Cecil Arden (December 15, 1894 – September 4, 1989) was an American mezzo-soprano and

contralto A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typica ...

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

singer active over the early decades of the twentieth century.

Life and career

Cecile Alexia Hart was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

to Benjamin and Mildred Hart. Her father was real estate broker originally from Charleston, South Carolina, and her mother a native of Springfield, Illinois.Cecil A. Hart, December 15, 1894 – September 4, 1989; Social Security Death Index; Ancestry.com Little is known of Arden's early life other than that she studied under the Italian

Arturo Buzzi-Peccia Arturo Buzzi-Peccia (13 October 1854 – 29 August 1943) was an Italian singing instructor and song composer. Biography Buzzi-Peccia was born 13 October 1854 in Milan, Italy, to Antonio and Clotilde Peccia. In 1868, he was accepted at the ...

and that there are photographs of her singing at a patriotic event on the steps of New York’s

Federal Hall National Memorial Federal Hall is a historic building at 26 Wall Street in the Financial District of Manhattan in New York City. The current Greek Revival–style building, completed in 1842 as the Custom House, is operated by the National Park Service as a na ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

(possibly after she joined the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is oper ...

). In October 1917, she was one of nearly 30 performers slated to appear in ''Friday Morning Musicals'' at the

New York Biltmore Hotel The New York Biltmore Hotel was a luxury hotel at 335 Madison Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The hotel was developed by the New York Central Railroad and the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad and operated from 1913 to 1981. ...

from November into January, 1918. Arden's debut with the Metropolitan Opera came on January 12, 1918, as Vanard in the American debut of Mascagni's lyric opera '' Lodoletta'' with

Geraldine Farrar Alice Geraldine Farrar (February 28, 1882 – March 11, 1967) was an American lyric soprano who could also sing dramatic roles. She was noted for her beauty, acting ability, and "the intimate timbre of her voice." She had a large following a ...

and Enrico Caruso. She remained with the Met for eight seasons singing mainly supporting roles. The remainder of her career would be spent on concert tours in Europe and America before the Great Depression made such enterprises financially risky."Singer, 80, Who Debuted with Caruso, Keeps Zest for Life." ''

The Capital Times ''The Capital Times'' (or ''Cap Times'') is a digital-first newspaper published in Madison, Wisconsin by The Capital Times Company. The company also owns 50 percent of Capital Newspapers, which now does business as Madison Media Partners. The o ...

'' (Madison, Wisconsin), January 26, 1973, p. 37 Arden lived with her mother in New York City throughout the war years and later married a Signor Ardito Tivoli and moved to Rome, where she would reside for 15 years. After her husband's death in the late 1960s, she returned to America to live with friends in Wisconsin and later Seattle, Washington. Arden died on September 4, 1989, probably in Seattle.This was her last known residence reported to the

Social Security Administration The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that administers Social Security, a social insurance program consisting of retirement, disability and survivor benefits. To qualify ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arden, Cecil 1894 births 1989 deaths American operatic contraltos American operatic mezzo-sopranos Singers from New York City 20th-century American women opera singers Classical musicians from New York (state)