Marcia Van Dresser (1877 – July 11, 1937) 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 ...

recital A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variety an ...

ist and actress. She was sometimes referred to as a

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

Biography

Van Dresser spent her early life in Memphis and later studied for opera with

Hermine Bosetti Hermine Bosetti ''née'' von Flick (28 September 1875, Vienna – 1 May 1936, Hohenrain or Munich), was a German coloratura soprano. Bosetti sang her debut in Wiesbaden (1898) as "Ännchen" in ''Der Freischütz''. In 1900, she was a member of t ...

and

Jean de Reszke Jean de Reszke (14 January 18503 April 1925) was a Polish tenor and opera star. Reszke came from a musically inclined family. His mother gave him his first singing lessons and provided a home that was a recognized music centre. His sister Josep ...

. She was a member of the Famous Original Bostonians before joining

Alice Nielsen Alice Nielsen (June 7, 1872 – March 8, 1943) was a Broadway performer and operatic soprano who had her own opera company and starred in several Victor Herbert operettas. Background Her father, Rasmus, was a Danish troubadour from Aarhus. Her m ...

Company in 1898 for

Victor Herbert Victor August Herbert (February 1, 1859 – May 26, 1924) was an American composer, cellist and conductor of English and Irish ancestry and German training. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and conductor, he is be ...

's '' The Fortune Teller'' and ''Singing Girl''. She studied voice in New York City with

Sarah Robinson-Duff Sarah Robinson-Duff (died May 11, 1934, New York City) was an American operatic soprano and celebrated voice teacher of many important opera singers, including Mary Garden and Alice Nielsen. She wrote the vocal pedagogy book '' Simple Truths Us ...

, herself trained in Paris by

Mathilde Marchesi Mathilde Marchesi (née Graumann; 24 March 1821 – 17 November 1913) was a German mezzo-soprano, a singing teacher, and a proponent of the bel canto vocal method. Biography Marchesi was born in Frankfurt. Her father's last name was Graumann; ...

.''Alice Nielsen and the Gayety of Nations'', by Dall Wilson, 2016 edition. Van Dresser appeared as an actress in 1902 with Otis Skinner in a revival of

George Henry Boker George Henry Boker (October 6, 1823 – January 2, 1890) was an American poet, playwright, and diplomat. Early years and education Boker was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father was Charles S. Boker, a wealthy banker, whose financi ...

's ''Francesca da Rimini''. Apparently she never recorded for the gramophone industry. Van Dresser joined New Yorks's

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 operat ...

company, and sang across Europe before joining the

Chicago Opera Lyric Opera of Chicago is one of the leading opera companies in the United States. It was founded in Chicago in 1954, under the name 'Lyric Theatre of Chicago' by Carol Fox, Nicola Rescigno and Lawrence Kelly, with a season that included Maria ...

in 1915 for her major opera roles. In April 1918 she appeared at Aeolian Hall singing

Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have led ...

in Italian,

Debussy (Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the ...

and Fauré in French. The Haydn work had been arranged by

Pauline Viardot Pauline Viardot (; 18 July 1821 – 18 May 1910) was a nineteenth-century French mezzo-soprano, pedagogue and composer of Spanish descent. Born Michelle Ferdinande Pauline García, her name appears in various forms. When it is not simply "Pauli ...

. She died in London on July 11, 1937, after a long illness."Marcia Van Dresser Is Dead in London; American Soprano Had Sung with the Bostonians and Metropolitan Opera"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', July 12, 1937

References

External links

*
Early portrait
(held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, is located in Manhattan, New York City, at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side, between the Metro ...

)
Portrait from the early 1900s
(University of Florida,

George A. Smathers Libraries The George A. Smathers Libraries of the University of Florida constitute one of the largest university library systems in the United States. The system includes eight of the nine libraries of the University of Florida and provides primary support ...

) {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Dresser, Marcia 1877 births 1937 deaths Actresses from Memphis, Tennessee American stage actresses American operatic sopranos 19th-century American women opera singers 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American women opera singers Singers from Memphis, Tennessee Classical musicians from Tennessee