Born in Burnley Street Richmond on 19th May 1861 Helen
Porter Mitchell was the daughter of the Scottish builder David
Mitchell who built many of Melbourne's historic buildings including
the Exhibition Building.
She came from a musical family receiving her first singing lessons
from her aunt. In 1886 she sailed for Europe with her father intending
to study for a career in Grand Opera. In Paris with the recommendation
of Elise Weidermann Pinschof - the wife of the Austrian Consul
in Melbourne who was also an opera singer she began study with
Madame Marchesi in Paris.
Her Australian debut had been at the Theatre Royal in Sydney on
4 july 1885, her debut in Brussels in Rigoletto in 1887, and her
London debut at Covent Garden in 1888.
On 29th September 1902 Melba returned to Australia
after an absence of 16 years performing in Melbourne to an enthusiastic
audience. Her Concert Tour included 5 engagements in Melbourne,
4 in Sydney and was believed to be worth more than 20,000 pounds
for the star.
From 1907 onwards she divided her time between Australia, Europe
and USA. Her final Australian opera season began in March 1924
with concerts in Melbourne and Sydney, she sang the national anthem
for the opening of Parliament House in Canberra in May 1927 and
gave her final appearance at a concert in Geelong in November
1928.
Her voice spanned 2 1/2 octaves and her repertoire included 25
operas.
She died on Monday 23 february 1931 at St Vincents Hospital in
Sydney aged 69. "Peach Melba" and "Melba Toast"
were named after her.
New York Critic
W.J. Henderson wrote
of Melba: "The quality of musical tone cannot be adequately described.
No words can convey to a music lover who did not hear Melba any
idea of the sounds with which she ravished all ears."
"She gave the impression of singing well within her limits."
AMAZON.COM Recommended
Books about Melba
Percy Colson: Melba an unconventional biography
Nellie Melba: Melodies and Memories (annotated John Cargher)
Agnes Murphy: Melba, a biography
MELBA - A FAMILY MEMOIR by Pamela Vestey is marked out-of-print
but always check in case there is a used copy for sale.
I really enjoyed reading this book! It contains letters from and
to Melba, details about all her Tours and Performances and crits
as well. It also paints an interesting picture of life in these
times - an excellent read!
The WEB OF ARTS
site consists of
links to arts sites on the w.w.w.
Copyright owners of sites may impose conditions on access, downloading,
copying or reproduction of information and materials from these
sites. Read any conditions carefully and observe them.
