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. A farewell (Liddle) 64254 B11819 Victor, Camden NJ 1912-04-02
2. A little love, a little kiss (Silésu) 64343 B13220 Victor, Camden NJ 1913-05-01
3. A Masque (Marshall) A Child’s Song 64253 B11816 Victor, Camden NJ 1912-04-02
4. Asthore (Trotère) 74299 C11817 Victor, Camden NJ 1912-04-02
5. At dawning (Cadman) 64302 B12704 Victor, Camden NJ 1912-12-11
6. Carmen (Bizet) Parle-moi de ma mère (w. Marsh) 74345 C13028 Victor, Camden NJ 1913-05-01
7. Dear love, remember me (Marshall) 64318 B12763 Victor, Camden NJ 1913-01-03
8. Down in the forest (Ronald) 64331 B13035 Victor, Camden NJ 1913-03-28
9. Eileen Allanna (Thomas) 64341 B13231 Victor, Camden, NJ 1913-05-02
10. Eileen Aroon (MacMurrough) 64256 B11824 Victor, Camden NJ 1912-04-03
11. Goodbye (Tosti) 74346 C13219 Victor, Camden NJ 1913-05-01
12. Goodbye sweetheart, goodbye (Hatton) 64342 B13233 Victor, Camden, NJ 1913-05-02
13. I hear a thrush at eve (Cadman) 64340 B13218 Victor, Camden NJ 1913-05-01
14. I know of two bright eyes (Clutsam) 64255 B11823 Victor, Camden NJ 1912-04-03
15. I’ll sing thee songs of Araby (Clay) 64375 B12760 Victor, Camden NJ 1913-01-02
16. Le Portrait (Parkyns) 64374 B13235 Victor, Camden, NJ 1913-05-02
17. Like stars above (Squire) 74296 C11814 Victor, Camden NJ 1912-04-02
18. Maire my girl (Aitken) 74298 C11813 Victor, Camden NJ 1912-04-02
19. Manon (Massenet) Chiudo gli occhi (Il sogno) 64312 B12764 Victor, Camden NJ 1913-01-03
20. Maritana (Wallace) There is a flower 64307 B12710 Victor, Camden NJ 1912-12-11
21. Mefistofele (Boito) Dai campi, dai prati 64303 B12705 Victor, Camden NJ 1912-12-11
22. Mefistofele (Boito) Giunto sul passo estremo 64304 B12706 Victor, Camden NJ 1912-12-11
23. Molly Brannigan (arr Stanford) 64316 B12765 Victor, Camden NJ 1913-01-03
24. Mother o’mine (Tours) 64332 B13034 Victor, Camden NJ 1913-03-28
25. My dreams (Tosti) 64310 B12758 Victor, Camden NJ 1913-01-02
26. Natoma (Herbert) No country can my own outvie 74295 C11822 Victor, Camden NJ 1912-04-03
27. Nearer my God to thee (Mason) 64345 B13225 Victor, Camden NJ 1913-05-01
28. Nirvana (Adams) 74329 C12708 Victor, Camden NJ 1912-12-11
29. Pêcheurs de perles (Bizet) Mi par d’udir ancora 64305 B12707 Victor, Camden NJ 1912-12-11
30. Rigoletto (Verdi) Questa o quella 64344 B13223 Victor, Camden NJ 1913-05-01
31. Say au revoir but not goodbye (Kennedy) 64328 B13033 Victor, Camden NJ 1913-03-28
32. Silver threads among the gold (Danks) 781 B11834 Victor, Camden NJ 1913-01-03
33. Silver threads among the gold (Danks) 64260 B11834 Victor, Camden NJ 1912-04-05
34. Sospiri miei (Bimboni)  64333 B13032 Victor, Camden NJ 1913-03-28
35. Sweet Genevieve (Tucker) 64309 B12759 Victor, Camden NJ 1913-01-02
36. Take, o take those lips away (Bennett) 64252 B11815 Victor, Camden NJ 1912-04-02
37. The foggy dew (trad) 64326 B12767 Victor, Camden NJ 1913-01-03
38. The harp that once through Tara’s halls (trad) 64259 B11833 Victor, Camden NJ 1912-04-05
39. The low backed car (Lover) 64329 B13031 Victor, Camden NJ 1913-03-28
40. The rosary (Nevin) 64257 B11825 Victor, Camden NJ 1912-04-05
41. Wearing of the Green (trad) 64258 B11826 Victor, Camden NJ 1912-04-03
42. Where the River Shannon flows (Russell) 64311 B12761 Victor, Camden NJ 1913-01-02
43. Within the garden of my heart (Scott) 64317 B12762 Victor, Camden NJ 1913-01-03