Nellie Melba

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Dame Nellie Melba GBE (born Helen Porter Mitchell, 1861-1931) was an Australian operatic soprano.

She was one of the first Australian classical singers to be internationally known in the late Victorian period and early twentieth century.

"Melba" was her mother town's pseudonym. Melba studied singing in Melbourne and had a modest success in appearances.

After a brief and unsuccessful marriage, she returned to Europe in search of a singing career.

She studied in Paris and gained a great deal in Brussels in 1886, after struggling to find roles in London.

She appointably established herself as the top lyric soprano at Covent Garden, 1888, returning to London.

She soon found success in Paris and elsewhere in Europe, as well as later at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where she appeared in 1893 for the first time.

Her repertoire was small; she appeared in no more than 25 roles and was closely associated with just ten.

She was known for her appearances in French and Italian opera, but she didn't appear in much more than one in Berlin. Melba raised significant funds for war charities during the First World War.

She returned to Australia frequently during the twentieth century, performing in opera and concerts, and she had a house built for her near Melbourne.

At the Melbourne Conservatorium, she was active in singing lessons.

Melba continued to sing for the final months of her life, with a substantial number of "goodbye" appearances.

Her death, in Australia, had a worldwide reach, and her funeral was a big national event.

The Australian $100 note features her portrait.

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Life and career

Melba was born in Richmond, Victoria, and the eldest of seven children of architect David Mitchell and his wife Isabella Ann née Dow's. Mitchell, a Scot, immigrated to Australia in 1852, becoming a successful builder. Melba was taught to play the piano and first performed in public about age six. She was educated at a local boarding school and then at the Presbyterian Ladies' College. She trained with Mary Ellen Christian (a former Manuel Garca student) and Pietro Cecchi, an Italian tenor who was a respected Melbourne tutor. Melba played the organ at church as a teen and began to perform in amateur concerts in and around Melbourne. Her father aided her in her musical education, but he was firmly opposed to her performing as a career. Melba's mother died in 1881 at Richmond.

Melba's father migrated the family to Mackay, Queensland, where he constructed a new sugar mill. Melba began to be known in Mackay society for her singing and piano-playing. She married Charles Nesbitt Frederick Armstrong (1858–1948), Brisbane's youngest son of Sir Andrew Armstrong, on December 22nd. They had one child, George, who was born on October 16th. The marriage was not a success; Charles was reportedly beating his wife more than once. Melba and the couple were divorced after just over a year, and Melba returned to Melbourne determined to pursue a singing career, having appeared in 1884 in concerts for the first time. She was often accompanied in concert, and some of her concerts were arranged by flautist John Lemmone, who became a "lifelong companion and counsellor" throughout her career. She travelled to London in search of a chance, owing to local success. Her first appearance at Princes' Hall in 1886 made no appearance, and she sought unsuccessfully from Sir Arthur Sullivan, Carl Rosa, and Augustus Harris. She travelled to Paris to study with leading coach Mathilde Marchesi, who immediately understood the young singer's potential: "J'ai enfin une étoile!" she exclaimed. "I have a star at last!" Melba made such rapid progress that she was invited to perform the "Mad Scene" from Ambroise Thomas' Hamlet at a matinée musicale in Marchesi's house in December the same year, in the presence of the composer.

The young singer's talent was so apparent that she was granted a ten-year contract worth 1000 francs a year ago, less than a year with Marchesi. After signing, she received a far better deal of 3000 francs per month from the Théâtre de la Monnaye, Brussels, but Strakosch refused to let her leave and obtained an injunction blocking her from attending it. At the time when Strakosch's sudden death brought the matter to a halt, she was in despair. Gilda in Rigoletto at La Monnaye on October 12, 1887, she made her operatic debut four days later. Herman Klein characterized her Gilda as "an instant triumph of the most emphatic kind"... followed by a similar triumph in La traviata a few nights later. It was at this time, on Marchesi's recommendation, that she adopt the stage name "Melba," which is a diminution of the name of her home city.

Melba made her Covent Garden debut in May 1888, in the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor. She received a friendly but not ecstatic reception. "Madame Melba is a fluent vocalist and a highly representative of light soprano parts," the Musical Times wrote, "but she lacks the personal charisma that is sorely lacking to a great figure on the lyric stage." When Augustus Harris, then the head of Covent Garden, only offered her a small part of the Un ballo in maschera for the upcoming season, she was offended. She left England vowed never to return, but she did not return. "Madame Melba has a voice of extraordinary flexibility, and her acting is expressive and striking" at the Opéra in Paris the following year; The Times described her as "a brilliant success"; "Madame Melba has a voice of great versatility... her singing is articulate and striking."

Lady de Grey, a strong supporter in London, whose views were also relevant at Covent Garden, had a large audience. Melba was reluctant to return, and Harris co-starred with Jean de Reszke in Roméo et Juliette (June 1889). "I can remember my London success even more from the great night of 15 June 1889," she later shared. Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor, Gilda in Rigoletto, Faust, and Juliette, who returned to Paris as Ophélie, Lucia di Lammermoor, Gilbert, and Juliette. Her pronunciation in French operas was poor, but composer Delibes said she was not concerned whether she sang in French, Italian, German, English, or Chinese as long as she sang.

Melba embarked on a mystery with Prince Philippe, Duke of Orléans, in the early 1890s. They were seen often together in London, sparking some gossip, but it became much more suspicious when Melba travelled to St Petersburg to perform for Tsar Nicholas II: the Duke followed closely behind her, and the pair were seen together in Paris, Brussels, Vienna, and St Petersburg. Armstrong filed divorce proceedings on the grounds of Melba's adultery, naming the Duke as co-respondent; the Duke was eventually advised not to drop the lawsuit, but the Duke decided that a two-year African safari (without Melba) would be most appropriate. Melba and him did not rekindle their friendship. Melba appeared in the best European opera houses in the first years of the decade, including Milan, Berlin, and Vienna.

Melba performed Nedda in Pagliacci in 1893, just after the Italian premiere was held. The composer was on hand, and he said that the role had never been so well played before. Melba appeared at the Metropolitan Opera in New York for the first time in December of this year. Lucia di Lammermoor made her Covent Garden debut as Lucia di Lammermoor, but it was less than a triumph at Covent Garden. The New York Times praised her appearance, "one of the most delightful voices that ever emerged from a human throat... simply delicious in its fullness, richness, and purity." Her appearance in Roméo et Juliette, later in the season, was a triumph, establishing her as the best prima donna of the time in succession to Adelina Patti. She had been first unimpressed by the Metropolitan's impenetrable snobbery; author Peter Conrad has written, "She hobnobbed with royalty in London; in New York she was a singing menial." She was reassured of critical success and set out to gain social recognition, and she did.

Melba appeared in a number of roles at Covent Garden in the 1890s, the majority in the lyric soprano style, but with some more prominent roles as well. In Herman Bemberg's Elaine and Arthur Goring Thomas' Esmeralda, she performed the title roles. Gilda in Rigoletto, and the title role in Aida, Desdemona in Mascagni's I Rantzau, Orangeta, and Mimème in La traviata included Gilda, Violetta. She sang Juliette in Roméo et Juliette, Marguerite de Valois in Faust, the title role in Saint-Sa's Hélène, which was written for her, and Mica la in Carmen in the French repertoire.

Any writers expressed surprise at Melba's last appearance in this series because it was only a supporting role in the opera. "Why on earth a prima donna should not perform secondary roles in my memoirs" -- she did not see her first and is not nearer seeing to-day. "I loathe the artistic snobbery of it." Emma Calvé, Zélie de Lussan, and Maria Gay played her role opposite Carmen Calvé, Zélie de Lussan and Maria Gay. Marguerite de Valois, a female protagonist in Les Huguenots, is no longer the leading female role in Les Huguenots, but Melba was able to participate in it as seconda donna to Emma Albani. She was generous in her support of singers who did not fit in her desired roles, but she was not as strong a biographer J. Davidson. B. Steane characterized it as "pathologically suspicious" of other lyric sopranos.

Melba was not well-known as a Wagnerist, but she did perform Elsa in Lohengrin and Elisabeth in Tannhäuser. She received a certain amount of praise in these roles, but Klein found her ineffective, and Bernard Shaw thought she sang with such talent but played artificially and without compassion. She attempted the role of Brünnhilde in Siegfried in 1896, but she was not a success. Marguerite in Gounod's Faust, which she had studied under the composer's guidance, was her most popular role in the house. She never performed any of Mozart's operas, for which some considered her voice to be ideally suited. She had no more than 25 appearances in her entire career, of which "only 10 parts will be remembered as her own," The Times obituarist wrote.

Melba's marriage to Armstrong was finally ended when they emigrated to the United States with their son. In 1900, she divorced her in Texas.

Melba made her first return to Australia in 1902–03, while also touring in New Zealand, by now established as a leading figure in Britain and America. The returns were unprecedented; she appeared on four more tours throughout her career. Melba's La bohème campaigned in the United Kingdom. She had performed Mim' first in 1899 and had collaborated with the composer to learn about it. In the face of Covent Garden's distaste at this "new and plebeian opera," she pushed for further productions of the work. Enrico Caruso joined her in the first of many Covent Garden performances together, boosting the piece's public interest. In 1907, she sang Mimo for Oscar Hammerstein I at his opera house in New York, giving the company a needed boost. Melba appeared infrequently on Europe continent after her initial success in Brussels and Paris in the 1880s; only the English-speaking countries accepted her wholeheartedly.

Between 1898 and 1926, she appeared at the Royal Albert Hall in London 26 times. Although she referred to Covent Garden as her "my artistic home," her appearances there became less common in the 20th century. One reason for this was that she did not get along with Sir Thomas Beecham, who was in charge of the opera house for a long time from 1910 to retirement. "I dislike Beecham and his methods," she said, and he believed that although she had "nearly all the characteristics of great artistry," she was looking for "deep spiritual refinement." Another factor in her reduced appearances at Covent Garden was her appearance on the stage of Luisa Tetrazzini, a soprano who spent ten years in London and later in New York in roles previously associated with Melba. A third reason for her decision to stay longer in Australia was her decision to spend more time in Australia. She undertook a "sentimental tour" of Australia in 1909, covering 10,000 kilometers (16,000 km) and many remote towns. She appeared in an operatic season in 1911 as part of the J. C. Williamson company. Clara Butt's words summified her experience with her tour performances and the audiences who attended her performance: "Sing 'em muck,' it's all they can understand." Peter Dawson, a fellow and compatriot, described Adelaide as "the city of the three P's" – Parsons, Pubs, and Prosecutors.

Melba bought a house in Coldstream, a small town near Melbourne, in 1909, and she had a home built there (extending an existing cottage) named Coombe Cottage after a house she had rented near London. She later merged with the Melbourne Conservatorium in Richmond, establishing a music academy. When the First World War ended, she was in Australia, and she poured herself into fund-raising for war charities, raising £100,000. "For services in organizing patriotic work," she said in honor of this.

Melba made a triumphant return to the Royal Opera House in a production of La bohème conducted by Beecham, which reopened the house after four years of closure. "Probably no season at Covent Garden has ever started with such ferocious enthusiasm that has passed through the house," the Times said. However, her repertoire was considered trite and predictable in her many concerts. Following one of them, The Musical Times wrote: "This is what it says" The Musical Times wrote: "Italy" is the word used to describe the author.

Melba returned to Australia in 1922, where she performed at the immensely popular "Concerts for the People" in Melbourne and Sydney, attracted 70,000 people. She caused local singers to resentment by importing a complete chorus from Naples in 1924 for another Williamson opera season. She appeared in scenes from Roméo et Juliette, Otello, and La bohème in 1926 at Covent Garden. She is well-known in Australia for her remarkably long line of "farewell" appearances, including stage appearances in the mid-1920s and concerts in Sydney on September 27 and 1928. She is remembered in the vernacular Australian expression "more farewells than Dame Nellie Melba."

In 1929, she returned to Europe and then returned to Egypt, where she experienced a fever that never entirely shook off. On June 10, 1930, she appeared in London at a charity concert. She returned to Australia but died in St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, in 1931, aged 69, of septicaemia that had occurred after facial surgery in Europe some time ago. She was given a detailed funeral from Scots' Church, Melbourne, which her father built and where she sang in the choir as a child. The funeral procession lasted more than a kilometre, and her death made front-page news in Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. "Melba is dead," billboards in several countries said. Parts of the celebration were shot for posterity. Melba was buried in the cemetery near Coldstream, Lilydale. In La bohème, her headstone, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, bears Mim's farewell words: "Addio, senza rancor" (Farewell, without bitterness).

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