A SINGER AND HIS
SONGS: HUBERT EISDELL
by Charles A. Hooey
If it came to pass
there were no such animals as performers,
what would the poor composer do? A ridiculous
situation but it does point certainly
to the value of the conductor, pianist,
violinist and the singer in the scheme
of things. One such "animal"
or rather "bird" was lyric
tenor Hubert Eisdell who could caress
English words with the best of them,
and hold the final note of music on
the finest filament of sound. He knew
many composers and sang their music
both in concert and on records. That
made him a heavenly bird indeed.
He was born Hubert Mortimer Eisdell
on 21 September 1882 in Hampstead, a
suburb of London, the only son of a
famous barrister, John Arthur Eisdell.
He was proud of his Huguenots heritage
and that he could trace his roots to
Baron d'Estaile who fled France in 1572.
After earning a preliminary education
at Highgate School, Hubert entered Cambridge
University to study at Gonville and
Caius College where he shone in sports
and as a member of the Dramatic and
Footlights Club. Once he played both
Maria and Sir Harry Bumper in a performance
of The School for Scandal.
In 1905 he graduated with a Master of
Arts in classics.
As one might have expected,
Papa would have preferred to have his
son's steps echo those of his own, but
young Hubert had a restive nature and
a suspicion that the world held much
more than a lawyer's office could reveal.
So he boarded ship for Canada to become
a teacher at Grove Preparatory School
in Lakefield, Ontario. It is hard not
to think that his cousin played a hand
for Sir William Mortimer Clark was Lieutenant-Governor
for Ontario.
His skill at the piano
gave endless delight until one day he
asked, "May I sing?" Realizing a wealth
of opportunity surrounded him, he considered
acquiring part ownership in the school,
but burning uppermost was a desire to
succeed as a professional singer, and
to do so, he knew he needed to return
to England.
The opportunity came
in 1907 when Gervase Elwes invited him
to a shooting party at his estate in
Lincolnshire. Taking Cary aside, he
revealed his aspirations but Elwes had
been a tenor himself for four years
so he probably told him he was daft.
He still regretted the family turmoil
that he caused by his decision to abandon
a promising diplomatic career. But,
Hubert would not be dissuaded, so Elwes
sent him to his teacher, Victor Beigel.
He was a Londoner, of Hungarian lineage,
who had been a top pianist but tiring
of the fast life he had turned to vocal
coaching. At his London studio, his
students in addition to Elwes included
John Adams and Lauritz Melchior but
he liked Eisdell's voice so he was accepted.
Progress was, in a
word, "meteoric" and sufficient to convince
William Boosey, director of the popular
and lucrative Chappell Ballad Concert
series to book him for Queen's Hall
in 1909. Success made him an instant
regular with Chappells. His unusual
timbre, delicacy and ethereal quality
captivated composers Roger Quilter,
Robert Coningsby Clarke, Cyril Scott
and Teresa del Riego, and convinced
them he could introduce their music.
One piece, a song cycle first performed
in 1896, could have been written for
him. His singing of In a Persian
Garden brought him to the attention
of the work's composer, Liza Lehmann.
Their friendship blossomed and he continued
to make sensational appearances. Then,
at a ball at his old school, he met
a young musician from Tasmania who had
gained her training via scholarship
at the Melbourne Conservatorium and
was now assistant to Percy Granger.
Katharine Parker and Hubert were married
in 1909 and she quickly settled in her
role as regular accompanist.
In December 1909, Liza
Lehmann chose to visit America to perform
her music at innumerable whistle-stops,
always to great acclaim. She had been
able to take only contralto Mary Palgrave-Turner
and a boy soprano, using local singers
to complete her needs. This proved highly
unsatisfactory so for her second tour
the following year, she brought a full
complement of soloists. In this role,
she cast her tenor friend Hubert, Blanche
Tomlin, Mary Palgrave-Turner and Julien
Henry. Katharine stayed at home. The
tiny group embarked on an eighty concert,
50,000 mile jaunt with Persian Garden
the pièce de résistance
at every stop.
After rattling by train
throughout the USA and Canada, they
reached Florida, anticipating a relaxing
trip home. When he came on board, Hubert
was seen to be clutching a makeshift
cigar box that turned out to hold two
potential house pets. During the passage,
one managed to escape, prompting a frantic
search. The fugitive was eventually
found, snuggled up under Madame Tomlin's
pillow. No doubt, the tenor was relieved
to reunite his pet alligators, as was
Blanche.
With such a splendid
career boost, he was soon a vocalist
at the Leeds Festival with Beecham,
at the Norwich Festival and the Proms
with Sir Henry Wood and the Three Choirs
Festival with Sir Edward Elgar and Sir
Ivor Atkins. All was proceeding very
well indeed. Katharine mothered a son
Michael on 26 October, 1911 with his
Godmother none other than Liza Lehmann.
He continued to sing
in Leeds in March 1912 with Doris Carter,
Montague Borwell and the New Choral
Society in two parts of Haydn's Creation
and Mendelssohn's Hymn of Praise.
Then it was Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's
Hiawatha. He had hoped for special
insight but C-T died the previous September.
In November he began recording for The
Gramophone Company and joined the Royal
Naval Reserve.
His first phonographic
record for HMV was "Somewhere
a voice is calling"
by Arthur Frank Tate, an appropriate
beginning indeed. This simple, unforgettable
ballad had been introduced the previous
year and was now vastly popular in America
through recordings by John McCormack
and Frank Sinatra. Tate was born in
Pickering in 1880 and held various postings
as church organist while composing songs
and piano music. Hubert’s HMV version
was z 6789f/02429 and while in 1916
when he joined Columbia the song was
one of his first records on 75289/L1130.
In 1913, he was accorded
the rare honour of singing before King
George V at a Royal Amateur Orchestral
Society Concert. Then, on 15 October,
he sang at a Chappell Ballad Concert
in Nottingham with Carmen Hill, Louise
Dale and Thorpe Bates. In 1914, he escaped
a nervous London on 16 April to sing
at the Torquay Festival where he and
Carrie Tubb offered a "Colonial Song"
by Percy Grainger who conducted.
When war eventually erupted, Hubert
became a Coast Guard lieutenant and
from 1915 to 1917, pushed into every
cove and secluded harbour seeking spies
and saboteurs. If any were found, these
prizes remain a deep secret. When on
leave, he could usually be found in
the recording studios, but by 1918 he
was engaged at the Admiralty as Aide
to Commodore King.
Many of his records
for HMV were not released so this may
have rankled for in 1916, he switched
to the Columbia Graphophone (later Columbia
Gramophone) Company. To his surprise,
not only were the records in circulation
causing a stir, they were giving him
star status. So widespread in fact was
interest, a disc was found in a German
trench after the war, and presented
to the British War Museum.
Columbia seems to have
realized the value of their new tenor.
By meshing Hubert's creamy tone with
the unique, shimmering quality of soprano
Dora Labbette, they produced twenty-six
splendid duet records between 1922 and
1932. Hubert remained in Columbia's
fold until his recording days ended.
Did he ever consider
opera? It seems he felt this exacting
art form might damage his gentle gift
and having found success so quickly
in oratorio and on the concert stage,
he chose to stay with this proven formula.
Instead on 29 March
1919, he appeared with the Alexandra
Palace Choral Society and the New Queen's
Orchestra in a programme that began
with music by Parry. Edward German then
strode to the podium to lead a concert
version of his Merrie England
with Hubert, Louise Dale, Louise Kirkby
Lunn, Fraser Gange and J. Holroyd. Then
at a concert at Wigmore Hall on 28 April
he sang music by English composers:
`A boy's song' by Cyril Rootham,
`The bells of San Marie' by John
Ireland *, `To a water-lily at evening'
by Herbert Bedford *, `Love in Summer'
by Katharine Parker*, `Dream valley'
by Roger Quilter. (That summer he recorded
the items shown with an asterisk)
Next came another Chappell
Ballad Concert in Birmingham with Elwes,
Louise Dale, Madame d'Alvarez and Robert
Radford, Alick MacLean conducting. Then
in Edinburgh in 1920, he shared pleasant
times at New Year's Day celebratory
concerts with Caroline Hatchard, Jesse
Millar and Norman Allin.
With the approach of
Spring, the Eisdells were in a mood
to travel. Katharine had long yearned
to see her homeland again to show off
her family. After an ocean journey aboard
S.S. Paperee, they arrived in Australia
to find a social whirl a-waiting. On
21 July, they frolicked "at home" on
HMS Renown, Katharine "the belle of
the ball" dancing with her future monarch,
Edward VIII. Piers Leigh, the Prince’s
equerry, made certain the pleasing couple
came again to dine on 14 August.
Years later their son
Michael recalled, "I do know my Father
became very busy when he sang a lot
of extra concerts at the last moment.
Apparently, John McCormack was also
touring and on one occasion had refused
to sing the National Anthem. This caused
the organizers to transfer the Irishman's
concerts to my Father. In other words,
he stayed longer than originally planned."
His farewell concert came in Sydney
in September.
At home, he left the
Navy to become an itinerant tenor once
more and surely it felt soothing to
sing oratorio again. However shocking
news soon shattered his routine. Cary
Elwes had died on 12 January 1921 after
a terrible accident in the railway station
in Boston.
Early in 1922, Hubert
spent time in Manchester, first in February
for Bach's B Minor Mass with
Caroline Hatchard, Dilys Jones and Robert
Radford, then on 3 March in Beethoven's
Ninth with Mesdames Nicholls
and Sonnenberg, George Parker and the
Hallé, Harty conducting. He also
took part in the Memorial Concert for
Gervase Elwes on 24 May in Albert Hall,
offering the last work Elwes had sung
in England, "Our Dead," a sonnet
for tenor and orchestra by Edric Cundell.
He also suggested that American sculptress
Malvina Hoffmann's portrait of Elwes
be placed in the grand circle of Queen's
Hall where ... "we singers can see him."
He began 1923 by sharing
a Chappell's Concert on 20 January with
Leila Megane, Maggie Teyte, Doris Vane
and Harold Williams, then in contrast,
a Eugène Goossens chamber concert
in Aeolian Hall where he offered repertoire
gems: songs by 12th, 13th and 14th century
composers, then by Schubert, Brahms,
Fauré, Parry, Bax, Richard Strauss
and Stravinsky.
As to a philosophy,
Eisdell sought to explain his approach
in the Music Masterpieces magazine of
10 June 1926: "Singing in practically
every part of the country, I find a
constant demand for the old favourites.
The public never tires of familiar folk
songs and ballads like Tosti's `Parted'.
I am asked to sing those everywhere
and their reception is always cordial."
and "The public knows what it wants.
From music it wants a thrill, not a
shock. Beauty, emotional power, and
sincerity - those qualities will always
give music an irresistible appeal, and
I personally love it all, even that
which is considered `high brow,' or
even the homely ballad, if it comes
straight from the heart."
As to the high brow
comment, Keith Falkner agreed in a letter:
"I shall never forget his singing of
the F sharp minor role in the St.
John Passion (Ah, my soul),
for its beauty and intensity. Eisdell
was so often considered only a ballad
singer but in fact his classical work
was to me his finest achievement. He
sang the St. Matthew solos better
than anyone I can remember - lovely
tone."
The Musical Times in
1923 waded in, "... nobody pretends
that Mr. Eisdell has as fine a voice
as the Gigli's and the Lappas's, yet
his singing is far more artistic than
theirs. He leaves the usual Italian
operatic tenor far behind in beauty
of tone." An odd slip in diction though
was quickly pounced on by Compton MacKenzie
and others. His wife, understandably,
always spoke positively: "He gave one
of his most inspired performances when
he recorded the aria `Thou shall
break them.' This demanding piece
really is a `model performance' ...
the most perfectly sung record I have
heard. His technique is superb and the
diction flawless. In fact, one seldom
would hear another singer breathe as
he did."
In the twenties, Columbia
gave him free rein artistically with
the result Roger Quilter's exquisite
song-cycle `To Julia’
was recorded with the composer at the
piano. In Quilter's music, according
to Falkner "Audiences would almost swoon
with delight when he sang `Now Sleeps
the Crimson Petal'" but oddly, he
did not record it.
During the summer of 1924, he tried
his hand at musical theatre in London
as Harlequin in Midsummer Madness
on 3 July at the Lyric Theatre. A fantasy
that included Marie Tempest, it was
created by the stellar team of Sir Nigel
Playfair, Clifford Bax and Armstrong
Gibbs. Alas, The Times gave it a gentle
"thumbs down." Undaunted, Hubert tried
again in "Almond Eye" at the
Scala Theatre.
The summer diversion
over, he was ready when the Vocal Society
in Hull called in need of a tenor to
sing Elgar's Dream of Gerontius
on 11 March 1925 as a replacement for
an indisposed Arthur Jordan. No stranger
to Elgar's music, Hubert rushed to Hull
to join Astra Desmond, Herbert Heyner
and conductor Sir Henry Coward. The
Daily Mail was impressed, "As Gerontius
and later as the soul of Gerontius,
Mr. Eisdell sang his part as it should
be sung. Never did he lose his grip
of the difficult music, never did he
place himself before his part, but merely
sung as Elgar (and Newman) required
it to be rendered. He held himself well
in hand and his quiet, although ecstatic
interpretation, will be long remembered
..."
Hubert next decided
to join People’s Impresario Wilfred
Stephenson on a tour of fifteen centers
in north central Britain. For the next
six months, top talent would perform
at bargain prices. It was underway in
September at Queen's Hall, Hull. Hubert
was there on 20 February to please fans
made the previous March.
Recording "specials"
at the time included Beethoven's Ninth
Symphony under Felix Weingartner
with Miriam Licette, Muriel Brunskill
and Harold Williams.
In the Eisdell home,
Katharine spoke of her man as "charming,
amusing, highly intelligent, with a
wonderful sense of humour." But, a hint
of reproach crept in when she recalled
how he never liked to settle down in
one place for any length of time. No
matter how attractive she made their
home he always saw something else -
usually near a river where he could
fish. Michael also thought of him as
"a first class fly fisherman who flogged
the waters day after day even without
success ... also as a fine athlete,
a good cricketer (a member of the MCC)
but not a particularly good shot. I
don't think he enjoyed criticism but
I know he was first-class at making
caustic remarks about others. A great
practical joker with a great sense of
humour, I don't know he liked having
his leg pulled much."
As a rule, he was the
serious artiste as befits the Christmas
season of 1928. The previous year he
had participated in Beecham’s racy Messiah
recording. Now he sang three Messiahs
with Beecham: 16 December at the Royal
Albert Hall, London with Dora Labbette,
Muriel Brunskill and Harold Williams;
two days later in King George's Hall,
Blackburn with the same crew and on
23 December in London again at Golders
Green Hippodrome with Margaret Balfour
replacing Miss Brunskill.
Their marriage teetering,
the Eisdells on 18 April 1929 mustered
enough togetherness to record a pair
of loving ballads, "I Kiss your Hand"
and "Heartstrings." For the latter,
Katharine accompanied at the piano along
with Bernard Reillie with his violin.
That summer it seems
Hubert paid his pals in Ontario a visit,
in the process meeting Alva Grahame,
a charmer from nearby Lakefield. This
interlude ended in September when he
rushed to Worcester for a Three Choirs
Festival Messiah. At Christmas,
he sent Alva a photo and a few words.
For Falkner, he could
do no wrong: "I was greatly impressed
when he joined Steuart Wilson, Dorothy
Silk, Margaret Balfour, Arthur Cranmer
and myself in a performance of the St.
Matthew with the Bach Choir on 22
March 1931 under Adrian. His singing
of the tenor arias, notably `To Witness
False' and the air `Be Strong,
Endure' which he sang with great
vigour and intensity, with his dramatic
delivery of words, were as fine and
as moving as any I can recall."
Eisdell attended the
Leeds Triennial Festival that year from
7-10 October, and on Opening Night added
his voice to the sextet "Et incarnatus"
in Cherubini's Mass in D minor.
He may have sung on the 9th in Bach's
B Minor Mass but he certainly
attended the final concert for something
rather special, a role in grand opera!
With Beecham in charge, he sang David
in excerpts from Act 3 of Die Meistersingers
with Elsie Suddaby, Horace Stevens and
Walter Widdop.
In 1932, Katharine
and Hubert parted company. By some miracle,
the (now Royal) Conservatory of Music
in Toronto needed a singing teacher,
so he applied. This placed him in proximity
to Lakefield where a faculty member,
John M. MacRae, known as "Bubs," began
tracking his career. "He was removing
himself from the scene of an unpleasant
divorce, Lakefield providing a return
to something he had long ago found completely
pleasant." He also gave song recitals,
ballad and oratorio concerts and radio
broadcasts. According to Toronto's music
critics, he was not only interpreting
Handel and Bach with distinction but
his voice during this period was described
as the lightest, purest tenor without
a tremor. The Messiah arias might
have been object lessons in tenor vocalism
for their delightful ease and artistry.
Towards year's end,
he returned to the U.K. to wrap up his
affairs, including the making of his
final records. Back at the Conservatory,
Bubs: "In the spring of 1933, I rigged
the headmaster's sailboat, the yawl
`Gilpie' and perhaps as a reward was
invited to join a week-end cruise to
Stoney Lake with an adult crew including
Hubert. That's when he discovered maple
syrup, putting it generously on everything
he ate. He struck me as a most pleasant
person. I was always impressed by the
refinement of the English gentlemen
I met in my young life, and Hubert was
certainly one of them."
That summer he proposed
to Alva and set about to fashion a new
life. His prize "Lillian de Alvarado
Grahame" or "Tommy" to friends was long
divorced from Gordon Grahame. But in
a few months, Hubert was stricken. To
recuperate he and Tommy flew to Tortola
in the British Virgin Islands, a place
that just happened to be an angler's
paradise. Wan and peaked, he marshaled
a broad smile, hoisting a 40 pound Great
Barracuda he caught. Soon he added Amberjacks
and Rock Fish. But all good things must
end so back to Toronto he went to find
a telegram that said, "Come, you're
needed at Albert Hall." Off he sped.
So easily he could have slipped back
into his singer's mode but Canada's
call remained intense.
Bubs recalled how "he
joined the (Grove) staff in 1936, teaching
Music, Latin and Junior Instruction
... His contribution to music was immense,
producing Gilbert and Sullivan operas
and composing his own music for the
Jubilate Deo which Old Boys of
his day now insist upon singing at reunions.
He coached cricket and possibly junior
soccer."
His friend also made
reference to `Kipper' Kelly, a Canadian
serving with the Imperial Army in India
in the early thirties. To relax, he
and his mates would sip cooling drinks
and soak up the sounds from a gramophone.
Favourites were sung by a lyric tenor
named Hubert Eisdell, the members of
the mess commissioning friends back
home to buy and ship new editions as
soon as they came out. Kipper, like
his messmates, became pleasantly drugged
on Hubert's offerings. Imagine his surprise,
upon returning to Canada to enroll his
son at Lakeview, when up stepped the
same cultured English tenor to announce
he would be the lad's teacher!
He loved Lakefield
life ... he was seen on the headmaster's
lawn practising his fly-casting on the
first leaves in the autumn. He paddled
lovingly with an appreciation of all
he saw on the water and along the shore
at Stoney Lake. There, at Tommy's family
cottage, he would fish to his heart's
content, once landing a 20 pound muskellunge
that was then ceremoniously cooked on
a coal-fired stove ... no mean feat
in itself! By all accounts it was delicious.
For his last performance
he chose Elijah with the Toronto
Conservatory Choir on 16 November 1937.
Professor Godfrey Ridout, a distinguished
Canadian composer but a choir member
on that occasion, judged Hubert's singing
as "most discriminating. The voice was
still beautiful."
He stayed at the Grove
until 1942 when health problems recurred.
He gathered himself to make a final
gift to the school, when as controller
of music in the chapel, he set to music
the last three verses of a 15th Century
carol, "I sing of a maiden,"
and, as the chapel choir sang his music
"He came all so still," Hubert
accompanied on the organ. Youthful choir
member Ralph Brocklebank thought it
`a little gem' and included it later
at Christmas concerts during his own
musical postings.
Finally in 1948, Hubert's
health failed and on 29 May, he passed
away at St. Joseph's Hospital in nearby
Peterborough. He was buried in Hillside
Cemetery not far from the school.
Doug Cruthers believes
his second marriage was a success. "I
met Hubert Eisdell on many occasions.
Tommy Eisdell was a saint. Wherever
she was, there was peace and tranquility.
And I know she loved Hubert as he loved
her." After her death in 1987, Tommy
was interred at his side.
In 1965, a carton of
Hubert's records was found in Tommy's
basement in danger of mold. They were
taken to his friend, Godfrey Ridout
of the University of Toronto Music Faculty.
He was ecstatic, lovingly going through
the pile and extracting a couple of
discs. The first "was put on the
sterio [sic] with Godfrey going to the
middle of the room and directing energetically,
then explaining this was the first and
finest recording ever made of Messiah."
Hubert's song recordings
remain an anomaly, especially to certain
music critics in his homeland who should
know better. They dismiss his tunes
as worthless, although in their defense,
Hubert referred to them as "pot-boilers."
While some may lack true merit, others,
as has been shown, were products of
the finest English composers of the
day.
When he began making records, world
order was about to crumble. And yet,
during the bloody trauma of World War
I, and afterwards, a steady stream of
new titles poured out upon the marketplace.
Why such a demand? Simple. His singing
would soothe listeners, reminding them
of the beauty in nature that hopefully
would soon return. His songs not only
mirror those mournful times but today
they hold a meaningful place in social
history. Others sang this music but
only Eisdell managed to touch the hearts
of so many.
As for Katharine, she
stayed in England until 1950 when, at
age sixty, she re-located in Sydney,
Australia near Michael, to live out
her days counseling keyboard hopefuls.
She died in 1971. Her letters to a biographer
John Hyde in 1967 about Hubert remained
affectionate in tone. She was evidently
still proud of him. Eisdell kin continue
to reside in the area.
In 1957, during a trip
to Toronto, a friend introduced me to
the one hundred year old Royal Canadian
Yacht Club on Center Island in the heart
of Canada's busiest metropolis. It was
off season and little was happening.
It felt eerie. A passel of scruffy ducks
paddled in the stream near the clubhouse,
amusing the humans present. Once resplendent,
the building now stood empty and forlorn,
its opulence faded, the air musty and
sure enough, with imagined ghosts of
bygone commodores lurking in the shadows.
Oh! the regattas with many thrills and
spills and glittering soirees that sent
light music a-lilting upon the evening
breezes. Much later, memories of that
visit came flooding back as I listened,
entranced like Kipper Kelly to Eisdell's
records, and thought, why, here's Hubert
wafting on the breezes ...
Charles A. Hooey © May 2006
Please send any comments, corrections
or additions to the author:-
Charles A Hooey
730 Minto Street
Winnipeg
Manitoba
CANADA R3G 2R4
------------------------------------
So that was what happened
to our tenor but what happened to that
massive number of records he made? Between
1912 and 1916, he dutifully visited
The Gramophone Company studios on 50
occasions to make 253 records but only
76 were issued. Are we to believe the
others were simply dross? Or was his
flurry of activity and the pressures
involved the cause of low quality? Or
perhaps in those precarious times much
vocal glory was simply lost. Was he
disillusioned by the no-shows? It may
be for he switched to Columbia in October
1916. By 1933, he had amassed 202 (with
no record of non-issues) for a known
total of 455 discs. Here are details
of many, mainly of those by British
composers.
In 1927 he served GEORG
FREDERIC HANDEL well by recording
Messiah with Dora Labbette, Muriel
Brunskill, Harold Williams with the
BBC Choir conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham.
The annotator for the CD laments "If
only Heddle Nash had been engaged,"
conveniently forgetting Nash was still
establishing himself while Eisdell was
Columbia's top-contracted tenor. It
was released on Columbia Light Blue
series 2018-2035 and currently occupies
Pearl GEMM CDS 9456.
He also recorded more Handel:
DESERT LOVE SONGS - six part song cycle
with orchestra conducted by Sir Hamilton
Harty:
1) I will await thee 2) My
heart's desire
Col 69690 D1421 rec 2-1920
3) The burning hours 4) The
dove
Col 69691 D1421 rec 2-1920
5) The hawk 6) Yellow slippers
Col 69692 D1422 rec 2-1920
Semele: Where'er you walk
Col AX824 L1616 rec 12-1924
But, for the most part,
Hubert turned to composers of his day.
PAOLO TOSTI is justifiably seen
as one of the greatest song composers
of all time. With four songs Hubert
shows he could sing this music with
the best. Born in 1846 in Ortana a Mare,
Tosti studied at the Naples Conservatory
before moving on to the Royal Academy
of Music in London. There, he sang naughty
songs to Queen Victoria in the Neapolitan
dialect and was knighted by King Edward
VII. He died in 1916.
Parted
HMV z7055f 02459 C742 S7312 rec 31-1-1913
Col 75223 L1121 rec 9-1916
Col 75277 L1121 rec 10-1916
Speak
HMV al7802f 02526 C742 S7312 rec 19-2-1914
My memories
HMV ak17523e 4-2446 B745 rec 20-2-1914
Because of you
Col 76056 L1348 rec 11-1917
While Hubert left no
records of SIR EDWARD ELGAR's
Gerontius which he sang with
such passion, but he did record "By
the wayside" from The Apostles
op 49, with Dora Labbette, Harold Williams,
Dennis Noble and Robert Easton, conducted
by Sir Hamilton Harty. Col WAX2384-1/WAX2385-2
L1968 rec 21-1-1927; CD 8019
LANDON RONALD (1873-1938)
was the son of song composer and performer
Henry Russell, who used to treat audiences
to `A life on the ocean wave'
and `Woodman spare that tree.'
Landon, who served as Principal of the
Guildhall School of Music from 1910
to 1919, was knighted in 1922. He was
a respected composer, conductor and
much more. From his five song `Cycle
of Life' to lyrics by Harold Simpson,
published in 1906, the second remains
the most popular.
Down in the forest
HMV ak17032e 4-2408 rec 7-10-1913 (Also
an HE/DL duet)
EDWARD GERMAN,
born "Edward German Jones" in 1862 at
Whitchurch, Shropshire, studied at the
Royal Academy of Music. Apart from serious
music, he composed six light operas,
Merrie England being the most
famous. Knighted in 1928, German died
in 1936.
Merrie England: The English
Rose
Col 76536 L1348 rec 7-1919
(and two versions of `Dear love' in
the duet section)
Charming Chloe (words by Robert
Burns)
Col A798 D1480 rec 3-1924
Love's barcarolle
Col A760 D1486 rec 2-1924
Born in Brighton in
1877, ROGER QUILTER was an Eton
boy, but educated musically in Germany,
where he found his unique style of meshing
words and music. It is rather difficult
to imagine anyone singing a Quilter
song, of the one hundred he wrote, in
any other language. Hubert recorded
his song cycle, To Julia, penned
to words by Robert Herrick, with a string
quartet directed by the composer. It
takes pride of place amongst his solo
recordings.
To Julia - Song cycle Columbia
rec 7-1923
- The bracelet A76 D1460
- a) The maiden's blush &
b) Julia's hair A77 D1460
- To daisies A78 D1461
- The night piece A79 D1461
- a) Interlude & b) Cherry
ripe A80 D1462
Morning Song
Col 73224 D1453 rec 3-1923
Dream valley
Col 76533 L1333 rec 7-1919
It was a lover and his lass
Col A799 D1480 rec 3-1924
Go lovely rose
Col WA10385-1 DB 334 rec 14-5-1930
a) Take, O take those lips away
b) Hey ho, the wind and the rain
Col WA10387-2 DB 334 rec 14-5-1930
Fill a glass with golden wine!
Col WA10386-2 DB 693 rec 14-5-1930
Amongst these composers
two ladies in particular stand out for
bridging the gap between the art song
of the recital room and the parlour
or drawing room ballads through a discriminating
choice of poetry. The first, MAUD
VALERIE WHITE was born in 1855 in
Dieppe. A brilliant all-round composer,
she learned her trade at the Royal Academy
of Music, going on to create an opera
that failed to excite. Although she
wrote a ballet, The Enchanted Heart,
her songs are still enjoyed.
The devout lover
Col 75351 L1136 rec 1-1917
To Mary
Col 65803 D1393 rec 4-1917
The second talented
lady LIZA LEHMANN was acclaimed
for her song cycle In a Persian Garden,
based on Edward Fitzgerald's translation
of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.
Hubert recorded it twice. For HMV's
truncated version in May 1916 with Liza
overseeing, he was joined by Agnes Nicholls,
Edna Thornton and George Baker.
HMV 04168-04174 rec 1-5-1916
In 1927, Columbia initiated
a more complete version using the electrical
process. This time Hubert sang with
Dora Labbette, Muriel Brunskill and
Harold Williams. As Liza had died in
1918, her husband Herbert Bedford, the
original dedicatee in 1896, acted as
a link to the composer's wishes.
Col. 9598-9602 rec
27-9-1927; 13-4-1928; 7-5-1928
No tenor but Hubert
Eisdell could sing "Ah! moon of my
delight" with the requisite level
of exotic mystery, an opinion that was
valid in 1916, in 1928, and holds true
today. He recorded it in 1921 (Col 74356/L1454)
while the 1928 version (Col 9381) later
appeared on LP as HQM 1228.
To illuminate the Lehmann element, conductor
Steuart Bedford, Liza's grandson, has
kindly provided the following insight:
1. "If I built
a world for you" to words by
Herbert Fordwych was originally intended
for Lehmann's first opera, Sergeant
Brue (1904) but for some reason
she withdrew it and published it separately.
In her autobiography she tells a charming
story about how she went to Arthur Boosey
(of Boosey & Co., precursor of Boosey
& Hawkes) to play him her latest
song with a view to publication. Mr.
Boosey was not impressed. (Far too serious
- poor prospects) at which Lehmann exclaimed
`I know the sort of thing you want'
and in derision launched into `If
I built a world for you' of which
she had a low opinion and regarded as
`mere fluff.' After a few bars, Mr.
Boosey leant over and said, `Yes, that's
exactly what I do want.' It was recorded
as Columbia 76055/L1235 in 1917
2) "Trysting
song" - Lehmann rather specialized
in song cycles for a quartet of singers,
usually soprano, alto, tenor and bass.
Despite the resistance of her publishers
she produced at least seven cycles of
this nature in which solo songs would
alternate with vocal trios and quartets.
The most successful in addition to In
a Persian Garden, were The Nonsense
Songs from Alice in Wonderland
(1908) and The Daisy Chain
(1900). Prairie Pictures (1911)
was written as a direct result of her
first American tour. Lehmann states
"these songs do not purport to be `authentic
melodies' (although a few native fragments
have been introduced) but were written
as a result of travels where the remains
of a poetic if primitive race still
linger." The Trysting Song `scorched
and grey the prairie grass' is addressed
to one called Adgiomay and contains
the final refrain. The decorative cover
on the published score is a good example
of artwork by Lehmann's husband and
my grandfather, Herbert Bedford. (HO
2187af 02822 C899)
3. "Bonnie
wee thing"
(1912) This song sets the two verses
of Robert Burns' poem and its overt
sentimentality is not at all at odds
with the words. For those unfamiliar
with the Scottish vocabulary of Burns,
`tyne' means `to lose' and `stound'
is a sharp pang of pain. (Col. 65937/D1393)
4. "You
flaunt your beauty like a rose."
In 1906 Lehmann became captivated by
the verses of the Indian poetess Soragini
Naidu and as a result produced her most
ambitious cycle for chorus, orchestra
and four soloists. The work stands very
much as an Indian counterpart to the
earlier In a Persian Garden and
indeed this tenor song occupies a similar
position to the more famous `Ah!
moon of my delight' of the earlier
cycle; it is entitled `Love Song'
and is preceded by a short recitative.
(Col. 76891/L1487)
5. "Dusk in
the valley"
to words by George Meredith. The death
of her elder son from pneumonia at the
tender age of 18 caused a crisis in
Lehmann's composing career. When she
finally felt able to compose again she
had little more than a year to live
and it seems that her compositional
muse had developed an enormous shift
enabling her to write such froth as
`There are fairies at the bottom
of my garden' as well as some deeply
serious and moving songs `Lily of
a Day' and `When I am dead my
dearest' which for one represent
her very best work. Dusk in the Valley
is the second of three songs for low
voice (sic) that were published in the
USA, as late as 1922. Meredith's nature
poem is actually entitled `Love in
the Valley' and Lehmann chooses
a very small section commencing `Lovely
are the curves.' The final bars
surely relate to the darkness that blighted
her final year. ((Col WA 4154 D1556/4812)
(Darker grows the
valley, more & more forgetting:
so were it with
me if forgetting could be willed.)
6. "Little
white rose"
I'm afraid I do not know at all. It
was recorded in 1927 as Col WA 5631-1
D1597 4816.
Liza's husband, HERBERT
BEDFORD, who lived from 1867 to
1945, was basically an artist with his
brush but he composed music as well,
largely of a vocal variety including
part songs and an opera, Kit Malone.
In July 1919, Eisdell recorded Bedford’s
"To a water-lily at evening"
as Col. 76532/L1345.
********************************************************
ERIC COATES
poured out remarkable songs for Hubert
to sing and record; in fact the tenor
recorded more Coates songs than those
of any other composer. Born at Hucknell
on 27 August 1886, Coates became so
prolific that some music faded away
while much became very popular. Early
in his career, he served as a musician
in Sir Henry Wood's Queen's Hall Orchestra,
but after sending too many "fill-ins"
so he could perform his own music elsewhere,
Wood canned him. Coates' songs demand
the finest effort and Hubert's recording
of "Bird songs at eventide" easily
rivals John McCormack’s. He died at
Chichester on 23 December 1957.
Melanie
HMV HO 1076ac 02613 C741 rec 28-9-1915
Dream o' nights
HMV HO 2646ae 4-2762 B734 rec 21-3-1916
Asphodel
Col 65934 D1398 rec 4-1917
I pitch my lonely caravan at night
Col 71509 D1451 rec 10-1921
Sea rapture
Col A758 D1486 rec 2-1924
Yearning
Col A1502 D1526 rec 12-1924
The little green balcony
Col WA2642-1 D1536 4811 rec 10-12-1925
Bird songs at eventide (also
as a duet with Dora Labbette)
Col WA4153-1 D1556 4812 rec 29-9-1926
Brown eyes I love
Col WA5088-1 D1587 4815 rec 16-3-1927
The dreams of London
Col WA6411-3 5234 rec 12-10-1928
Little lady of the moon
Col WA7142-3 5212 rec 12-10-1928
Homeward to you
Col WA8555-1 5363 rec 14-2-1929
Always as I close my eyes
Col WA10458-1 DB367 rec 4-6-1930
Because I miss you so
Col WA10457-1 DB268 rec 4-6-1930
A house love made for you and me
Col CA13522-1 DB1113 rec 23-3-1933
Back o' the moon
Col CA13534-1 DB1392 rec 28-3-1933
Stars and a crescent moon
Col CA13538-1 DB1113 rec 29-3-1933
HAYDN WOOD was another major
source, "Roses of Picardy" easily
being his most sublime. He was born
near Huddersfield in 1882 to parents
who chose his unusual name after being
bowled over by the beauty of Haydn's
Creation. He studied violin at
home with his mother and then at the
Royal College of Music where Stanford
was a teacher. He died in 1959.
Bird of love divine
HMV y16222e 4-2316 rec 14-1-1913
HMV ak18766e 4-2316x B733 rec 4-1-1915
O flower divine
HMV ak18685e 4-2529 B741 rec 16-12-1914
Col 75276 L1120 rec 10-1916
Love's garden of roses
HMV HO685ac 02577 C740 rec 10-3-1915
Col 75273 L1120 rec 10-1916
Col CA12290-1 DB751 rec 18-12-1931
Dear hands that gave me violets
HMV HO2643ae 4-2862 B831 rec 21-3-1916
Rose of the morning
HMV HO2644ae 5-2072 B1038 rec 21-3-1916
Do you remember?
HMV HO3160ae 4-2918 B850 rec 28-9-1916
Roses of Picardy
Col 75477 L1173 rec 4-1917
Col CA12291-2 DB751 rec 23-12-1931
Little Yvette
Col 74246 L1401 rec mid-1921
The valley of roses
Col A2150 D1526 c rec 5-1925
Do you know my garden?
Col WA5087-1 D1585 4814 rec 16-3-1927
ROBERT CONINGSBY
CLARKE was born in Kent on 17 March
1879. After studying with Bridge at
Westminster Abbey, he spent his life
as church organist at Oxford. His specialty
however was salon pieces for the piano
but he could dash off delightful songs.
He died at Walmer, Kent on 2 January
1934.
Pride of place goes to Desert Love
Songs, a six part song cycle with
orchestra conducted by Sir Hamilton
Harty, recorded in February 1920. The
songs are:
1) I will await thee 2) My
heart's desire Col 69690 D1421
3) The burning hours 4) The
dove Col 69691 D1421
5) The hawk 6) Yellow slippers
Col 69692 D1422
The little girl from Hanley way
HMV ab16344e rec 1-3-1913
Little rose among the roses
HMV HO 1353ab 5-2151 B1085 rec 8-4-1915
Blue eyes I love
HMV HO 1510ab 4-2623 B734 rec 29-5-1915
(HMV: "This will capture every heart
with its gentle, rocking cadence. It
shows the roundness and power of Eisdell's
rarely used lower register.")
Red Devon by the sea
HMV HO 2159ab B741 rec 12-12-1915
(HMV: ... appealing, fulsome notes in
the middle register that give character
to Eisdell's lovely voice. And ... refinement
of style and treatment that make every
note a delight."
Col 65672 D1358 rec 10-1916
Down along in Cloverland
Col 75353 L1154 rec 1-1917
The little green lane
Col 76364 L1249 rec 2-1919
Daphne
Col WA4364-3 D1566 4813 rec 1-11-1926
Born in Boulogne-sur-mer
in 1858, Guy Helen Hardelot studied
at the Paris Conservatoire. In 1896
she went with Emma Calvé as accompanist
to her Opera Company during its American
tour. After her marriage to William
Rhodes, she settled in England, where
as GUY d'HARDELOT, she began
writing delightful songs in English
and French until she died at Shepperton,
Middlesex on 7 January 1936.
The little white town
HMV ak18686e 4-2612 B742 rec 16-12-1914
My message
HMV HO 1264ab 4-2632 rec 10-3-1915
Col 65808 D1358 rec 1-1917
Wait
HMV HO 3171ae 4-2813 B775 rec 29-9-1916
Col 75278 L1121 rec 10-1916
Col WAX2823-2 9348 rec 8-6-1927
Sometimes in my dreams
Col 71444 D1436 rec 9-1921
Born in Lewisham on
7 July 1885, the brilliant EDWARD
BRISTOW FARRAR was safely embarked
on a career in music when the war intervened.
One foggy day in the Somme Valley, 18
September 1918, he caught a machine
gun burst in the chest. He was gone
at 33. In 1914 he had composed "Brittany"
to words of E.V. Lucas which Gervase
Elwes recorded, as did Hubert in March
1920 on Col 69709/D1422.
JOHN NICHOLSON IRELAND
was born in Bowdon, Chelsea on 13 August
1879. His childhood was unpleasant but
he survived thanks to his mother, a
talented pianist. But she was sickly
and by the time he was 14, he was orphaned,
just as he was to begin piano studies
at the Royal College of Music. The young
genius became organist at St. Luke’s
in 1904, a professor at RCM in 1923
and remained a composer for some forty
years. During his last nine years, he
lived in a converted mill in Sussex
and died there in 1962. He is remembered
for his songs, especially a John Masefield
poem he set to music that evokes seaport
frivolity. This song "The bells
of San Marie" Hubert recorded
in 1919 as Col 76535/L1333.
Plymouth native, HERMANN
FREDERIC LÖHR was the son of
Frederic Nicholls Löhr. Studies
at the Royal Academy of Music with Walter
Macfarren (piano), Frederick Corder
(harmony and counterpoint) and Frank
Arnold (viola) set him up as a composer
of orchestral music and a multitude
of songs. It is on the latter that his
fame resides. "Out on the Deep"
was mandatory for every respectable
basso. With Dora Labbette, Hubert recorded
a ditty "The little Irish girl"
that Löhr composed for Florence,
his Irish wife, and five other songs.
Where my caravan has rested
HMV y16559e 4-2363 rec. 30-4-1913
Col 75274 L1369 rec. 10-1916
Flower of Brittany
HMV HO 1511ab 4-2570 B737 rec. 29-5-1915
So fair a flower
HMV HO 3163ae 4-2842 B799 rec. 28-9-1916
Ah! though the silver moon were mine
Col 76890 L1487 rec. 6-1923
Unmindful of the roses
Col 65807 D1370 rec. 1-1917
A mystery of sorts
surrounds female composer, "KITTY
PARKER." Was she, as John Hyde wondered,
actually Hubert’s first wife, Katharine
Parker? This is a sensible theory but
no evidence supports it. Hubert recorded
eleven of this unknown's songs, all
lovely renditions:
In a poppy field
HMV af8007f/af8007 1/2 rec 15-6-1914
Speak of love again
HMV HO 1513ab 4-2937 rec 29-5-1915
The road to love
HMV HO 1514ab 4-2581 rec 29-5-1915
Love ships
HMV HO 1268ab 4-2545 rec 10-3-1915
The music and the words
HMV HO 1828ab 5-2150 B1085 rec 28-9-1915
A lesson in love
HMV HO 3169ae 5-2008 B990 rec 29-9-1916
As a star
HMV HO 3172ae 5-2009 B990 rec 29-9-1916
Col 76534 L1345 rec 7-1919
Rose of yestereve
Col 69639 D1423 rec 1-1920
To a seagull
Col WA2645-4 D1587 4815 rec 8-1-1926
Born in London in 1876,
TERESA CLOTILDE DEL RIEGO was the
daughter of a Spanish father and an
English mother. She distinguished herself
at the East Central College of Music,
and, in 1908 married F. Graham Leadbitter
who was killed in France in 1917. A
vastly gifted ballad composer, well-liked
and respected, Teresa took an active
interest in music well into the post
World War II era until her death in
1968.
Thank God for a Garden
HMV HO 1825ab 4-2622 B743 rec 28-9-1915
(HMV: ...with a distinctive loveliness
of tone that belongs to this polished
young tenor.)
O dry those tears
Col WAX1237-8 L1728 rec 1-1926
The reason (the composer at the piano)
Col WAX1238-8 L1728 9349 rec 1-1926
The Love Lily
by BOTHWELL THOMSON was introduced
by Ben Davies in November 1907 during
a Chappell Ballad Concert at Queen's
Hall. Hubert's version, recorded by
HMV in 1913, expresses beautifully the
song's otherworldly and fragile charm.
It has been released as y16557e/4-2393/B736.
A product-to-be of
the Royal Academy of Music, MONTAGUE
FAWCETT PHILLIPS was born in London
in 1885. Variety was his game. Amongst
his melodious creations were two operettas.
The first, The Rebel Maid in
1921 was a success, the encore The
Golden Triangle, something else.
He wrote symphonies, piano concertos
and a symphonic poem based on the story
of Boadicea, a First Century priestess,
and 100 songs.
The little golden cross
HMV ak16979e/ak16980e rec 19-9-1913
Lethe
HMV HO 2186af rec 29-9-1916
Heart of Spring
Col 69710 D1423 rec 3-1920
Dolorosa
Col 71502 D1436 rec 10-1921
The son of a Methodist
minister, WILFRED ERNEST SANDERSON
was born in Ipswich in 1878. He
studied with Frederick Bridge at Westminster
Abbey. In 1903, he moved north to Doncaster
as organist at the local parish church
where he tempered his passion for the
church with an interest in composing
songs, over 170 in all. While still
active, he died tragically in 1935 after
eating infected oysters.
Land of Delight
HMV z7316f 02476 C740 rec 30-4-1913
Until
HMV HO 3155ae 4-2841 B799 rec 28-9-1916
A spray of Roses
Col A 653 D1492 c rec 1-1924
Looking for you
Col WA11008-2 DB 996 rec 20-12-1930
One-of-a-kind was CYRIL
SCOTT, a poet, mystic and stout
believer in holistic medicine; he was
known in the 1920s as the "Father of
modern music." Born in 1879 at Oxton
in Cheshire, he traveled as a child
prodigy at age 12 to study in Frankfurt.
He kept busy composing music during
most of his ninety-one years, issuing
symphonies, concertos for piano, violin
and harpsichord, chamber music, operas
and songs.
Love's Quarrel
Col 65938 D1407 rec 4-1917
Looking back
Col 65939 D1407 rec. 4-1917
Carshalton, Surrey
was birthplace on 20 February 1884 for
DOROTHY FORSTER, who would later
study at the Royal Academy of Music
with Walter Macfarren, harmony and counterpoint
with Frederick Corder and viola with
Frank Arnold. She would become both
a skilled pianist and a much-loved composer.
Wild, wild rose
HMV ak17775e 4-2460 B732 rec 27-4-1914
A little home with you (cello
obbligato by Cedric Sharpe)
HMV HO 1829ab 4-2919 B850 rec 28-9-1915
Garden of Summer
HMV HO 2648ae 5-2073 B1038 rec 21-3-1916
Roses of memory (composer at
the piano)
HMV HO 3164ae 4-2959 B900 rec 28-9-1916
Bird of June (composer at the
piano)
HMV HO 3167ae 5-2090 B1062 rec 28-9-1916
Rosamund (composer at the piano)
HMV HO 3165ae rec 28-9-1916
A full-blown rose for you
HMV HO 1350ab/1351ab rec 8-4-1915
Born in Normanby, Yorks
in 1888, EDWARD MAURICE BESLY was
educated at the Leipzig Conservatorium.
From 1912 to 1914 an Assistant Music
Master at Tonbridge School, he was Director
of Music at Queen's College, Oxford
between 1923 and 1928. He spread his
net wide, writing orchestral music,
songs, piano pieces and an operetta,
"Forever After". As conductor
of the Scottish Orchestra, he toured
New Zealand in 1927.
My bird of April days
Col WA4361-1 D1566 4813 rec 1-11-1926
Columbine's garden
Col WA7130-3 5212 rec 12-10-1928
Now, consider the case
of HENRI TROTERE (1885-1929),
a hugely successful song composer, although
Hubert recorded only one of his songs,
"I don’t suppose".
It must have been tricky, as he made
two tries in 1913, had a first release
in 1914 (ak17425e/4-2442), two more
attempts in 1915, and finally a second
release in 1916 (HO 2647ae/4-2442x).
At home with the wife and kids, "Henri"
was simply "Henry Trotter."
London-born HENRY DAVID LESLIE
(1822-1896) composed oratorios, cantatas,
an operetta, an opera and many other,
now forgotten songs. He died near Oswestry.
Mary, my Mary
Col WA8886-2 5686 rec 18-4-1929
Best of all
Col WA8887-2 5686 rec 18-4-1929
The Forest Hill suburb
of London produced KENNEDY RUSSELL
in 1884 although the lad was then known
as "Robert Charles Russell." He grew
up in Stratford-upon-Avon and studied
at the Paris Conservatoire to become
a composer and well known in the West
End as a theatre conductor.
A little world of love
HMV ak18683e 4-2696 B732 rec 16-12-1914
The stars that light my garden
HMV HO 1352ab rec 8-4-1915
Love's song is sung
Col WA11009-2 DB 996 rec 20-12-1930
HAROLD CRAXTON
(1885-1971) who graduated in 1911 from
Tobias Matthay Piano School to become
accompanist for Clara Butt and Kennerley
Rumford when they rolled into Capetown
to a regal welcome. In Tahiti, Rupert
Brooke implored Clara to sing a song
but for which they had no music; no
problem, "Craxton could play from memory"
and so Clara and Robert sang (and recorded)
"Night Hymn at Sea." In 1916
Harold accompanied when they toured
Wales and the mine country but in 1919,
he became a professor at the Royal Academy
of Music and regularly lectured on the
subject of early English music.
Columbine's Garden
Col WA7130-3 5212 rec 12-10-1928
Beloved, I am lonely
Col WA4362-3 5234 rec 15-10-1928
Mavis
Col 75492 L1185 rec 4-1917
"Britain's King of
Cellists" was the accolade his record
company accorded him in 1928 but WILLIAM
HENRY SQUIRE was much more. He was
a gifted composer with a rare ability
to please by employing excellent taste.
Born at Ross, Herefordshire on 8 August
1871, he became a pupil at the Royal
College of Music. In 1923, with Craxton
now a professor, Squire became the Rumfords'
accompanist in touring America. With
his cello, he supported many a fine
ballad concert. He wrote music for the
cello, recorded much of it, and songs.
He died in 1963.
In an old-fashioned town
HMV HO3168ae 4-2814 B775 rec 29-9-1916
If I might come to you
Col 75478 L1185 rec 4-1917
When you come home
Col 75479 L1202 rec 4-1917
Hubert recorded songs by Lewis Barnes,
Monk Gould and Noel Johnson, and though
mysteries to this writer, they were
key to HMV.
BARNES:
Mother mine (in your eyes)
HMV ak18687e 4-2535 B738 rec 16-12-1914
The joy bird HMV HO2641ae 4-2863
B831 rec 21-3-1916
GOULD:
Offerings
HMV ak17298e 4-2427 rec 12-12-1913
HMV HO 1698ab 4-2427x rec 20-7-1915
A lullaby
HMV ak18137e 4-2505 B733 rec 17-7-1914
JOHNSON:
The song of Aiche
HMV ak17779e 4-2462 rec 27-4-1914
Farewell to summer
HMV HO1357ab 4-2582 B736 rec 8-4-1915
If thou wert blind
HMV HO17037e 4-2419 rec 9-10-1913
HMV HO1695ab 4-2419x B739 rec 20-7-1915
As for pseudonyms, Hubert recorded as
"Michael Mortimer," utilizing the middle
names of both his son and himself.
Conrad & Morris: Without you
Col WA 3065-1 3955 rec 3-1926
Irving Berlin: Always
Col WA3066-1 3955 rec 3-1926
de Sylva & Henley: Just a cottage
small
Col WA 3140-1 3996 rec 4-1926
Hollingsworth & Deppen: Oh, Miss
Hannah
Col WA 3142-1 3996 rec 4-1926
He may also have been "Walter Adams"
who recorded a duet with "Rosa
Lynn" likely Dora Labbette in disguise
for this occasion.
Katinka Rackety Doo
Col A269 3330
For a rare experience
listen to Hubert singing a tango, i.e.
Ralph Erwin's tune to words by Fritz
Rotter, "I kiss your hand, Madame."
It became a hit in Germany but of course,
Hubert sings in English: (Col WA8888-2
5430 rec 18-4-1929)
It is heartbreaking
to think of so many HMV 78s in limbo:
"A Wand'ring Minstrel," his only
foray into Sullivan's music; Eisdell's
own "The scent of the rose" recorded
in 1915; and Francis Dorel's "The
garden of your heart," a non-entity
despite four attempts, and the list
goes on...
But, happily other titles of note exist:
Anon.: My love is like a red, red
rose
Col 65936 D1398 rec 4-1917
Gaetano Braga: Angel's serenade
Col 75224 L1229 rec 9-1916
Frederic Clay: I'll sing thee songs
of Araby
Col 76800 L1369 rec 1-1920
Franz Schubert: Who is Sylvia?
Col 69713 D1419 rec 3-1920
Walter Wadham: Come unto me
HMV ak17261e 4-2438 B735 rec 3-12-1913
Ethelbert Nevin: `Twas April
Col 69637 D1419 rec 1-1920
Charles Marshall: I hear you calling
me
Col 75352 L1136 rec 1-1917
Ivor Novello: Megan
HMV ak18767e 4-2531 B740 rec 4-1-1915
Cecile Chaminade: Madrigal
HMV HO 2298ab 4-2786 B744 rec 4-1-1916
Barclay: Galway by the sea
Col 75287 L1130 rec 10-1916
Samuel Coleridge Taylor: Scenes from
Hiawatha - Onaway, awake beloved
Col AX337 L1616 rec 9-1923
Albert Ketèlbey: In a monastery
garden
Col 75157 L1454 rec 7-1922
Col WAX3240 9381 rec 9-2-1928
Frank Bridge: Go not, happy day
Col 71181 D1431 rec 3-1921
C. Jacobs-Bond: Just a-worryin' for
you
Col 65935 D1389 rec 4-1917
Godard: Jocelyn - Angels guard thee
HMV z6922f 02492 rec 21-12-1912
Paul Rubens: I love the moon
Col A2643 D1536 4811 rec 10-12-1925
? ? : Love's song is sung
Special Record 4167-18 DB996
That leaves thirty-seven others who
met Hubert's recording needs.
THE DUETS OF HUBERT EISDELL AND DORA
LABBETTE - What a delightful experience
it would be to listen to all twenty-six
duets in one session!
1. Nadeshda (Goring Thomas);
Dear love of mine
Col 75087 L1431 rec 5-1922
2. Merrie England (Edward German)
Come to Arcadie
Col 75088 L1431 rec 5-1922
3. Beyond the meadow gate (Montague
Phillips)
Col 71994 D1448 rec 11-1922
4. O that we two were maying (Ethelbert
Nevin)
Col 71995 D1448 rec 11-1922
5. Lilac Time (Schubert/Clutsam):
The flower
Col A164 D1464 c rec 9-1923
6. Lilac Time (Schubert/Clutsam):
The golden song Col A165 D1484
c rec 9-1923
7. Down in the forest (Landon
Ronald)
Col A1536 D1470 rec 12-1924
8. A Princess of Kensington (Edward
German)
Seven o'clock in the morning
Col A1537 D1470 rec 12-1924
9. Very own pierrette (Rex Allingham)
Col WA3273-1 D1551 4807 rec 19-5-1926
10. The keys of heaven (arr.
Fuller Maitland)
Col WA3276-1 D1551 4807 rec 19-5-1926
11. Merrie England (Edward German):
Come to Arcadie
Col WAX2079-2 9346 rec 1-11-1926
12. Nadeshda (Goring Thomas):
Dear love of mine
Col WAX2080-1 9346 rec 1-11-1926
13. Come silver moon (Londonderry
Air) (Dowdon arr. Besly)
Col WAX4252-1 9612 rec 5-11-1928
14. Love's dream (Liebestraum)
(Liszt arr. Besly)
Col WAX4253-2 9612 rec 5-11-1928
15. Love's old sweet song (J.
L. Molloy)
Col WAX5102-2 9895 rec 9-7-1929
16. Moon enchanted (Maurice Besly)
Col WAX5103-1 9895 rec 9-7-1929
Don Hickling in Northampton
recalled how "Moon enchanted"
was a family favourite sixty years ago.
Support by the famed J.H. Squire Celeste
added to the glory of both records.
Dora and Hubert were great friends of
J.H. Squire, who was also a composer.
Hubert recorded his song "Two
tired old eyes" on Col WA10456-1/DS268.
17. The sweetest flower that blows
(Hawley)
Col WA9271-1 DB157 rec 9-7-1929
18. Marigold (Maurice Besly)
Col WA9272-2 DB157 rec 9-7-1929
19. The old folks at home (Stephen
Foster arr. Parker)
Col WA10149-1 DB101 rec 5-3-1930
20. Home sweet home (Bishop arr.
K. Parker)
Col WA10150-2 DB101 rec 5-3-1930
21. a) To my first love (Hermann
Lohr)
b) You'd better ask me (Hermann
Lohr)
Col WA11168-2 DB431 rec 6-2-1931
22. The little Irish girl (Hermann
Lohr)
Col WA11169-2 DB431 rec 6-2-1931
23. Absent (Metcalf)
Col CA12227-3 DB771 rec 26-1-1932
24. Down the vale (Moir)
Col CA12230-4 DB771 rec 26-1-1932
25. Until (Wilfred Sanderson)
Col CA12228-4 DB880 rec 26-1-1932
26. Bird songs at eventide (Eric
Coates)
Col CA12229-4 DB880 rec 26-1-1932
The tenor can also be heard in other
duets and quartets:
With Norman Allin, bass
Excelsior (Longfellow & Balfe)
Col WAX5481-2 DX79 rec 26-3-1930
The battle eve (Southey &
Bonheur)
Col WAX5482-1 DX79 rec 26-3-1930
With Raymond Newell, baritone
Tenor and baritone (Henry Lane
Wilson) Col CAX6799-2 DX483 rec 31-3-1933
Watchman! What of the night (J.
Sargeant) Col CAX6800-1 DX483 rec 31-3-1933
With Bessie Jones, soprano
The wells of sleep (Norton) HMV
HO 3159ae 2-4452 rec 28-9-1916
Quartets, two unaccompanied, with Heddle
Nash, Dennis Noble and Norman Allin
- all recorded on 19 July 1929
Meet me by moonlight (arr. J.
Batten) Col WA9338-1-2 5526
I know of two bright eyes (Clutsam)
with string quartet Col WA9340-1 5526
Drink to me only with thine eyes
(Trad. arr. J. Batten) Col WA9337-1-2
5579
Passing by (Edward Purcell) with
string quartet Col WA9339-1-2 5579
In his earlier tribute,
John Hyde concluded with a few words
of Percy Grainger that are still apt:
`He is one of England's most lovely
and famous singers with a pure, ringing
voice, exquisite style and perfect diction'.
Amen. One question, though: With so
much that is vile and ugly in this world,
how can this musical beauty remain ignored
and forgotten?
-------------------------------------------------
REFERENCES/ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
HUBERT EISDELL by John Hyde, unpublished
THE LIFE OF LIZA LEHMANN BY HERSELF,
T. Fisher Unwin, 1929.
"HUBERT EISDELL" by Peter Cliffe, The
Historic Record, October 1992.
"WHO WAS HUBERT EISDELL?" by John M.
MacRae, Lakefield School Journal.
THE PEOPLE'S IMPRESARIO by Wilfred Stephenson,
Thames, 2000
Much of the earlier
segment is based on John Hyde's writings,
while the Canadian aspect was provided
by two gentlemen who knew Hubert in
his final years, (Bubs) MacRae and Douglas
Cruthers, husband of Jacqueline, Alva's
daughter from her first marriage. Doug
also supplied rare photographs. Richard
Green of the National Library of Canada
helped get the project underway by sending
John Hyde's writings and allowed me
to bask in Hubert's music.
Further assistance
was rendered by Wayne Turner, John Walker,
Norman Staveley
Peter Cliffe, John
Walker and Mrs June Upton in England
and Quentin Riggs in the USA. The discography
detail came from research by Alan Kelly.
Also thanks to two pals in Winnipeg.
The graveside photos were Don Fox's
contribution, taken while visiting his
sister, Mary Easterbrook in Toronto.
Mary was my charming guide in 1957.
Denis Daly came to the rescue by revitalizing
a faintly-detailed photo.
Charles A. Hooey
© May 2006
Please send any
comments, corrections or additions to
the author:-
Charles A Hooey
730 Minto Street
Winnipeg
Manitoba
CANADA R3G 2R4
