Dorothy Irene Bond (later Dorothy Irene Dobson and Dorothy Irene Jenkins; 1921 – 20 November 1952), known professionally as Dorothy Bond, was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

coloratura soprano whose star shone brightly but briefly. She was noted for the purity of her tone and the accuracy of her intonation. She became a favourite singer of Sir

Thomas Beecham Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet, Order of the Companions of Honour, CH (29 April 18798 March 1961) was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic and the Roya ...

's, recording the voice of Olympia for the Powell and Pressburger film of Offenbach's ''

The Tales of Hoffmann ''The Tales of Hoffmann'' (French: ) is an by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was written by Jules Barbier, based on three short stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann, who is the protagonist of the story. It was Offenbach's final work; he died i ...

'' in 1950. She also recorded

Delius Delius, photographed in 1907 Frederick Theodore Albert Delius ( 29 January 1862 – 10 June 1934), originally Fritz Delius, was an English composer. Born in Bradford in the north of England to a prosperous mercantile family, he resisted atte ...

's ''

A Village Romeo and Juliet ''A Village Romeo and Juliet'' is an opera by Frederick Delius, the fourth of his six operas. The composer himself, with his wife Jelka, wrote the English-language libretto based on the short story "''Romeo und Julia auf dem Dorfe''" by the Swi ...

'' under Beecham, and Ernest Bloch's ''Sacred Service'' under the composer. She was killed in a road accident aged 31.

Training

Bond was born in 1921. She studied piano and cello at the Royal Academy of Music in London.Naxos, Symposium Records CD 1269
Naxosmusiclibrary.com, Retrieved 27 July 2014 She expressed an interest in becoming a singer, but Professor Evelyn Langston advised her to wait till she turned 20. This proved to be sound advice, as the fine coloratura voice she developed by the mid-1940s earned her a solid reputation in the concert hall.
Bach-cantatas.com, Retrieved 27 July 2014

Career

In 1948, Bond participated in

's recording of

Frederick Delius Delius, photographed in 1907 Frederick Theodore Albert Delius ( 29 January 1862 – 10 June 1934), originally Fritz Delius, was an English composer. Born in Bradford in the north of England to a prosperous mercantile family, he resisted atte ...

's ''

''. She sang the roles of Vreli as a child, and the Gingerbread Woman. In 1949, Bond participated in a recording of Ernest Bloch's ''Avodath Hakodesh (Sacred Service)'', conducted by the composer. The same year she sang final floated high D in a recording of the Sleepwalking Scene from Giuseppe Verdi's '' Macbeth'', conducted by Beecham, which was otherwise sung by

Margherita Grandi Margherita Grandi (10 October 1892Some sources give her birthdate as 4 October 1894.29 January 1972) was an Australian-born Italian soprano. Life and career Margherita Grandi was born Margaret Gard in Harwood Island, Clarence River, near Ma ...

.crq.org.uk
. Retrieved 27 July 2014 This was followed in 1950 by a film soundtrack recording of Offenbach's ''

Tales of Hoffmann ''The Tales of Hoffmann'' (French: ) is an by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was written by Jules Barbier, based on three short stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann, who is the protagonist of the story. It was Offenbach's final work; he died in ...

'', made under Beecham at

Shepperton Film Studios Shepperton Studios is a film studio located in Shepperton, Surrey, England, with a history dating back to 1931. It is now part of the Pinewood Studios Group. During its early existence, the studio was branded as Sound City (not to be confused ...

by London Films. Bond sang the role of Olympia; the role was played on-screen by dancer

Moira Shearer Moira Shearer King, Lady Kennedy (17 January 1926 – 31 January 2006), was an internationally renowned Scottish ballet dancer and actress. She was famous for her performances in Powell and Pressburger's '' The Red Shoes'' (1948) and '' The Ta ...

. The recording was then licensed by Decca and released on LP in 1951, Beecham having tried and failed in the courts to prevent its release. In 1949 and again in 1952, Bond was the soprano soloist in performances of Ralph Vaughan Williams's '' A Pastoral Symphony'' at the

BBC Proms The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...

. The latter performance was conducted by Sir

Malcolm Sargent Sir Harold Malcolm Watts Sargent (29 April 1895 – 3 October 1967) was an English conductor, organist and composer widely regarded as Britain's leading conductor of choral works. The musical ensembles with which he was associated include ...

. In 1951, she recorded

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...

's cantata ''Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn'', BWV 152, conducted by

Karl Haas Karl Haas (December 6, 1913February 6, 2005) was a German-American classical music radio host, known for his sonorous speaking voice, humanistic approach to music appreciation, and popularization of classical music. He was the host of the classi ...

. With her second husband, the violinist

Tom William Jenkins Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

, Bond recorded a selection of songs and arias, including "O luce di quest'anima" from Gaetano Donizetti's ''

Linda di Chamounix ''Linda di Chamounix'' is an operatic ''melodramma semiserio'' in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. The Italian libretto was written by Gaetano Rossi. It premiered in Vienna, at the Kärntnertortheater, on 19 May 1842. Performance history '' ...

'' (reaching a top F with ease),

Eric Coates Eric Francis Harrison Coates (27 August 1886 – 21 December 1957) was an English composer of light music and, early in his career, a leading viola, violist. Coates was born into a musical family, but, despite his wishes and obvious talent, ...

's "Bird Songs at Eventide", the "Waltz Song" from

Edward German Sir Edward German (17 February 1862 – 11 November 1936) was an English musician and composer of Welsh descent, best remembered for his extensive output of incidental music for the stage and as a successor to Arthur Sullivan in the field of En ...

's '' Tom Jones'', and Olympia's Song from ''The Tales of Hoffmann''.

Death

On 20 November 1952, at the age of 31, Bond was killed in a road accident near Leicester.

Personal life

Bond's first husband was Michael Dobson (1923–1992), principal oboist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. They had a daughter, Ann. In 1951, Bond married (as the second of his three wives) the violinist Tom William Jenkins (1910–1957), with whom she had a son.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bond, Dorothy 1920s births 1952 deaths English operatic sopranos Road incident deaths in England Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music 20th-century British women opera singers