[Preface] [Orville's Worlds] [Family] [Young Orville ] [To New York] [To London, and back] [The Second Marriage, 1913 – 1917] [The Third Marriage, Rehabilitation] [The Met Years, Two careers 1920-1924] [Photogallery]

To New York

Orville Harrold reached New York City in early 1906, with $1.50 in his pocket after the train ride, and a letter of introduction to another Hoosier named Claxton Wilstach, booking agent for the Shubert brothers¹. (It is unclear who provided Orville this letter.) After securing a room at the Grand Union Hotel, he met Lee Shubert at the old Casino Theatre. The Shuberts were slightly older than Orville, having arrived as children in Syracuse, NY, from an area of Poland that is now part of Lithuania. Starting from nothing, they had accumulated several upstate theatres, then expanded to New York City in 1900, renting venues and presenting a series of plays and musicals. They had lured Sarah Bernhardt back to the United States at about the time of Orville’s arrival, on their way to building the 20^th century’s largest theatre empire.

Orville’s letter got him one of the most nervous and excited auditions of his life, although there are several contenders for that title, after which Mr. Shubert asked Orville if he could learn a song in one day, appear in a show the following night, and work for $50 per week². Thunderstruck, Orville appeared the next evening in The Social Whirl, performing well and proving himself both a quick study and an audience pleaser. He informed Dr. Quick, back in Muncie, of his good and rapid fortune, who immediately sent $20 to sustain him, with no need of repayment. Orville thus began learning of New York musical theatre life and personalities, as well as their pitfalls and foibles.

While Orville’s timing was fortunate, there were still very few American performers in opera, and there were limited routes by which an American could enter opera, for which he was probably not ready in any event. A critical conflict was that classic operatic artists were groomed from the inside, and did not stoop to lower forms of music, so that Orville required a non-traditional path to his dream. Madame Schumann-Heink, totally unpretentious, ignited a virtual scandal by starring in a second rate 1904 Broadway musical, Love’s Lottery. She even took it on the road for a short season, which may have been how she came to be in Indiana to meet Orville. Meanwhile, Orville had at least some experience in front of audiences, plus whatever talent he possessed.

Orville glimpsed an opening into New York opera shortly after arriving, as Oscar Hammerstein (the grandfather of Oscar Hammerstein II, who wrote Broadway musicals with Richard Rodgers)  was conducting auditions in early 1906 for a new opera company he was forming, to perform in a new theatre he was building. This specific opportunity may have determined Orville’s timing in venturing to New York. Hammerstein had fled an abusive father in Prussia, to arrive in American at age seventeen in 1864. While he had taken up music at an early age, he began here sweeping floors in a cigar factory. Hammerstein was intelligent, mechanical, and entrepreneurial, accumulating 52 patents, 44 related to machinery for cigar manufacture. He also accumulated a considerable fortune through industrial cigar manufacture. By the mid 1870’s he had founded the U. S. Tobacco Journal, but was also moonlighting as a manager in downtown German theatres. Theatre was Hammerstein’s primary interest, and grand opera was his passion.

Hammerstein had begun building his own New York theatres in 1889, including one called the Manhattan Opera House. (Opera had been produced there only briefly and a partner had since operated it for general entertainment.) His fourth theatre was erected on Longacre Square, which nine years later was renamed Times Square after the New York Times moved there from the old “Newspaper Row” down near City Hall Park. Through Hammerstein’s efforts, Times Square was becoming a thriving theatre district, such that he opened three more theatres nearby. The first of those was the 1899 Victoria Theatre, which turned to vaudeville presentations in 1904 and rose to one of the most successful of vaudeville venues under Hammerstein’s son, Willie. To a significant extent Hammerstein was the father of Times Square as we know it, and by owner’s association agreement had exclusive rights to vaudeville productions in the area.

Hammerstein presided over expanding theatre and real estate interests from personal offices at the Victoria Theatre. Responding to Hammerstein’s opera audition, newly-arrived Orville appeared at the Victoria among a group of applicants. (As Orville later described the auditions, he had “never heard such squawking in my life”³) He sang an aria from La Boheme, glimpsing just a silhouette of Hammerstein’s square shoulders and top hat in the darkened first row, but soon found himself back in daylight with no invitation to return. At this point, New York knew Hammerstein as a theatre impresario, but was yet to see what would become of his untutored but insatiable taste for grand opera.

In no position to wait, Orville continued with the Shuberts. The Social Whirl ran for most of 1906, through more than 150 performances and earning Orville brief mention (his first) in the New York Times as one of its worthwhile longstanding players. As this was the show’s only season, he opened with the Shuberts in January of 1907 at the new Lincoln Square Theatre, located where the 1966 Lincoln Center and new Metropolitan Opera House now stand, singing the part of Lord Drinkwell in a light musical comedy called The Belle of London Town⁴. It became clear that his old Muncie job at $10 weekly had some advantages over a theatre role at $50, as the job could last much longer. The Belle of London Town closed immediately, leaving Orville scrambling to support himself and his family. He sang during this period at the Casino Theatre in a presentation called the Passing Show⁵ but turned to vaudeville, as it offered more stable employment in shows scheduled through theatre syndicates.

Besides paying the bills, there are ample signs that vaudeville agreed with Orville, for it put him back on the road with traveling adventures that he seemingly enjoyed throughout his life. He was a powerful energetic singer who could bring out enthusiastic audiences, such that all had a good time. This was much like how he had grown up singing, vaudeville affording something like the excitement of a rock concert. Orville never apologized for his vaudeville background, even during his top opera years, recalling it as an enjoyable experience in which he always sang his best.

It is unknown where all vaudeville took Orville, but it included Mortimer M. Theise’s (vaudeville and burlesque producer) tour of Wine, Women and Song, headlining Creole star Bonita (Pauline L, DesLondes). This was a sort of musical review in which Orville appeared in various skits, as well as in a quartet that was likely the one he later referred to as The Harmonists⁶. The parent company failed while the show was in Cincinnati, home of Orville’s first operatic inspiration, whereupon the sheriff seized all assets, including the cast’s personal effects. As Bonita described, their show was a hit, but their earnings went to other enterprises that went bankrupt, stranding 100 men and women far from home⁷. One of the chorus men concocted a scheme in which they started a brawl in an adjacent saloon, to distract the theatre doorman, so that Orville and another went upstairs into the theatre and threw the crew’s personal trunks into the alley⁸. Stranded and broke, the troupe apparently had a long arduous trip back to New York. Orville likely had an easier way out, for he could have contacted Dr. Quick in Muncie to have cash wired.

One description of events during this period states that Orville had been “discovered” during his Wine, Women, and Song tour by Gus Edwards, ragtime composer (School Days, By the Light of the Silvery Moon) and impresario⁹. Edwards stated that he had heard a remarkable singing voice emanating from a practice room at a New York music distributor’s offices. (This may have been Witmark & Sons Music Company, for Orville became well acquainted during his vaudeville period with popular singer, Julie (Jules) Witmark, one of the “sons”.) Pursuing this opportunity, Edwards found the voice be that of Orville, who stated that he was not then available for new engagements as he was under contract with a quartet^9.5. With the demise of Wine, Women, and Song, Orville may have returned to Gus Edwards for work. Edwards described seeking vaudeville engagements for Orville¹⁰, as well as getting him his breakthrough into opera.

As Ernestinoff had advised, several years on-stage had matured Orville’s voice and presentation. In late 1909, with a vaudeville act booked into Hammerstein’s Victoria Theatre, Oscar sat in for their show one afternoon, hearing Orville again sing an aria from La Boheme. By one version, with vaudeville connections and reputation, Gus Edwards had induced Willie Hammerstein to book Orville, reportedly finding an accompanying basso to form a duo act^10.5. Whatever the case, Orville performed a one-week engagement at the Victoria in a two-man vaudeville act singing operatic arias¹¹. In his dressing room one afternoon, Orville was approached by Mike Simonson, the Victoria stage manager, who barked, “Harrold, the old man wants to see you” ^11.5. By now, New York well knew of Hammerstein’s operatic endeavors.

Hammerstein had had a major impact on New York opera by débuting in America lavishly staged contemporary foreign shows and French operas, as well as popular classic operas, at his newly built Manhattan Opera House (his 2^nd so-named theatre). Scouring Europe for fresh new talent, he had introduced Mary Garden, Luisa Tetrazzini, Maurice Renaud, Alessandro Bonci, Irish tenor John McCormack, and conductor Cleofonte Campanini (younger brother of former Met tenor, Italo Campanini), plus numerous others. All this had excited opera fans, attracting entirely new patrons into opera in addition to winning over many from the venerable Metropolitan Opera. Hammerstein had engaging the Met in a virtual arms race, so that during this period the Met had imported Giulio Gatti-Casazza as director, who brought conductor, Arturo Toscanini. Oscar had also built a major new opera house in Philadelphia and opened the Philadelphia Opera Company in 1908, operated in parallel with his Manhattan opera. Modern rail service had made it expedient to shuttle casts between cities virtually overnight.

Patrons had come to expect exciting new Hammerstein offerings, but as there were not sufficient new material and artists to sustain this pace, New York talent competition and salaries were rising. In response, the Met competed with numbers, staging additional operas at the New Theatre, near Columbus Circle. Into his third season (1908-1909) Hammerstein’s momentum began sputtering, as he could not satisfy the demand he had created for constant surprises. As a new enticement, he lured from the Met popular soprano, Nellie Melba (born Helen Mitchell, but with a stage name created from that of her home town, Melbourne, Australia), who financially saved his season. On the other hand, Bonci had gone over to the Met in 1909, so that Hammerstein was looking for a tenor that year when Orville, the vaudevillian, appeared at the Victoria during the fall singing operatic arias.

So, up to the “old man’s” office went Orville. While Hammerstein was dressed “as neat as a pin” in a long formal jacket (usually accompanied by a top hat), the office had “the most disorganized looking desk I ever saw….on that desk and on the floor were papers, opera scores, cigars and cigar wrappings, letters, an old shoe and the Lord knows what else”¹². After getting Orville’s name, Oscar declared in a heavy German accent that Orville must be Irish, and concluded to call him Mike, which Hammerstein continued until his death a decade later. By Orville’s account, Oscar next touched Orville’s throat and asked, “Mike, you haf got it here. The question is, haf you got it there?”¹³, touching Orville’s head. The question did not regard vague general intelligence, but rather the specific ability to sustain dedicated, intensive study. Orville had his opening into grand opera.

Orville required cram-courses in acting, voice training, opera roles, and their foreign languages. Investing in his discoveries, Hammerstein considered Orville studying in Paris with Jean deReske, namesake of Orville’s son. It was ultimately decided to have Orville tutored by Brooklyn-born Oscar Saenger, who had starred as a baritone in German opera companies of New York, and had traveled through Europe. He had been teaching privately since 1892, having previously worked with Met opera stars Riccardo Martin, Marie Rappold, Henri Scott, and Mabel Garrison. Hammerstein had Orville sing for Saenger at a private audition on Sunday morning October 24, 1909. “What do you think of my friend?” asked one Oscar to the other, to which Saenger replied that Hammerstein had made no mistake. Orville’s voice was exceedingly good, and there were undoubtedly the makings of a great opera singer ¹⁴.

Orville spent nearly three months with Saenger, practicing much of the first month on properly producing tones, and on resting his voice, which had been damaged by the rigors of singing in vaudeville, often twice daily. They worked on languages plus acting and gesturing in operatic roles, concentrating on learning Canio in Pagliacci and the Duke in Rigoletto. Saenger had other professional pupils sing supporting parts, so that Orville could later perform his roles with minimal rehearsing. Saenger described Orville as a delightful student, absorbing every suggestion and hint, studying French and Italian daily, working hard and learning quickly¹⁵. In addition, Orville was frequenting gymnasiums to improve his conditioning and physical stature¹⁶.

Prior to the months of study with Saenger, it is doubtful that anybody in Orville’s life noticed an obscure 10/29/09 New York Times article entitled Singer Shoots Husband, regarding an event in a Reno, Nevada attorney’s office. After trouble between them the previous evening, the Talbot couple were counseling in the office of attorney (and judge) W. D. Jones where Mrs. Mae Talbot fired two shots, one mortally wounding Albert Talbot in the right lung. Before dying, he insisted that the shooting had been accidental, although Mrs. Talbot was later tried and acquitted on grounds of self-defense. Mae Talbot claimed to be an opera singer, trained in Milan, Italy, and having appeared in a number of operas in Milan and Venice, as well as singing in Canada and the United States.

When Orville returned from studying with Saenger, Hammerstein asked, “Mike, your voice is all right, but your clothes – where did you get them? I am going to tell my Beau Brummel son, Arthur, to take you to his tailor”, Oscar paying the bill for five fine suits¹⁷. On January 16, 1910, Orville debuted as Hammerstein’s new tenor in one of the Sunday night concerts that presented various artists singing solos and in groups. The New York Times reported that he was wildly applauded after an aria from Pagliacci, was forced to repeat “La Donna e Mobile”, and when recalled by the audience sang a ballad called The Secret¹⁸. This last song, by American art composer John Prindle Scott, was a piece for high voice that proved especially popular with audiences, so that Orville used it in concert settings throughout much of his career. Following another successful Sunday concert three weeks later, the Times reported that Orville had appeared in his first opera.

New York Times, Feb. 19, 1910.

HARROLD APPEARS IN OPERA – New Tenor Sings Canio in “Pagliacci” with marked success… Last night was not his first appearance there. He has already been heard at several Sunday night concerts….That the audience last evening was disposed to be friendly there can be no doubt. Even after the first few bars which Canio sings the applause burst forth and continued for some time. His success was marked at the end of the first act, when he was recalled until he repeated “Vesti la Guibba.” ….. His voice is one of beauty, his high tones having especially good quality

Orville continued appearing as Canio in Pagliacci and in Rigoletto as the Duke. These roles had him singing with beautiful Mlle. Lina Cavalieri, perhaps the most photographed woman of their era, as well as with Luisa Tetrazzini and Emma Trentini, spectacular sopranos whom Hammerstein had brought to New York. Some performances were at Hammerstein’s Philadelphia Opera House, and there were occasional Sunday concerts, but Orville again fell prey to fickle fortunes. (This was already his second shot at Hammerstein’s productions.) While one might assume that Oscar’s business acumen was managing the Manhattan Opera at a profit, he had actually burned through the first of three fortunes. When asked by a reporter what he would open his 1909-1910 season with, Oscar had replied, “With debts!”¹⁹. Struggling to present new material, Oscar occasionally inserted individual pieces of his own composition into his shows. He was proposing to close his Philadelphia opera house, as maintaining business there was proving impractical²⁰. But no measures were sufficiently raising receipts or improving his balance sheet, not the least because of his own excesses. Noticing that all this was leaving Oscar looking worn and frail, Orville suggested to Hammerstein that he exercise to improve his health, to which Oscar replied that he was getting ample exercise being chased around the office by creditors²¹.

Orville reported that after Nellie Melba had saved the previous season, Hammerstein had opened the 1909-1910 season with $625,000 in subscriptions, which should have carried him comfortably. But, suffering a fit of megalomania, he had contracted for new theatre sites in Brooklyn and Chicago, and had been building a “roof garden” atop the Manhattan Opera House²². No café with umbrella tables, the roof garden was a cavernous new theatre requiring major construction, stairwells, and elevators, to run simultaneously with the Manhattan²³. The Metropolitan Opera had been competing against a suicide attack. Hammerstein was broke by the end of winter, early 1910, as suspected by the fatigued Metropolitan Opera, to which the indomitable Oscar responded with a colossal bluff.

Orville sang his Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto at the Philadelphia Opera House in late March, Hammerstein’s last performance in that theatre. After winter opera, Oscar had Orville on a concert tour around the Midwest with Luisa Tetrazzini, who, not always congenial toward stage competition, seemed to enjoy Orville’s talent and plain manner. Orville was well received, enjoying frequent curtain calls and good reviews^23.5. Hammerstein next announced that he was planning exciting new events for the following season, including Orville appearing at the Manhattan, and then (having borrowed money for the ticket²⁴) departed for Europe in mid-April aboard the Kaiserin Auguste Victoria to sign on new talent. The Metropolitan Opera was left stunned.

Orville returned to Indiana during May, where he gave several performances, including a return to Indianapolis’s German House auditorium. He also found himself at odds with his old hometown manager. Doctor James Quick, who had funded Orville’s training and trip to New York, filed a $500 suit for breach of contact²⁵. Orville was to have split his proceeds with the doctor for five years, which he was not doing under the Hammerstein arrangement. Orville likely paid the claim, as he was well paid with Oscar.

Orville also received in Muncie a May, 1910 telegram from Hammerstein, reporting that he had sold all of his opera interests in New York, Philadelphia, and elsewhere. It was further stated, however, that Oscar would take care of Orville, and wished him back in New York soon²⁶. In Muncie, Orville indicated that there had been signs of impending change, and that the near future may focus on study rather than performing. Orville ultimately came away from his Oscar meeting with a multi-year contract. Among several estimates of contract terms, one reported that it was worth around $300 per week²⁷. Another, from the brother of Orville’s old Muncie singing teacher, Harry Paris, indicated that it was an eight-year contract, at about $450 per week during a forty-week performing season, with Orville free to make his own engagements for the other twelve weeks²⁸. Hammerstein even mailed regular $25 payments back to Effie in Muncie.

After Hammerstein had sailed, his son Arthur had negotiated a contract with the Met in May of 1910 to receive $1.2 million in return for the Manhattan Opera Company, the Philadelphia Opera Company and its building, plus a ten-year non-compete agreement for presenting grand opera in New York²⁹. The money had come from vastly wealthy railroad magnate, and Met board chairman, Otto H. Kahn, who had exquisite taste for all arts. (Prolonged war is a contest of resources, and Kahn far outweighed Hammerstein.) Of Manhattan Opera assets, the Met kept only baritone, Charles Gilbert, who died before performing for them, and photographer, Herman Mishkin. Production sets, repertoire, and many artists were organized into the Chicago-Philadelphia Grand Opera Company, managed by former Met tenor, Andreas Dippel^29.5. This organization functionally constituted the Chicago Opera Company, but appeared periodically at the (now) Metropolitan Opera House of Philadelphia, as well as occasionally loaning artists to the New York Met. The arrangement relieved overcrowding among New York opera performers, and left the Met with a firm lock on opera in New York City.

Hammerstein released most of his singers to find new positions as they pleased or were able, but retained Miss Emma Trentini and Orville Harrold. Nellie Melba had recommended Trentini to Hammerstein on one of his European recruiting trips, and she subsequently became a soprano in his Manhattan Opera. Trentini had been studying English, with the intent that she would star in light operettas, while it was stated that Orville might sing the following season at Milan’s La Scala (where Caruso had been discovered), now having four operas in his repertoire and two more in the works³⁰. Orville’s future was seemingly secured by his contract with Hammerstein³¹, who was flush with his second fortune, but faced with a hiatus from grand opera. Oscar had plans to fill the void, but Orville needed work, as well as study and training.

Hammerstein announced before leaving for Europe in April, 1910 that Orville would again study with Saenger in America³². This turned out to be a sort of opera summer camp at an estate overlooking the picturesque coast of Camden, Maine³³. Saenger again taught all aspects of opera singing, acting, gesturing, and art, and had on hand a teacher of French and Italian. The regimen also included wholesome physical activity, for Saenger had horses delivered to the estate that were often used for morning riding sessions, and leased a sailboat that they navigated around Penobscot Bay. Another student that summer was Austrian tenor, Rudolf Berger³⁴, who went on to perform with the Met, and married Met soprano (and former Saenger student) Marie Rappold in 1913, before dying suddenly in 1915. Besides coaching Orville for opera, this summer of training prepared him for more immediate work on the American stage.

Hammerstein’s theatres continued operating. Son, Willie, managed the Victoria Theatre, while Arthur ran many other aspects of the business. Oscar also planned new hometown productions. In August, he returned with two American singers then in Europe³⁵, Sophie Brandt and Felice Lyne, to appear in Hans the Flute Player, a comic opera popular in Paris that was based on the pied piper of Hamelin tale. As French-style opera comique, with spoken dialogue, the production did not violate Oscar’s contract with the Met regarding grand opera. It opened the 1910 season at the Manhattan Opera House on September 20, with elaborate staging, chorus, dancing, and orchestra in full Hammerstein splendor, being colorful, melodious, well reviewed, and well attended³⁶. Running for nearly three months, the cast included Alice Gentle, while Sophie Brandt sang the female lead in the opening month, and then twenty-year-old Felice Lyne took the role in her stage debut. Having left for London immediately after the opening, Oscar returned in mid-October to announce that he had begun construction of a new opera house there, to open a year hence. Orville Harrold would appear at the Paris Opera next June, and then travel on to become principal tenor of the London Opera³⁷.

While Hans the Flute Player was running, Oscar and Arthur Hammerstein assembled a spectacular new light operetta scored by Victor Herbert. Herbert had been Irish born, but reared and educated in Stuttgart, Germany, where he married and became a concert cellist. Both he and his wife came to America, where she sang with the Met and he played in their orchestra. He became a well known orchestra conductor through the 1890’s, and began composing light operettas. He led a fight for copyright legislation, passed in 1909, and helped found the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), serving as its vice president until his death. (ASCAP has been active in today’s internet copyright battles.) His operettas were aimed at the middle class, perhaps being a bit campy, but establishing him as a notable American composer.

Victor Herbert’s most successful operetta was Naughty Marietta, written with Emma Trentini and Orville Harrold in mind, which the Hammerstein’s opened at the New York Theatre on November 7, 1910. This was a Broadway musical pumped up to Hammerstein proportions, with large operatic voices, elaborate staging, and an expanded orchestra. Orville played opposite Mlle. Trentini, who actually spoke on stage (rather than sang) for the first time, both roles being somewhat vocally demanding. Orville’s parts were scored specifically for a high tenor, with notes that few other tenors could reach. Naughty Marietta had a successful season of 136 shows, extending into March of 1911, and then went on tour, which kept Orville employed and helped fund Oscar’s new plans. Among singers in the chorus was a Texas-born actress named Blanche Malli, who had appeared in Canadian theatres during several previous seasons before coming to New York³⁸. Blanche and Orville became frequent companions, dining and socializing around New York during the run of Naughty Marietta. (If Orville had any interest in his leading lady, she was being courted by famed Met tenor, Enrico Caruso.) Such was not surprising, as Orville was amply gregarious and attractive, an affable teddy bear that women enjoyed. Their arrangement was not permanent, and they had parted by the show’s closing. Blanche Malli opened in The Quaker Girl in October of 1911, which ran for 248 shows, but she seems to have faded from theatre thereafter³⁹.

New York Times, Nov. 8, 1910

NAUGHTY MARIETTA AND TRENTINI A HIT - ….Next to the star Orville Harrold probably scored the biggest success of the evening…… He had to wait pretty late in the evening for his chance, which came with a waltz called “I’m Falling in Love with Some One.” The finish of this found the house in an uproar of applause of the sort which greets Caruso at the end of the first act of “Pagliacci,” and Mr. Harrold was obliged to repeat this song four times. He might in fact have gone on repeating it indefinitely if the audience had been allowed to have its way.

Acton Davies, New York Evening Sun, Nov. 8, 1910

In Victor Herbert’s “Naughty Marietta” both Mlle. Trentini and Orville Harrold create sensations. A magnificent quartet amid a splendid chorus makes Oscar Hammerstein’s new company the greatest singing organization in the history of comic opera.

With various new casts, Naughty Marietta ran through several New York stage revivals during the late 1920’s and early 1930’s, followed by an Oscar-nominated 1935 movie adaptation that was the first film collaboration between Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy. Of durable character, it played again as a 1955 television production, with Patrice Munsel, the youngest singer to debut at the Met, and Broadway musical performer, Alfred Drake, and is occasionally resurrected by theatre companies.

Although not yet a headliner in 1910, Orville had enjoyed a season being seen and heard on the New York opera stage, pleasing both critics and audiences, and becoming appreciated as a high tenor. Italo Campanini in the 1880’s could occasionally reach a high D, with uncertain results, while DeReske in the 19^th century was stated to reach only a high B flat, and Caruso in the 20^th could occasionally reach a high C, leaving them unable to perform certain roles⁴⁰. (Some sopranos struggle with high C, and among modern tenors, Luciano Pavarotti was king of high C’s.) Orville could easily sustain high C, regularly reach a strong steady high D, and reportedly struck high E flat with ease and clarity in Naughty Marietta⁴¹, perhaps the only male singer to do so⁴². He could end a passage bringing such notes to a long powerful crescendo, and bringing audiences to their feet.

Another of Orville’s talents was language and speaking. He not only learned languages well, and with proper pronunciation, but he could shout out opera with clear diction, which had been noted even during his early Indianapolis engagements. (Many singers are difficult to understand in English.) Relatively uneducated, he diligently learned his craft and became known for thoroughly studying the history and nature of his roles. It also developed that he was a reasonably good operatic actor, with a bearing and physical presence well suited to the stage. No longer doubtful or distracted, Orville fully focused on grand opera with excellent results.

With vaudeville stage experience, the Manhattan Opera, and Naughty Marietta, Orville had become a solid performer of noteworthy capability, earning him a glimpse of the “big show” during February of 1911, as Naughty Marietta was winding down. Orville joined in a sold-out benefit at the Metropolitan Opera House, sponsoring loosening of legislation that prevented children from appearing on professional stages⁴³. Orville looked up, for the first time, at an audience spread around the Met’s golden horseshoe.

During 1910, Orville sat for his first portrait by Mishkin Studio in New York. From Minsk, Russia, Herman Mishkin had entered photography during the 1880’s, and shortly after 1900, apparently through his brother-in-law, became Hammerstein’s chief photographer-publicist. He also produced some photos for the Met during this period, and after Hammerstein exited New York opera, Mishkin became the Met’s chief studio photographer. (White Studio shot the Met’s stage photographs, while Apeda Studio did portraits of many theatre and sports personalities.) The Hammerstein period photos tend to have plain backgrounds, which became more elaborate under the Met. Mishkin became the primary photo-documenter of opera’s golden age in America, from 1900 to 1930, and many opera and theatre performers made it a point to have a Miskin portrait in their portfolio, even if they did not work in New York. His portrait of Caruso as Canio in Pagliacci, wearing clown costume and pounding a bass drum, has become the most famous image in opera. One of Orville’s 1910 Mishkin photos appeared on the cover of the Musical Courier in late 1911, while another was seen in advertisements up to 1914. Mishkin’s sister, Marcia Stein, was an anarchist and artist who became a somewhat popular journalistic portrait photographer during the 1920’s, using a starkly realistic style rather than a softer romantic touch.

Hammerstein’s foray into grand opera had been a bit stressing, as change often is, but widened audiences and introduced new performers and shows to America. In his four seasons, from 1906 to early 1910, he accumulated a considerable list of fresh imported talent, plus a group of notable American artists. Among his accomplishments, he brought over a variety of French operas that were not commonly performed here, as the Met focused on Italian and German composers. The result was an overhaul of American opera. Orville later stated that, for all that it had cost the Met, the Met was ultimately the beneficiary of Hammerstein’s passionate gamble. Having revitalized productions and audiences, the Metropolitan Opera of the 1920’s was one of the few in the world operating with a positive balance sheet⁴⁴.

Other Americans could perhaps have broken into opera, but Orville was certainly one of the earliest to actually do it, especially from the outside. American and Quaker, David Bispham, trained in Italy and performed at London’s Covent Garden before becoming a Met baritone in 1896. (Bispham’s London agent was Bram Stoker.) Pennsylvanian, Paul Althouse, had been the first American tenor without European experience to sing at the Met (in 1912), having also trained with Oscar Saenger. Given his resources at the Manhattan Opera, it is telling that Hammerstein staked his future on Orville, whose success built credibility and marketability for future American performers, such as Los Angles talents Mario Chamlee and Lawrence Tibbett. Orville had a natural gift, a happenstance, but only a few of the gifted realize their potential. Realization comes at costs to both the performer and those around him. Having the drive to pay those costs is both a strength and a fault.

One might question why Orville had never brought his family to join him in New York during the five years he had been away. In reality, there was probably never anything like a home in New York to bring them to. Orville had traveled continuously from early 1907 with vaudeville, to mid-1911 with the Naughty Marietta tour, having only a brief period of stability with the Manhattan Opera Company. Most of those years were likely spent sleeping in hotels, with many evenings devoted to theatre appearances. Orville may never have had a permanent address, and certainly would not have been there for any normal mode of family living. Nor would New York City have been a place in which Effie would wanted to have been stranded with a young family. For all practical purposes, the family was equally intact living comfortably among relatives and friends in Muncie.

Orville had been supporting his family, but it is unclear how often he could manage returning to Indiana. While visits must have been sporadic, Orville apparently remained close to his family, and vaudeville travels would have offered some opportunities. Wine, Women, and Song played in Indianapolis, (about the last time for locals to hear Orville at low rates), which probably facilitated a family visit. Family lore and other associations indicate that he was a warm and spontaneously playful fellow who was big on hugs and maintained relationships with his children, especially Patti. Patti was twelve by mid-1911, at the end of the Naughty Marietta tour, and was reportedly very good at singing and piano⁴⁵, to the extent that she had already caught the attention of her hometown.

After five years centered in New York, arriving with no connections and far surpassing most star-struck singers in the big city, Orville had become a stage performer pursuing his art. It was obvious by 1911 that theatre was a life of constant change. He never thereafter had additional children or a conventional family life, but exceptional proficiency is rarely achieved within the confines of conventional living. Effie was apparently still living at their old duplex, supporting the family with income from Orville plus giving piano lessons. Through it all, Orville and Effie remained married, and committed in some form.

1. From Plow-Boy to Parsifal, Orville Harrold (Etude Magazine, New York, July, 1922) pg. 443

2. ibid.

3. My Memories of Oscar Hammerstein, Orville Harrold (Theatre Magazine Company, New York, April, 1923) pg. 9

4. Orville Harrold (Internet Broadway DataBank, ibdb.com)

5. My Memories of Oscar Hammerstein, Orville Harrold, pg. 9

6. From Plow-Boy to Parsifal, 443

7. Syracuse Herald, November 5, 1922, provided by Nancy A. Locke. This article can also be found online at gabrielleray.150m.com.

8. From Plow-Boy to Parsifal, 443.

9. Hoosier Tenor, The Indianapolis Star Sunday Magazine Section, December 10, 1911, pg. 1

9.5. How Orville Harrold Was “Discovered”, un-attributed news clipping in Patti Harrold’s scrapbook, quoting Gus Edwards regarding Orville’s Hammerstein breakthrough

10. Brilliant Assemblage of Musical Artists, Toronto World, October 7, 1912, quoting Gus Edwards working vaudeville with Orville at Patsy Morrison’s, Rockaway Beach

10.5. Hoosier Tenor, The Indianapolis Star Sunday Magazine Section, December 10, 1911, pg. 1

11. Harrold Still Subject, The Indianapolis Star Sunday, February 6. 1910, pg. 10

11.5. My Memories of Oscar Hammerstein, Orville Harrold, pg. 9

12. ibid.

13. ibid.

14. Wonder Doer Explains, The Indianapolis Star Sunday, February 20, 1910, pg. 11

15. ibid.

16. Harrold Still Subject, The Indianapolis Star Sunday, February 6, 1910, pg. 10

17. My Memories of Oscar Hammerstein, Orville Harrold, pg. 9

18. New Tenor Introduced, New York Times, January 17, 1910

19. My Memories of Oscar Hammerstein, Orville Harrold, pg. 10

20. Hammerstein May Quit Philadelphia, New York Times, January 29, 1910

21. My Memories of Oscar Hammerstein, Orville Harrold, pg. 10

22. ibid.

23. Hammerstein May Quit Philadelphia, New York Times, January 29, 1910

23.5 Of numerous references to this tour, an un-attributed example in Patti Harrold’s scrapbook, from a Buffalo, NY paper, is headlined  “Tetrazzini Enthralls Vast Assemblage”, further stating of Orville that “Few singers on the concert stage equal him in dramatic warmth and artistry.”

24. My Memories of Oscar Hammerstein, Orville Harrold, pg. 10

25. no heading, Logansport (Indiana) Pharos, February 17, 1910, pg. 3

26. Will Care For Harrold, The Indianapolis Star, May 8, 1910, pg. 7

27. Picked From the Street, The Hutchinson News, February 17, 1912, pg. 12

28. Star A Close Friend, The Sheboygan (Wis.) Press, November 15, 1911

29. Hammerstein Got $1,200,000, New York Times, May 17, 1910, corroborated in My Memories of Oscar Hammerstein, Orville Harrold, pg. 9\10, and Tuggle (below)

29.5. The Golden Age of Opera, Robert Tuggle (Holt, Rinehart, & Winston, New York, 1983) pg. 63

30. Hammerstein Got $1,200,000, New York Times, May 17, 1910

31. The Stage in the Twentieth Century, Volume 3, Robert Grau (Broadway Publishing Co., New York, 1912) pg. 282

32. Replies to Hammerstein, New York Times, April 17, 1910

33. Orville Harrold’s Remarkable Career, un-attributed 1913 article from Patti Harrold’s scrapbook, in which Oscar Saenger describes Orville’s initial discovery and training in 1909, and 1910 summer in Camden, Maine

34. Oscar Saenger And His Artist Pupils, un-attributed 1913 article from Patti Harrold’s scrapbook, describing Orville and Rudolf Berger working with Saenger, and showing photos of all from the 1910 summer in Camden, Maine. Photo details match those in the above reference.
Also, Hammerstein Plan Pleases Singers, New York Times, July 11, 1910, describing Berger sailing from Europe for American and Maine, along with Marie Rappold, with whom he had been singing in Bucharest and Paris

35. Sophie Brandt Back To Sing In Opera, New York Times, August 17, 1910

36 “Hans Flute Player” Is Full of Melody, New York Times, September 21, 1910

37 Hammerstein Ready To Build In London, New York Times, October 15, 1910, describing start of London construction, and 1911 plans for Orville in Paris & London

38. Theatre Collection (University of New Brunswick Library, Manuscripts Collection Index) Blanche Malli appeared in Winnipeg and Halifax during 1907 and 1908 seasons

39. Blanche Malli (Internet Broadway DataBank, ibdb.com)

40. Orville Harrold, un-attributed news clipping from Bridgeport, CT, May of 1916, from the scrapbook of Effie Kiger Harrold

41. The Golden Age of Opera, Robert Tuggle (Holt, Rinehart, & Winston, New York, 1983) pg. 158

42. Orville Harrold, un-attributed news clipping from Bridgeport, CT, May of 1916, from the scrapbook of Effie Kiger Harrold, corroborated by Charles A. Hooey, An American Original – Orville Harrold, (MusicWeb International, 2010)

43. Stage Children’s Benefit, New York Times, February 28, 1911

44. My Memories of Oscar Hammerstein, Orville Harrold, pg. 66

45. Star A Close Friend, The Sheboygan (Wis.) Press, November 15, 1911

 

Next ...

[Preface] [Orville's Worlds] [Family] [Young Orville ] [To New York] [To London, and back] [The Second Marriage, 1913 – 1917] [The Third Marriage, Rehabilitation] [The Met Years, Two careers 1920-1924] [Photogallery]