Patrick Bade
Edwardian Encores: Great Singers in English Popular Songs
Summary
In the late 19th and early 20th Centuries the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Royal Opera in London imported most of their stars from continental Europe. These stars gained prestige from singing on the stages of the great opera houses but earned much more money from singing in concert on tour. They soon understood that to please anglophone audiences they need to offer English encores at the end of an evening of arias in foreign languages. After the invention of the gramophone, recordings of these English songs became another important source of income. This talk will present a selection of these recordings of English language songs often performed in quaint accents.
Patrick Bade
Patrick Bade is a historian, writer, and broadcaster. He studied at UCL and the Courtauld Institute of Art. He was a senior lecturer at Christie’s Education for many years and has worked for the Art Fund, Royal Opera House, National Gallery, and V&A. He has published on 19th- and early 20th-century paintings and historical vocal recordings. His latest book is Music Wars: 1937–1945.