American opera singer
Marie Rappold performing "O patria mia" from
Verdi
's
Aida
(1916)
Marie Rappold
, nee
Winterrath
(17 August 1872 ? 12 May 1957) was a German-born American
operatic
soprano
.
[1]
She sang with the
Metropolitan Opera
from 1905 to 1920.
Early life
[
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]
She was born in
Barmen
,
Germany
on 17 August 1872.
[2]
She appeared on stage in London at the age of five before moving with her parents to
Brooklyn
, New York, where she later studied with
Oscar Saenger
and sang with the Amberg German Opera Company.
[3]
In New York City she studied singing with
Estelle Liebling
.
[4]
Opera and recording career
[
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]
On 22 November 1905, Rappold made her debut at the
Metropolitan Opera
as Sulamith in
Karl Goldmark
's
Die Konigin von Saba
(
The Queen of Sheba
, 1875). She continued to appear at the Met until 1920, during which time, she gave a total of 198 performances in 23 roles and 22 operas. Her first husband, Dr. Julius Rappold, objected to her career, and she divorced him in 1907. In 1913, she married
tenor
Rudolf Berger (17 April 1874,
Moravia
? 27 February 1915, New York City).
During
World War I
,
Edison Records
started a marketing campaign, hiring prominent opera singers and
vaudeville
performers to perform alongside and alternating with Edison records of their performances played on top-of-the-line
Edison Diamond Disc Phonographs
. At various stages during the performances, all lights in the theater would be darkened and the audience challenged to guess whether they were hearing a live performance or a recording. Written accounts of the time often said that much of the audience was astonished when the lights went back up to reveal only the Edison phonograph on stage. According to a book published by the Edison company titled
Composers and Artists whose Art is Re-Created by Edison's New Art
(ca. 1920), the first such "comparison test" took place at
Carnegie Hall
on April 28, 1916, with Rappold providing the live vocal performance.
She recorded for Edison and
Victor Records
, and appeared in
short films
for
Universal Studios
. She also appeared in a short film made by
Lee De Forest
in his
Phonofilm
sound-on-film
process in 1922, which is now in the Maurice Zouary film collection at the
Library of Congress
.
On September 20, 1922, she and the members of the San Carlo Opera Company gave a presentation of "Aida" over radio station WJZ, then in Newark, New Jersey. She played the role of Aida. Rappold had previously sung on WJZ during the station's first month on the air.
[5]
In June 1925, Rappold played the female lead in the premiere of Frank Patterson's opera
The Echo
with tenor Forrest Lamont (1881?1937).
[6]
Death and legacy
[
edit
]
She died on 12 May 1957 at Victory Hospital in
North Hollywood, California
.
[1]
On October 11, 2010, Rappold's former home in
Upstate New York
was featured on
History Channel
's series
American Pickers
.
[7]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"Marie Rappold, Ex-Met Soprano. Member of the Opera Troupe From 1907 [sic] to 1920 Is Dead. Taught Voice on Coast"
.
The New York Times
. May 14, 1957
. Retrieved
2014-08-02
.
Marie Rappold, a dramatic soprario with the Metropolitan Opera for fourteen years died yesterday in Victory Hospital, North Hollywood. She was 84 years old. ...
- ^
Passport application for Marie Rappold from May 12, 1906,
United States Department of State
- ^
"Rappold, Marie"
by
J. B. Steane
,
The New Grove Dictionary of Opera
, edited by
Stanley Sadie
(subscription required)
- ^
Dean Fowler, Alandra (1994).
Estelle Liebling: An exploration of her pedagogical principles as an extension and elaboration of the Marchesi method, including a survey of her music and editing for coloratura soprano and other voices
(PhD).
University of Arizona
.
- ^
"Opera Aida Broadcasted from Newark Station WJZ."
Radio Broadcasting News
, September 23, 1922, p. 3.
- ^
Library and Archives Canada entry on Lamont
- ^
"Treasure Hunters"
by Linda Stasi,
New York Post
, July 26, 2010
Further reading
[
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]
External links
[
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]
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