American Opera Singers and Their Recordings

This book focuses on American opera singers and what their recordings say about their artistry. It is not a book about all American opera singers, since many who had important careers on stage, made few, if any, recordings. And many of those who did make recordings, did so prior to the introduction of electrical recording in 1925 (and the resulting advances in the reproduction of the human voice). Opera enthusiasts can only imagine the sound of Farinelli’s voice or read what his contemporaries have written about it, but with almost any famous or near-famous singer of recent years, enthusiasts do not have to imagine. Their voices are available through the technology of sound recording.

There are 53 entries, one each for 52 singers and a composite entry for a group of Hollywood vocalists. Each entry contains biographical information and is followed by a discography of operatic recordings to be used in conjunction with the critical commentaries. The entries are in alphabetical order by the singer’s last name and provide critical analyses of key recordings and of the artists’ gifts and limitations.

The late Clyde T. McCants was the author of several opera books. A retired minister, he lived in Winnsboro, South Carolina.

Clyde T. McCants
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 402
Bibliographic Info: discographies, bibliography, indexes
Copyright Date: 2004
pISBN: 978-0-7864-1952-4
Imprint: McFarland

Introduction      1
A Note About the Discographies      5
June Anderson      7
Marian Anderson      15
Martina Arroyo      19
Rose Bampton      25
Kathleen Battle      30
Grace Bumbry      38
Richard Crooks      45
David Daniels      48
Mattiwilda Dobbs      52
Eileen Farrell      55
Renée Fleming      62
Dusolina Giannini      71
Jerry Hadley      75
Thomas Hampson      83
Jerome Hines      96
Marilyn Horne      102
James King      114
Dorothy Kirsten      122
Mario Lanza, Jeanette Macdonald and Nelson Eddy, and Other Hollywood Based Singers      129
Jennifer Larmore      134
Cornell MacNeil      143
James McCracken      148
Robert Merrill      152
Sherrill Milnes      161
Anna Moffo      173
Grace Moore      181
James Morris      184
Jessye Norman      190
Jan Peerce      200
Roberta Peters      210
Rosa Ponselle      215
Leontyne Price      223
Samuel Ramey      233
Regina Resnik      248
Neil Shicoff      254
Beverly Sills      259
Eleanor Steber      268
Risë Stevens      276
Cheryl Studer      282
Gladys Swarthout      294
Blanche Thebom      298
Lawrence Tibbett      302
Giorgio Tozzi      309
Helen Traubel      316
Norman Treigle      322
Tatiana Troyanos      327
Richard Tucker      334
Carol Vaness      342
Shirley Verrett      347
Deborah Voigt      355
Frederica von Stade      360
Leonard Warren      368
Dolora Zajick      377

Sources of Further Information      383
Index of Performing Artists      385
Index of Composers and Operas      392

• “Useful…important”—ARBA
• “Fascinating…recommended”—The Opera Journal
• “A fine tool”—Broadside
• “Quite a good overview of American opera singers”—American Record Guide