Marcella Craft (August 11, 1874 – December 12, 1959) was an American

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 librett ...

tic

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

who performed internationally in the late 19th century and early 20th century.

Personal life

Born Marcia Craft in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

, she moved with her family to

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire an ...

in 1887. Craft graduated from Riverside High School in 1893. During the graduation ceremony, at Riverside's Loring Opera House, she performed her first public solo.Hall, page 18. Encouraged by the community, and with contributions from local businessmen, Craft studied opera in Boston, Massachusetts under maestro Charles R. Adams. Upon completion of her studies, she traveled to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

for additional tutoring. In 1917 Craft purchased a home for her parents on Prospect Avenue in Riverside. After leaving Germany in 1932, she returned to Riverside and also lived in the Prospect Avenue home until her death in 1959. She is buried in Riverside's Evergreen Cemetery.

Career

While in Italy Craft's tutor changed her name to Marcella, and she started receiving leading operatic roles. She sang with

Enrico Caruso Enrico Caruso (, , ; 25 February 1873 – 2 August 1921) was an Italian operatic first lyrical tenor then dramatic tenor. He sang to great acclaim at the major opera houses of Europe and the Americas, appearing in a wide variety of roles (74) ...

and others. Her biggest success came after she moved to Germany, where she became a lead with the

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

Opera. Although her career primarily kept her in Europe, Craft regularly returned to Riverside where she frequently sang at the annual Easter Sunrise Service on Mount Rubidoux.Durian, Hal. "Riverside Was Marcella Craft's 'American' Home", ''The Press-Enterprise'', May 16, 2010, page C5.

References

Bibliography

* Hall, Joan H. ''Through the Doors of the Mission Inn'', Chapter 5, ''Marcella Craft''; Highgrove Press, 1996. . LOC: 95–95291.

Citations and notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Craft, Marcella American operatic sopranos Musicians from Riverside, California Burials at Evergreen Cemetery (Riverside, California) 1874 births 1959 deaths Musicians from Indianapolis Singers from California 19th-century American actresses American stage actresses 20th-century American actresses Classical musicians from California 19th-century American women opera singers 20th-century American women opera singers Singers from Indiana Classical musicians from Indiana