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 brown bird singing (Haydn Wood) 1137 BVE34176 Victor, 1925-12-23
2. All alone (Berlin) 1067 B31523 Victor, 1924-12-17
3. Bridal dawn (Martin) 1040 B29873 Victor, 1924-04-09
4. Devotion (Haydn Wood) 1147 BVE32541 Victor, 1925-04-24
5. Die Liebe hat gelogen (Schubert) AGSA47 B28610 Victor, Camden NJ 1923-09-26
6. Dream once again (Squire) 1059 B28605 Victor, Camden NJ 1923-09-25
7. Her Family Tree (Simons) Remember the rose 66162 B27032 Victor, Camden NJ 1922-10-17
8. Holy God we praise thy name (arr Walworth) AGSA46 B29870 Victor, 1924-04-09
9. I hear you calling me (Marshall) 64120 B8695 Victor, Camden NJ 1921-06-16
10. I look into your garden (Haydn Wood) 1147 BVE32539 Victor, 1925-04-24
11. Indiana Moon (Jones) 1011 B29864 Victor, 1924-04-08
12. Jesus my Lord, my God, my all (Barnby) 66122 B27031 Victor, Camden NJ 1922-10-20
13. June brought the roses (Openshaw) 1086 BVE32536 Victor, 1925-04-23
14. Just a cottage small (Hanley) 1133 BVE33819 Victor, 1925-10-27
15. Little town in the old county down (Sanders) 64994 B25353 Victor, Camden NJ 1921-06-17
16. Little Yvette (Wood) 1020 B29867 Victor, 1924-04-08
17. Love me and I’ll live forever (Snyder) ERC6007 BVE34159 Victor, New York 1925-12-17
18. Love sends a little gift of roses (Openshaw) 66189 B28601 Victor, Camden NJ 1923-09-24
19. Luoghi sereni e cari (Donaudy) 1288 BVE34160 Victor, New York 1925-12-17
20. Marcheta (Schertzinger) 1011 B29865 Victor, 1924-04-08
21. Moonlight and roses (Moret) 1092 BVE32535 Victor, 1925-04-23
22. Mother in Ireland (KahnLyman) 66112 B27030 Victor, Camden NJ 1922-10-17
23. Mother, my dear (Treharne) 1137 BVE33821 Victor, 1925-10-27
24. Oh, how I miss you tonight (Fisher) 1121 BVE33465 Victor, 1925-10-14
25. Pur dicesti, o bocca bella (Lotti) 1081 B28609 Victor, Camden NJ 1923-09-26
26. Rose Marie (Friml) Rose Marie 1067 B31526 Victor, 1924-12-17
27. Schlafendes Jesuskind (Wolf) 1272 BVE32538 Victor, 1925-04-24
28. Silver threads among the gold (Danks) 1173 BVE11834 Victor, 1925-12-23
29. Sometime (Lockwood) 66243 B28607 Victor, Camden NJ 1923-09-25
30. Somewhere in the world (Ayer) 66198 B28603 Victor, Camden NJ 1923-09-24
31. Swans (Kramer) 1081 B28613 Victor, Camden NJ 1923-09-26
32. Take a look at Molly (Lockwood) 66242 B28604 Victor, Camden NJ 1923-09-25
33. Thanks be to God (Brahe) 1059 B28606 Victor, Camden NJ 1923-09-25
34. The kingdom within your eyes (Nicholls) 66146 B27044 Victor, Camden NJ 1922-10-20
35. The lost chord (Sullivan) 74791 C27043 Victor, Camden NJ 1922-10-20
36. The Magic Ring (Levey) A love song 1020 B29866 Victor, 1924-04-08
37. The O’Brien Girl (Hirsch) Learn to smile 64982 B25351 Victor, Camden NJ 1921-06-17
38. The sweetest call (Morrow) 1092 BVE32537 Victor, 1925-04-23
39. Three o’clock in the morning (Robledo) 66109 B27029 Victor, Camden NJ 1922-10-17
40. Through all the days to be (Hope) 1133 BVE33820 Victor, 1925-10-27
41. To the children (Rachmaninoff) 1288 BVE27085 Victor, New York 1925-12-17
42. When (Benham) 1040 B29872 Victor, 1924-04-09
43. When you and I were seventeen (Kahn) 1086 BVE32534 Victor, 1925-04-23
44. When you and I were young, Maggie (Butterflield) 1173 BVE23525 Victor, New York 1925-12-17
45. Where the rainbow ends (Ayer) 66199 B28602 Victor, Camden NJ 1923-09-24
46. Wonderful one (Grofe) 66190 B28600 Victor, Camden NJ 1923-09-24
47. Would God I were the tender apple blossom (trad) 66215 B28608 Victor, Camden NJ 1923-09-26
48. You forgot to remember (Berlin) 1121 BVE33464 Victor, 1925-10-14