John Sims Reeves (21 October 1821 – 25 October 1900) was an English
operatic
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 libret ...
,
oratorio
An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is mus ...
and ballad
tenor
A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...
vocalist during the mid-
Victorian era
In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...
.
Reeves began his singing career in 1838 but continued his vocal studies until 1847. He soon established himself on the opera and concert stage and became known for his interpretation of ballads. He continued singing through the 1880s and later taught and wrote about singing.
Musical beginnings
Sims Reeves was born in
Shooter's Hill
Shooter's Hill (or Shooters Hill) is a district in South East London within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It borders the London Borough of Bexley. It lies north of Eltham and south of Woolwich. With a height of , it is the highest point in t ...
, in Kent, England. His parents were John Reeves, a musician of Yorkshire origin, and his wife, Rosina. He received his earliest musical education from his father, a bass soloist in the
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
Band, and probably through the bandmaster, George McKenzie. By the age of fourteen he was appointed choirmaster of
North Cray
North Cray is a village in south-east London, England, within the London Borough of Bexley. It is south-east of Charing Cross.
It lies on the River Cray, east of Sidcup and south of Bexley, and is in the Cray Meadows electoral ward, which a ...
church and performed organist's duties. He seems to have studied medicine for a year but changed his mind when he gained his adult voice: it was at first a
baritone
A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...
, training under
Thomas Simpson Cooke
Thomas Simpson Cooke ("Tom Cooke") (July 1782 – 26 February 1848) was an Irish composer, conductor, singer, theatre musician and music director – an influential figure in early 19th-century opera in London.
Life
Mostly referred to as "Tom Co ...
. He also learnt
oboe
The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range.
A ...
,
bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...
, violin,
cello
The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...
and other instruments. He later studied piano under
Johann Baptist Cramer
Johann (sometimes John) Baptist Cramer (24 February 1771 – 16 April 1858) was an English pianist, composer and music publisher of German origin. He was the son of Wilhelm Cramer, a famous London violinist and conductor, one of a numerous family ...
.
He made his earliest appearance at
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to:
*Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England
*Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England
*Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
in 1838 or 1839 as the Gipsy boy in
Henry Bishop's ''Guy Mannering'', and as Count Rodolfo in ''
La sonnambula
''La sonnambula'' (''The Sleepwalker'') is an opera semiseria in two acts, with music in the ''bel canto'' tradition by Vincenzo Bellini set to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani, based on a scenario for a ''ballet-pantomime'' written by Eu ...
'' (baritone parts). Later he performed at the Grecian Saloon, London, under the name of Johnson.
[Biddlecombe, George]
"Reeves, (John) Sims (1818–1900)"
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 26 September 2008, He continued to study voice with Messrs. Hobbs and T. Cooke and appeared under
William Macready
William Charles Macready (3 March 179327 April 1873) was an English actor.
Life
He was born in London the son of William Macready the elder, and actress Christina Ann Birch. Educated at Rugby School where he became headboy, and where now the t ...
's management at
Drury Lane
Drury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster.
Notable landmarks ...
(1841–1843) in subordinate parts in spoken theatre and in
Henry Purcell
Henry Purcell (, rare: September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer.
Purcell's style of Baroque music was uniquely English, although it incorporated Italian and French elements. Generally considered among the greatest E ...
's ''
King Arthur
King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain.
In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...
'' ("Come if you dare"), ''
Der Freischütz
' ( J. 277, Op. 77 ''The Marksman'' or ''The Freeshooter'') is a German opera with spoken dialogue in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Friedrich Kind, based on a story by Johann August Apel and Friedrich Laun from their 181 ...
'' (as Ottokar), and ''
Acis and Galatea'' in 1842 when
Handel's pastoral was mounted on the stage with
Clarkson Frederick Stanfield
Clarkson Frederick Stanfield (3 December 179318 May 1867) was a prominent English painter (often inaccurately credited as William Clarkson Stanfield) who was best known for his large-scale paintings of dramatic marine subjects and landscapes. ...
's scenery.
In summer 1843 Reeves studied in Paris under the tenor and pedagogue
Marco Bordogni
Giulio Marco Bordogni (23 January 1789 – 31 July 1856), usually called just Marco Bordogni, was an Italian operatic tenor and singing teacher of great popularity and success, whose mature career was based in Paris.Principal source: Joannes Rochu ...
of the
Paris Conservatoire
The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...
.
[ Bordogni was responsible for opening and developing the upper (]tenor
A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...
) octave of his voice into the famous rich and brilliant head notes. From October 1843 to January 1844 Reeves appeared in a very varied programme of musical drama, including the roles of Elvino in ''La sonnambula'' and Tom Tug in Charles Dibdin
Charles Dibdin (before 4 March 1745 – 25 July 1814) was an English composer, musician, dramatist, novelist, singer and actor. With over 600 songs to his name, for many of which he wrote both the lyrics and the music and performed them himself, ...
's ''The Waterman
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'', at the Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
theatre, and over the next two years also performed in Dublin, Liverpool and elsewhere in the provinces. In the same period, especially from 1845, he continued his studies abroad, notably under Alberto Mazzucato (1813–1877), the dramatic composer and teacher then newly appointed singing instructor at the Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
Conservatory.
His debut in Italian opera was made on 29 October 1846 at La Scala
La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...
in Milan as Edgardo in Donizetti
Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was an Italian composer, best known for his almost 70 operas. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, he was a leading composer of the ''bel canto'' opera style duri ...
's ''Lucia di Lammermoor
''Lucia di Lammermoor'' () is a (tragic opera) in three acts by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian-language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's 1819 historical novel ''The Bride of Lammermoor''.
...
'', partnered by Catherine Hayes: he received a fine reception, and Giovanni Battista Rubini
Giovanni Battista Rubini (7 April 1794 – 3 March 1854) was an Italian tenor, as famous in his time as Enrico Caruso in a later day. His ringing and expressive coloratura dexterity in the highest register of his voice, the ''tenorino'', insp ...
paid his respects in person. (This role became Reeves's greatest, and his wife therefore nicknamed him 'Gardie'.) For six months he sang at the principal Italian opera houses, and finally in Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
, where he was rescued from his contract and returned to England.
1844–1848: English debuts in opera and concert
He returned to London in 1847, appearing in May at a benefit concert
A benefit concert or charity concert is a type of musical benefit performance (e.g., concert, show, or gala) featuring musicians, comedians, or other performers that is held for a charitable purpose, often directed at a specific and immediate hu ...
for William Vincent Wallace
William Vincent Wallace (11 March 1812 – 12 October 1865) was an Irish composer and pianist. In his day, he was famous on three continents as a double virtuoso on violin and piano. Nowadays, he is mainly remembered as an opera composer of n ...
, and in June at one of the 'Antient Concerts'. In September 1847 he sang in Edinburgh with Jenny Lind.[ His first principal role on the English operatic stage was with ]Louis-Antoine Jullien
Louis George Maurice Adolphe Roche Albert Abel Antonio Alexandre Noë Jean Lucien Daniel Eugène Joseph-le-brun Joseph-Barême Thomas Thomas Thomas-Thomas Pierre Arbon Pierre-Maurel Barthélemi Artus Alphonse Bertrand Dieudonné Emanuel Josué V ...
's English Opera company at Drury Lane Theatre
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Drur ...
in December 1847 in ''Lucia'', in English text, with Mme Doras Gras (Lucia) and Willoughby Weiss, winning immediate and near-universal acclaim, not least from Hector Berlioz, who conducted the performance. (Berlioz mistook him for an Irishman.) In the same season, in Balfe's ''The Maid of Honour'' (based on the subject of Flotow
Friedrich Adolf Ferdinand, Freiherr von Flotow /flo:to/ (27 April 1812 – 24 January 1883) was a German composer. He is chiefly remembered for his opera ''Martha'', which was popular in the 19th century and the early part of the 20th.
Life
...
's ''Martha
Martha (Hebrew: מָרְתָא) is a biblical figure described in the Gospels of Luke and John. Together with her siblings Lazarus and Mary of Bethany, she is described as living in the village of Bethany near Jerusalem. She was witness to ...
''), he created the part of Lyonnel. In May 1848 he joined Benjamin Lumley's company at Her Majesty's Theatre
Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who established t ...
and sang ''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
'' ...
'' with Eugenia Tadolini
Eugenia Tadolini (''née'' Savorani) (1809 – 11 July 1872) was an Italian operatic soprano. Admired for the beauty of her voice and stage presence, she was one of Donizetti's favourite singers. During her career she created over 20 leading ...
, but he severed the connection when Italo Gardoni
Italo Gardoni (12 March 1821 – 26 March 1882) was a leading operatic tenore di grazia singer from Italy who enjoyed a major international career during the middle decades of the 19th century. Along with Giovanni Mario, Gaetano Fraschini, En ...
was brought in to sing Edgardo in ''Lucia'' opposite Jenny Lind. But that autumn in Manchester he sang in ''Lucia'' and ''La sonnambula
''La sonnambula'' (''The Sleepwalker'') is an opera semiseria in two acts, with music in the ''bel canto'' tradition by Vincenzo Bellini set to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani, based on a scenario for a ''ballet-pantomime'' written by Eu ...
'', days after Lind appeared in the same works there, and Reeves obtained the better houses. Reeves sang ''La sonnambula'' and ''Lucia'' at Covent Garden in October.
In oratorio
An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is mus ...
, Reeves first sang ''Messiah
In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; ,
; ,
; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of ''mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach'' ...
'' in Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
, Scotland, during 1844. In February 1848 he sang Handel's ''Judas Maccabaeus
Judah Maccabee (or Judas Maccabeus, also spelled Machabeus, or Maccabæus, Hebrew: יהודה המכבי, ''Yehudah HaMakabi'') was a Jewish priest (''kohen'') and a son of the priest Mattathias. He led the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleu ...
'', at Exeter Hall
Exeter Hall was a large public meeting place on the north side of the Strand in central London, opposite where the Savoy Hotel now stands. From 1831 until 1907 Exeter Hall was the venue for many great gatherings by promoters of human bettermen ...
for John Pyke Hullah
John Pyke Hullah (27 June 1812 – 21 February 1884) was an English composer and teacher of music, whose promotion of vocal training is associated with the singing-class movement.
Life and career
Hullah was born at Worcester. He was a pupil ...
, ''Acis and Galatea'' in March and ''Jephtha
Jephthah (pronounced ; he, יִפְתָּח, ''Yīftāḥ''), appears in the Book of Judges as a judge who presided over Israel for a period of six years (). According to Judges, he lived in Gilead. His father's name is also given as Gilead, ...
'' in April and May. He was, meanwhile establishing himself as the leading ballad-singer in England. In September 1848 at the Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Engla ...
festival he took a solo in ''Elijah
Elijah ( ; he, אֵלִיָּהוּ, ʾĒlīyyāhū, meaning "My El (deity), God is Yahweh/YHWH"; Greek form: Elias, ''Elías''; syr, ܐܸܠܝܼܵܐ, ''Elyāe''; Arabic language, Arabic: إلياس or إليا, ''Ilyās'' or ''Ilyā''. ) w ...
'', and sang in Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...
's '' Christ on the Mount of Olives'', and packed the hall in a recital of ''Oberon
Oberon () is a king of the fairies in medieval and Renaissance literature. He is best known as a character in William Shakespeare's play ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', in which he is King of the Fairies and spouse of Titania, Queen of the Fairi ...
''. At the Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
Festival he was sensational in ''Elijah'' and ''Israel in Egypt
''Israel in Egypt'', HWV 54, is a biblical oratorio by the composer George Frideric Handel. Most scholars believe the libretto was prepared by Charles Jennens, who also compiled the biblical texts for Handel's '' Messiah''. It is composed ...
''. After his November appearance at the Sacred Harmonic Society in ''Judas Maccabaeus'', a critic wrote, 'the mantle of Braham
Braham may refer to:
* Braham (surname)
* Braham, Minnesota, a city in the United States
*Braham Murray
Braham Sydney Murray, OBE (12 February 1943 – 25 July 2018) was an English theatre director. In 1976, he was one of five founding Artistic ...
is destined to fall' (on Reeves). Critic Henry Chorley
Henry Fothergill Chorley (15 December 1808 – 16 February 1872) was an English literary, art and music critic, writer and editor. He was also an author of novels, drama, poetry and lyrics.
Chorley was a prolific and important music and litera ...
wrote that Reeves had created 'a positive revolution in the interpretation of Handel's oratorios.'
Italian opera
Reeves toured in Dublin at Theatre Royal in 1849, for Mr Calcraft. After his successful engagement he attended the debut there of the Irish soprano Catherine Hayes, in ''Lucia'': her ''Edgardo'', Sig. Paglieri, was hissed from the stage, and Reeves was obliged to stand in for the performance. His London Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...
Italian debut was in 1849, as ''Elvino'' in Bellini's ''La sonnambula
''La sonnambula'' (''The Sleepwalker'') is an opera semiseria in two acts, with music in the ''bel canto'' tradition by Vincenzo Bellini set to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani, based on a scenario for a ''ballet-pantomime'' written by Eu ...
'', opposite Fanny Tacchinardi Persiani
Fanny Tacchinardi Persiani () (4 October 1812 – 3 May 1867) was an Italian soprano particularly associated with bel canto composers, such as Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini, and early Verdi. Her 'golden' period in Paris and London was betwee ...
(the creator of the title role in ''Lucia''): he made a great effect of full lyrical declamation in ''Tutto e sciolto... Ah! perche non-posso odiarti?''. After his ''Edgardo'' in ''Lucia'', Reeves' ''Elvino'' was generally considered his finest role in Italian opera. In the winter of 1849 he returned to English opera, and in 1850 at Her Majesty's he made a further great success in Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...
's ''Ernani
''Ernani'' is an operatic ''dramma lirico'' in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the 1830 play ''Hernani (drama), Hernani'' by Victor Hugo.
Verdi was commissioned by the Teatro La Fenice in V ...
'', opposite the ''Elvira'' of Mdlle Parodi and ''Carlo'' of , who was about to embark on an American tour at the invitation of Jenny Lind. In encores, the cry of 'Reeves!' became widespread.
On 2 November 1850, he married Charlotte Emma Lucombe (1823–1895), a soprano who had a brief but brilliant season at the Sacred Harmonic Society and had joined the same company as Reeves at Covent Garden. There she appeared with success as Haydee in Auber's opera, and remained on the stage for four or five years after their marriage. Emma Reeves idolised her husband and in later years became almost obsessively attentive to his comfort and reputation. In February 1851 they returned to Dublin, where Reeves was to have performed with the soprano Giulia Grisi
Giulia Grisi (22 May 1811 – 29 November 1869) was an Italian opera singer. She performed widely in Europe, the United States and South America and was among the leading sopranos of the 19th century.Chisholm 1911, p. ?
Her second husband was Gi ...
: she, however, was indisposed, and Mr. and Mrs. Reeves appeared together there instead in the lead roles in ''Lucia di Lammermoor'', ''La Sonnambula'', ''Ernani'' and Bellini's ''I Puritani''. Reeves also played there ''Macheath'' in the ''Beggar's Opera.'' Emma and Sims Reeves had five children, of whom Herbert Sims Reeves and Constance Sims Reeves became professional singers.[
Dublin was followed immediately by Lumley engagements at the ''Théâtre des Italiens'', Paris, where he sang ''Ernani'', Carlo in ''Linda di Chamounix'' (opposite ]Henriette Sontag
Henriette Sontag, born Gertrude Walpurgis Sontag, and, after her marriage, entitled Henriette, Countess Rossi (3 January 1806 – 17 June 1854), was a German operatic soprano of great international renown. She possessed a sweet-toned, lyrical voi ...
) and ''Gennaro'' in Donizetti's ''Lucrezia Borgia
Lucrezia Borgia (; ca-valencia, Lucrècia Borja, links=no ; 18 April 1480 – 24 June 1519) was a Spanish-Italian noblewoman of the House of Borgia who was the daughter of Pope Alexander VI and Vannozza dei Cattanei. She reigned as the Govern ...
''. In 1851 Reeves sang Florestan in ''Fidelio
''Fidelio'' (; ), originally titled ' (''Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love''), Op. 72, is Ludwig van Beethoven's only opera. The German libretto was originally prepared by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly, wi ...
'' to Sophie Cruvelli
Sophie Johanne Charlotte Crüwell, vicountess Vigier, stage name Sophie Cruvelli (12 March 1826 – 6 November 1907) was a German opera singer. She was a dramatic soprano who had a brief but stellar public career especially in London and Paris ...
's Leonore, and some thought he outshone her.
1850s: focus on concerts
During the next three decades, Reeves was the leading tenor in Britain. He had the honour of singing privately for Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
and Prince Albert. Michael Costa, Arthur Sullivan
Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan (13 May 1842 – 22 November 1900) was an English composer. He is best known for 14 comic opera, operatic Gilbert and Sullivan, collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including ''H.M.S. Pinaf ...
and the other leading British composers of the period wrote tenor parts specifically for him. He could command fees as high as £200 per week for his appearances.[
Reeves was generous to younger singers, and this generosity later redounded to his own benefit. In around 1850, Reeves gave encouragement to ]James Henry Mapleson
James Henry Mapleson (Colonel Mapleson) (4 May 1830 – 14 November 1901) was an English opera impresario, a leading figure in the development of opera production, and of the careers of singers, in London and New York in the mid-19th century.
Born ...
, who applied to him for advice as a singer, sending him off to study with Mazzucato at the Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
conservatory. In 1855 he gave the young Charles Santley
Sir Charles Santley (28 February 1834 – 22 September 1922) was an English opera and oratorio singer with a ''bravura''From the Italian verb ''bravare'', to show off. A florid, ostentatious style or a passage of music requiring technical skill ...
friendly encouragement, recommending that he should contact Lamperti in his forthcoming studies in Italy, and they were afterwards introduced during the interval of a Royal Philharmonic
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works.
The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...
concert. Reeves's concert association with Santley continued until the last year of his life. Mapleson, who became an important theatre manager, promoted Reeves's operatic appearances of the 1860s.
During the 1850s, Reeves's career moved away from the stage and increasingly focused upon concert work. Reeves sang throughout the English provinces. Michael Costa (afterwards ''Sir'' Michael) composed two oratorios for the Birmingham Triennial Music Festival
The Birmingham Triennial Musical Festival, in Birmingham, England, founded in 1784, was the longest-running classical music festival of its kind. It last took place in 1912.
History
The first music festival, over three days in September 1768 ...
with lead tenor parts written for Reeves. The first, ''Eli'', was presented in 1855, and (unusually in oratorio) encores were demanded. The effect of the solo and chorus ''Philistines, Hark the Trumpet Sounding'' was electric, and was witnessed in the audience by the three great Italian tenors Mario
is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his cre ...
, Gardoni and Enrico Tamberlik
Enrico Tamberlik (16 March 1820 – 13 March 1889) was an Italian tenor who sang to great acclaim at Europe and America's leading opera venues. He excelled in the heroic roles of the Italian and French repertories and was renowned for his po ...
with astonishment.
Reeves scored his greatest triumphs in oratorio at the Handel Festivals at The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace was a cast iron and plate glass structure, originally built in Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park, London, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. The exhibition took place from 1 May to 15 October 1851, and more than 14,000 exhibit ...
. At the inaugural festival of June 1857 he delivered ''Messiah'', ''Israel in Egypt'' and ''Judas Maccabaeus'', and these were repeated at the Handel centennial festival of 1859, when he was in company with Willoughby Weiss, Clara Novello, Mme Sainton-Dolby and Giovanni Belletti. In ''Sound an Alarm'' during that festival, Reeves created a sensation, and the audience stood to applaud him. Yet the ''Musical World'' considered that his "The Enemy Said" from ''Israel in Egypt'' surpassed even that, and was the vocal feat of the festival.
At the opening of the Leeds Town Hall in 1858 he was a soloist in the premiere of the pastorale ''The May Queen'' by William Sterndale Bennett
Sir William Sterndale Bennett (13 April 18161 February 1875) was an English composer, pianist, conductor and music educator. At the age of ten Bennett was admitted to the London Royal Academy of Music (RAM), where he remained for ten years. B ...
.
Return to the stage
After a period of absence from the stage, in 1859–60 an English version of Gluck
Christoph Willibald (Ritter von) Gluck (; 2 July 1714 – 15 November 1787) was a composer of Italian and French opera in the early classical period. Born in the Upper Palatinate and raised in Bohemia, both part of the Holy Roman Empire, he g ...
's '' Iphigénie en Tauride'' by H. F. Chorley was presented by Charles Hallé
Sir Charles Hallé (born Karl Halle; 11 April 181925 October 1895) was an Anglo-German pianist and conductor, and founder of The Hallé orchestra in 1858.
Life
Hallé was born Karl Halle on 11 April 1819 in Hagen, Westphalia. After settling ...
at Manchester, with Reeves, Charles Santley
Sir Charles Santley (28 February 1834 – 22 September 1922) was an English opera and oratorio singer with a ''bravura''From the Italian verb ''bravare'', to show off. A florid, ostentatious style or a passage of music requiring technical skill ...
, Belletti and Catherine Hayes, and two private performances were also given at the Park Lane
Park Lane is a dual carriageway road in the City of Westminster in Central London. It is part of the London Inner Ring Road and runs from Hyde Park Corner in the south to Marble Arch in the north. It separates Hyde Park to the west from ...
home of Lord Ward. Mapleson had obtained Reeves, Santley and Helen Lemmens-Sherrington
Helen Lemmens-Sherrington (4 October 1834 – 9 May 1906) was an English concert and operatic soprano prominent from the 1850s to the 1880s. Born in northern England, she spent much of her childhood and later life in Belgium, where she studied at ...
for a summer and winter season from Benjamin Lumley, and in 1860 they had a major success in George Macfarren
George Macfarren (1788–1843) was a playwright and the father of composer George Alexander Macfarren.
Life
He was born in London 5 September 1788.
He was the son of George Macfarren.
He was educated chiefly at Archbishop Tenison's school in Cast ...
's ''Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...
'' (text by John Oxenford
John Oxenford (12 August 1812 – 21 February 1877) was an English dramatist, critic and translator.
Life
Oxenford was born in Camberwell, London, his father a prosperous merchant. Whilst he was privately educated, it is reported that he was m ...
) at Her Majesty's, again under Hallé's direction. This new composition had several very effective passages written for Reeves in his role as Locksley, including "Englishmen by birth are free", "The grasping, rasping Norman race", "Thy gentle voice would lead me on", and a grand prison scena. This proved more successful in ticket sales than the alternate Italian nights of ''Il trovatore'' and ''Don Giovanni'' despite the rival attractions of the soprano Thérèse Tietjens
Thérèse Carolina Johanne Alexandra Tietjens (17 July 1831, Hamburg3 October 1877, London) was a leading opera and oratorio soprano. She made her career chiefly in London during the 1860s and 1870s, but her sequence of musical triumphs in th ...
and the tenor Antonio Giuglini
Antonio Giuglini (16 or 17 January 1825 – 12 October 1865) was an Italian operatic tenor. During the last eight years of his life, before he developed signs of mental instability, he earned renown as one of the leading stars of the operatic ...
.
In 1862, Reeves presented ''Mazeppa'', a cantata written for him by Michael William Balfe
Michael William Balfe (15 May 1808 – 20 October 1870) was an Irish composer, best remembered for his operas, especially ''The Bohemian Girl''.
After a short career as a violinist, Balfe pursued an operatic singing career, while he began to co ...
. In July 1863 Reeves appeared for Mapleson as Huon in ''Oberon
Oberon () is a king of the fairies in medieval and Renaissance literature. He is best known as a character in William Shakespeare's play ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', in which he is King of the Fairies and spouse of Titania, Queen of the Fairi ...
'' – the role written for Braham – with Tietjens, Marietta Alboni
Maria Anna Marzia (called Marietta) Alboni (6 March 1826 – 23 June 1894) was a renowned Italian contralto opera singer. She is considered "one of the greatest contraltos in operatic history".
Biography
Alboni was born at Città di Castello, i ...
, Zelia Trebelli, Alessandro Bettini, Edouard Gassier and Santley. After touring that winter as Huon, Edgardo and in the title role of Gounod
Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...
's ''Faust
Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540).
The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroa ...
'', (with Tietjens) in Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
, in 1864 he appeared at Her Majesty's in ''Faust'' and was especially complimented for the dramatic instinct of Faust's soliloquy in Act I and the superb energy of the duet with Mephistopheles which closes the Act. Reeves's reviewer in this role remarks on the fine condition of his voice at this date. Although the critic Eduard Hanslick was ''told'' that the voice had already 'gone' in 1862, Herman Klein
Herman Klein (born Hermann Klein; 23 July 1856 – 10 March 1934) was an English music critic, author and teacher of singing. Klein's famous brothers included Charles Klein, Charles and Manuel Klein. His second wife was the writer Kathleen Cla ...
thought that it was still in its prime in 1866: 'a more exquisite illustration of what is termed the true Italian tenor quality it would be impossible to imagine: and this delicious sweetness, this rare combination of 'velvety' richness with ringing timbre, he retained in diminishing volume almost to the last.'
Oratorio and cantata
In May 1862 at St James's Hall
St. James's Hall was a concert hall in London that opened on 25 March 1858, designed by architect and artist Owen Jones, who had decorated the interior of the Crystal Palace. It was situated between the Quadrant in Regent Street and Piccadilly, ...
, Reeves took part in what he believed was the first complete performance in England of the ''St Matthew Passion
The ''St Matthew Passion'' (german: Matthäus-Passion, links=-no), BWV 244, is a '' Passion'', a sacred oratorio written by Johann Sebastian Bach in 1727 for solo voices, double choir and double orchestra, with libretto by Picander. It sets ...
'' of J. S. 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 ...
. This was under William Sterndale Bennett
Sir William Sterndale Bennett (13 April 18161 February 1875) was an English composer, pianist, conductor and music educator. At the age of ten Bennett was admitted to the London Royal Academy of Music (RAM), where he remained for ten years. B ...
, with Mme Sainton-Dolby, and Willoughby Weiss. Of this performance Reeves (who usually respected a composer's scoring absolutely) wrote:
'The tenor part... is in many places so unvocal, and the intervals are so awkward to take, that I was obliged to re-note it: without, of course, disturbing the accents or making it in any way unsuitable to the existing harmony. As soon as I had finished my work, to which I had devoted the greatest possible care, I submitted it to Bennett, who, except in one place, approved of all that I had done; and it was my version of the tenor part which was sung at Bennett's memorable performance, and which is still sung even to this day.'
In Michael Costa's second oratorio for Reeves, ''Naaman'' (first performed autumn 1864), the soloists were Reeves, Adelina Patti
Adelina Patti (19 February 184327 September 1919) was an Italian 19th-century opera singer, earning huge fees at the height of her career in the music capitals of Europe and America. She first sang in public as a child in 1851, and gave her la ...
(her first appearance in oratorio), Miss Palmer, and Santley. The quartet "Honour and Glory" was repeated by immediate and spontaneous demand. Both oratorios probably owed their original success, and later comparative obscurity, to the fact that Reeves was their ideal interpreter, and with changing vocal fashions no successor could replace him adequately. In 1869 Reeves, Santley and Tietjens sang in the premiere of Arthur Sullivan's cantata '' The Prodigal Son'', at the Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Engla ...
Festival. Santley considered Reeves's performance of the passage "I will arise and go to my father" a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Reeves also sang in the premiere of Sullivan's oratorio, '' The Light of the World'', together with Tietjens, Trebelli, and Santley.
Reeves claimed close and primary association with several of the great tenor leads in the oratorios of Handel and Mendelssohn
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include sym ...
. The songs "Men, Brothers and Fathers, Hearken to me" (from ''St Paul''), and "The Enemy has Said" and "Sound an Alarm" (''Judas Maccabaeus'') were particular favourites, and his friend Rev Archer Thompson Gurney also extolled his "Waft her, angels" (''Jephtha
Jephthah (pronounced ; he, יִפְתָּח, ''Yīftāḥ''), appears in the Book of Judges as a judge who presided over Israel for a period of six years (). According to Judges, he lived in Gilead. His father's name is also given as Gilead, ...
''), his Samson and his Acis ("Love in her eyes sits playing").
Concert pitch debate
Reeves's declamation in The Crystal Palace was a main attraction and was repeated at each succeeding triennial festival until 1874. During the later 1860s Reeves felt it necessary to make public representations against the constantly increasing rise in English concert pitch
Concert pitch is the pitch (music), pitch reference to which a group of musical instruments are musical tuning, tuned for a performance. Concert pitch may vary from musical ensemble, ensemble to ensemble, and has varied widely over music history. ...
, which was by then half a tone higher than elsewhere in Europe and a full tone higher than in the age of Gluck
Christoph Willibald (Ritter von) Gluck (; 2 July 1714 – 15 November 1787) was a composer of Italian and French opera in the early classical period. Born in the Upper Palatinate and raised in Bohemia, both part of the Holy Roman Empire, he g ...
. The pitch of the organ at the Birmingham Festival was (of necessity) lowered, after a similar reduction had been forced by senior artistes at Drury Lane
Drury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster.
Notable landmarks ...
. Singers such as Adelina Patti and Christina Nilsson made similar demands. However Sir Michael Costa resisted the change, and Reeves finally withdrew his services from the Crystal Palace Handel Festivals, performed by the Sacred Harmonic Society, before the 1877 festival. For this reason he did not appear with the Sacred Harmonic Society thereafter.
Later years
In the winter of 1878–1879, he appeared with immense success in ''The Beggar's Opera
''The Beggar's Opera'' is a ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay with music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch. It is one of the watershed plays in Augustan drama and is the only example of the once thriving genre of satiri ...
'' and in ''The Waterman'', at Covent Garden. Edward Lloyd Edward Lloyd may refer to:
Politicians
*Edward Lloyd (MP for Montgomery), Welsh lawyer and politician
* Edward Lloyd (16th-century MP) (died 1547) for Buckingham
*Edward Lloyd, 1st Baron Mostyn (1768–1854), British politician
*Edward Lloyd (Colon ...
, who took Reeves's place as principal tenor at the Handel Festivals, sang with him, and with the tenor Ben Davies, in a performance of the trio for tenor voices 'Evviva Bacco' by Curschmann, at a concert in St James's Hall in 1889.
Reeves's retirement from public life, at first announced as to take place in 1882, did not actually occur until 1891. Then a farewell concert for his benefit was given at the Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...
in which Reeves himself performed, supported by Christine Nilsson, and at which he received a eulogy from Sir Henry Irving
Sir Henry Irving (6 February 1838 – 13 October 1905), christened John Henry Brodribb, sometimes known as J. H. Irving, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility ( ...
. George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...
remarked that even then, in such Handelian airs as ''Total Eclipse'' (''Samson''), 'he can still leave the next best tenor in England an immeasurable distance behind.' The song " Come into the Garden, Maud", which Balfe had written for him in 1857, appeared often in his late concerts.
It is certain that Reeves stayed before the public long after his greatest powers had waned. He invested his savings in an unfortunate speculation, and he was compelled to reappear in public for a number of years. In his later career, he frequently withdrew from promised appearances owing to the effects of colds on his fragile vocal equipment, and through an unhappy susceptibility to the effects of nervousness. This also caused him financial difficulties: Besides the loss of income from the engagements, legal judgments for failure to perform were rendered against him, including in 1869 and 1871.[ The accusation (which gained some currency) that he was given to drink was disavowed by his friend Sir Charles Santley.
In 1890 Shaw stated that Reeves's many cancelled appearances were made entirely for the sake of pure artistic integrity 'which few appreciate fully', but left him at the head of his profession, and had required enormous efforts of artistic conviction, courage, and self-respect. He wrote of a performance of Blumenthal's ''The Message'', 'In spite of all his husbandry, he has but few notes left now; yet the wonderfully telling effect and unique quality of those few still justify him as the one English singer who has worked in his own way, and at all costs, to attain and preserve ideal perfection of tone.'
Klein said much the same as Shaw: 'To hear him, long after he had passed the age of seventy, sing "Adelaide" or "Deeper and Deeper Still" or "The Message" was an exposition of breath control, of tone-colouring, of phrasing and expression, that may truly be described as unique.' Reeves sang in two concerts in the first season of ]The 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 ...
, at Queen's Hall
The Queen's Hall was a concert hall in Langham Place, London, Langham Place, London, opened in 1893. Designed by the architect Thomas Knightley, it had room for an audience of about 2,500 people. It became London's principal concert venue. Fro ...
in 1895 (at which the lower continental pitch was employed). They were the only two concerts of that season that were sold out: all the others made at least £50 loss.
In 1888, Reeves published ''Sims Reeves, his Life and Recollections'', followed by ''My Jubilee, or, Fifty Years of Artistic Life'' in 1889. At the same time, he became a teacher at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. His 1900 book, ''On the Art of Singing'', describes his pedagogic methods. After the death of his wife in 1895, he quickly married one of his students, Lucy Maud Madeleine Richard (b. 1873), and the couple toured South Africa the next year. Reeves died in Worthing
Worthing () is a seaside town in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 111,400 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Brighton and Ho ...
, England, on 25 October 1900 and was cremated at Woking.[
]
Vocal example and legacy
Braham's ''The Death of Nelson'' was prominent in Reeves' concert repertoire. Reeves was naturally aware that his career mirrored that of Braham, and remarked that, like Braham, his success had been many-sided, in opera, oratorio and ballad concerts. The coincidence that his career had begun in the year of Braham's retirement, 1839, and the early reviews saying that he would inherit Braham's mantle, both shaped a prophecy and helped to fulfil it. Braham was a virtuoso of the old Italian school, able to deliver florid passages with intensity, accuracy and declamatory power. In 'assuming his mantle', Reeves consciously imitated his breadth of repertoire, and at his best had a very powerful and flexible declamation combined with great sweetness of tone and melodic power. Shaw classed his 'beautiful firmness and purity of tone' with Patti's and Santley's. Sir Henry Wood compared the ''caressing'' nature of his voice with Richard Tauber
Richard Tauber (16 May 1891 – 8 January 1948) was an Austrian tenor and film actor.
Early life
Richard Tauber was born in Linz, Austria, to Elisabeth Seifferth (née Denemy), a widow and an actress who played soubrette roles at the local theat ...
's, adding, 'I never hear the title of ''Deeper and deeper still'' (Handel) without thinking of his lovely inflection and quality.'
In the Handel tenor roles, his immediate successor in the Crystal Palace performances, until 1900, was the English tenor Edward Lloyd Edward Lloyd may refer to:
Politicians
*Edward Lloyd (MP for Montgomery), Welsh lawyer and politician
* Edward Lloyd (16th-century MP) (died 1547) for Buckingham
*Edward Lloyd, 1st Baron Mostyn (1768–1854), British politician
*Edward Lloyd (Colon ...
, who recorded "Sound an Alarm", "Lend me your Aid" (Gounod – "Reine de Saba"), the tenor solos from ''Elijah'', Braham's ''Death of Nelson'', Dibdin's ''Tom Bowling'' and ballads of the declamatory style (such as Frederic Clay
Frederic Emes Clay (3 August 1838 – 24 November 1889) was an English composer known principally for songs and his music written for the stage.
Although from a musical family, for 16 years Clay made his living as a civil servant in HM Treasury ...
's "I'll sing thee songs of Araby"; " Alice, Where Art Thou?" and "Come into the Garden, Maud") – all closely identified with Reeves – in the first years of the twentieth century. In 1903 Herman Klein wrote that 'The mantle of Braham and Sims Reeves, worthily borne by Edward Lloyd, was resting more or less easily upon the shoulders of Ben Davies, a singer whose rare musical instinct and intelligence have always partially atoned for his uneven scale and his lack of ringing head-notes.' (Possibly this suggests some comparison to their great predecessors, in Lloyd's and Davies's style of declamation.) However Klein later admitted that neither Lloyd nor Davies ever laid claim to be Reeves's successor.
Reeves was a member of the Garrick Club
The Garrick Club is a gentlemen's club in the heart of London founded in 1831. It is one of the oldest members' clubs in the world and, since its inception, has catered to members such as Charles Kean, Henry Irving, Herbert Beerbohm Tree, Ar ...
, where in his younger days he associated with William Makepeace Thackeray
William Makepeace Thackeray (; 18 July 1811 – 24 December 1863) was a British novelist, author and illustrator. He is known for his satirical works, particularly his 1848 novel ''Vanity Fair'', a panoramic portrait of British society, and t ...
, Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
, Thomas Talfourd
Sir Thomas Noon Talfourd SL (26 May 179513 March 1854) was an English judge, Radical politician and author.
Life
The son of a well-to-do brewer, Talfourd was born in Reading, Berkshire. He received his education at Hendon and Reading School. ...
, Charles Kemble
Charles Kemble (25 November 1775 – 12 November 1854) was a Welsh-born English actor of a prominent theatre family.
Life
Charles Kemble was one of 13 siblings and the youngest son of English Roman Catholic theatre manager/actor Roger Kemble ...
, Charles Kean
Charles John Kean (18 January 181122 January 1868), was an English actor and theatre manager, best known for his revivals of Shakespearean plays.
Life
Kean was born at Waterford, Ireland, a son of actor Edmund Kean and actress Mary Kean ('' ...
, Albert Smith and Shirley Brooks
Charles William Shirley Brooks (29 April 1816 – 23 February 1874) was an English journalist and novelist. Born in London, he began his career in a solicitor's office. Shortly afterwards he took to writing, and contributed to various per ...
.[Reeves 1889, pp. 146–47.]
References
Sources
* H. F. Chorley, ''Thirty Years' Musical Recollections'' (Hurst and Blackett, London 1862).
* H. S. Edwards, ''The life and artistic career of Sims Reeves'' (1881)
* R. Elkin, ''Queen's Hall 1893–1941'' (Rider, London 1944)
* Arthur Jacobs, ''Arthur Sullivan: a Victorian musician'', 2nd edn (Constable & Co, London 1992)
* H. Klein, ''Thirty Years of Musical Life in London'' (Century Co., New York 1903)
* R. H. Legge and W. E. Hansell, ''Annals of the Norfolk and Norwich triennial musical festivals'' (1896), pp. 116 and 144
* J. H. Mapleson, ''The Mapleson Memoirs, 2 vols'' (Belford, Clarke & Co, Chicago and New York 1888).
* Charles E. Pearce, ''Sims Reeves – Fifty Years of Music in England'' (Stanley Paul, 1924)
* S. Reeves, 1888, ''Sims Reeves, His Life and Recollections, Written by Himself'' (8th Edn, London 1888).
* S. Reeves, ''My Jubilee: Or, Fifty Years of Artistic Life'' (Music Publishing Co. Ltd, London 1889).
* S. Reeves, ''On the art of singing'' (1900)
* C. Santley, 1892, ''Student and Singer, The Reminiscences of Charles Santley'' (Edward Arnold, London 1892).
* C. Santley, 1909, ''Reminiscences of my Life'' (London, Pitman).
* M. Scott, 1977, ''The Record of Singing
''The Record of Singing'' is a compilation of classical-music singing from the first half of the 20th century, the era of the 78-rpm record.
It was issued on LP (with accompanying books) by EMI, successor to the British company His Master's Voi ...
to 1914'' (London, Duckworth), 48–49.
* G.B. Shaw, 1932, ''Music in London 1890–94 by Bernard Shaw'', Standard Edition 3 Vols
*''The Athenaeum'', 7 November 1868, p. 610; and 3 November 1900, p. 586
External links
Sims Reeves, His Life and Recollections, text on Google Books
Sims Reeves, My Jubilee: 50 Years of Musical Life, facsimile text from Open Library
The Gilbert and Sullivan Archive (2004) (a song dedicated by Sullivan to Reeves in 1866, with photograph of, and information about, Reeves)
The Gilbert and Sullivan Archive (2004) (a song written "expressly for" Reeves by Sullivan in 1872)
Portraits of Sims Reeves (NPG)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reeves, Sims
English operatic tenors
People from Shooter's Hill
1821 births
1900 deaths
Artists' Rifles soldiers
Musicians from Kent
19th-century British male singers