Victor, Camden NJ 1911-03-16
31. The Minstrel Boy (trad) 64117 B8590 Victor, Camden NJ 1910-02-01
32. The snowy breasted pearl (trad) 74166 C8741 Victor, Camden, NJ 1910-03-23
33. Traviata (Verdi) Dei miei bollenti spiriti 74328 C8693 Victor, Camden, NJ 1910-03-10
34. When shadows gather (Marshall) 64127 B8696 Victor, Camden, NJ 1910-03-10