Description

MARIA GALVANY (MANCHA REAL, ANDALUSIA, SPAIN, 1875 – MADRID, SPAIN, 1927 or RIO DE JANEIRO, 1949)

 

 

 

 

She studied at the Madrid Conservatory with the renowned singing teacher Lázaro María Puig and Napoleone Verger. She made her debut as Lucia at Cartagena in 1897. Specializing in coloratura roles, she sang with great success in Spain and Italy, gaining her greatest popularity in South America. She also toured with a company that performed throughout Europe, including Russia (where she was a favorite singer), visiting London 1909, where she appeared at Drury Lane as Amina, Rosina and in the title role of Meyerbeer’s ”Dinorah”. In Lisbon she sang uninterruptedly for 15 years at the Coliseu. She gained great success in Parma, Venezia, and Genoa. It seems rather strange, however, that she never managed to appear at La Scala, the Met, the Teatro Cólon or at Covent Garden. She retired to Brazil and died there in poverty. Comment: Vocally, Maria Galvany represents an extreme case. Her virtuosity, the limpidity of her trills, roulades, and above all, her staccati lead us to think, more of an instrument than of a voice. One might get the impression to listen to a canary. Nevertheless, some of her recordings are remarkable for the sweetness of her voice. Listen to the duets she made opposite Tita Ruffo. You will hear a singer capable to adapt the musicality of her great br. colleague. In the following title she “invented” a breathtaking cadenza.

 

Chronology of some appearances

 

1896 Barcellona Gran Via Barbiere di Siviglia (Rosina)

1898 Madrid Reale Crispino e la Comare (Annetta)

1899 Madrid Reale Africana (Ines)

1901 Lisbona Coliseo Recrejos Barbiere di Siviglia (Rosina)

1901 Kischineff Nazionale Barbiere di Siviglia (Rosina)

1902 Montevideo Solis Barbiere di Siviglia (Rosina)

1902 Buenos Ayres Odeon Barbiere di Siviglia (Rosina)

1903 Nice Jetee Promenade Barbiere di Siviglia (Rosina)

1903 Kiev Soloznikoff Barbiere di Siviglia (Rosina)

1903 Lisbona Coliseo Recrejos Barbiere di Siviglia (Rosina)

1904 Lisbona Coliseo Recrejos Barbiere di Siviglia (Rosina)

1904 Domodossola Galletti Barbiere di Siviglia (Rosina)

1904 Napoli Bellini Barbiere di Siviglia (Rosina)

1905 Lisbona Coliseo Recrejos Barbiere di Siviglia (Rosina)

1905 Lisbona Coliseo Recrejos Boheme (Mimi)

1905 Lisbona Coliseo Recrejos Crispino e la Comare (Annetta)

1905 Rio de Janeiro Lirico Barbiere di Siviglia (Rosina)

1905 San Paolo Vittoria Barbiere di Siviglia (Rosina)

1905 Amsterdam Paleis Voor Volksvlijt Barbiere di Siviglia (Rosina)

1905 San Paolo Santana Barbiere di Siviglia (Rosina)

1905 Santa Fè Municipal Barbiere di Siviglia (Rosina)

1906 San Pietroburgo Nuovo Conservatorio Barbiere di Siviglia (Rosina)

1906 San Pietroburgo  Nuovo Conservatorio Don Pasquale (Norina)

1906 Kiev Soloznikoff Barbiere di Siviglia (Rosina)

1906 Odessa Municipale Barbiere di Siviglia (Rosina)

1906 San Pietroburgo Aquarium Barbiere di Siviglia (Rosina)

1907 Bucarest Nazionale Barbiere di Siviglia (Rosina)

 

TRACKLIST

 

G&T, Milano 1903-02-12/28

Rigoletto (Verdi): Caro nome 53293 3048b (-R)

L’eco (Eckert) 53294 3049b

 

Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1904?

Fado portuguez (Neuparth) 4128

Biondo (Marino) 4131

 

G&T, Milano 1906-10-20

Rigoletto (Verdi): Ah veglia o donna with Titta Ruffo 54315 4727h

Rigoletto (Verdi): Piangi fanciulla with Titta Ruffo 054100 545i

Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini): Una voce poco fà 53484 4732h

Puritani (Bellini): Qui la voce 53485 4734h

Mireille (Gounod): O d’amor messagera (Valzer) 53483 4731h

Sonnambula (Bellini): Son geloso with Aristodemo Giorgini 054112 548i

Don Pasquale (Donizetti): Tornami a dir  with Aristodemo Giorgini 054111 549i

Elisir d’amore (Donizetti): Chiedi all’aura  with Aristodemo Giorgini 054110 551i

Traviata (Verdi): Dite alla giovine with Titta Ruffo 054101 546i

 

G&T, Milano 1907-10/11

Huguenots (Meyerbeer): O lieto suol 053164 1340c

Puritani (Bellini): Piangi o figlia with Andres de Segurola 54370 10852b

Sonnambula (Bellini): Duetto Annina-Rodolfo with Andres de Segurola 54371  10901b

Hijas del Zebedeo (Chapi): Carceleras (Sp) 53527 10895b

Variazioni (Proch) 53526 10894b