Patrick Bade
Operatic War: Oscar Hammerstein and The Met
Summary
From 1906 to 1910, New York reveled in an extraordinary era of great singing. Cigar manufacturer and impresario Oscar Hammerstein, challenged the supremacy of the Metropolitan Opera, pitting Nellie Melba, Luisa Tetrazzini and Mary Garden against The Met’s Enrico Caruso, Gustav Mahler and Arturo Toscanini.
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.
Yes, there had been opera in New York since the beginning of the 19th century.