Mariska Aldrich (née Horvath; March 27, 1881 – September 28, 1965) was an American
dramatic soprano
A dramatic soprano is a type of operatic soprano with a powerful, rich, emotive voice that can sing over, or cut through, a full orchestra. Thicker vocal folds in dramatic voices usually (but not always) mean less agility than lighter voices but a ...
singer and actress.
Life
She was born in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
,
.
[ She was a pupil of Alfred Giraudet (1906–1909) and ]George Henschel
Sir Isidor George Henschel (18 February 185010 September 1934) was a German-born British baritone, pianist, conductor, and composer. His first wife Lillian was also a singer. He was the first conductor of both the Boston Symphony Orchestra ...
.[
She married J. Frank Aldrich on April 18, 1901.][
She debuted at the ]Manhattan Opera House
The Manhattan Center is a building in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Built in 1906 and located at 311 West 34th Street, it houses Manhattan Center Studios, the location of two recording studios; its Grand Ballroom; and the Hammerstein Ballroo ...
in 1908, as the Page in ''Les Huguenots
() is an opera by Giacomo Meyerbeer and is one of the most popular and spectacular examples of grand opera. In five acts, to a libretto
A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work suc ...
''.[ She sang with the Manhattan Opera House from 1909 to 1913.][ She was committed to 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 operat ...
in 1910–1911, where she performed the roles of Azucena in ''Il trovatore
''Il trovatore'' ('The Troubadour') is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto largely written by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play ''El trovador'' (1836) by Antonio García Gutiérrez. It was García Gutiérrez's mos ...
'', Fricka in ''Das Rheingold
''Das Rheingold'' (; ''The Rhinegold''), WWV 86A, is the first of the four music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). It was performed, as a single opera, at the National ...
'', Lola in ''Cavalleria Rusticana
''Cavalleria rusticana'' (; Italian for "rustic chivalry") is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, adapted from an 1880 short story of the same name and subsequent play b ...
'', Naoia in Frederick Converse
Frederick Shepherd Converse (January 5, 1871 – June 8, 1940), was an American composer of classical music, whose works include four operas and five symphonies.
Life and career
Converse was born in Newton, Massachusetts, the son of Edmund Winc ...
's ''Iolan, Or, the Pipe of Desire'', and Venus in ''Tannhäuser
Tannhäuser (; gmh, Tanhûser), often stylized, "The Tannhäuser," was a German Minnesinger and traveling poet. Historically, his biography, including the dates he lived, is obscure beyond the poetry, which suggests he lived between 1245 and ...
'', Her voice changed from 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, typically b ...
to dramatic soprano while she was in Europe.[ She sang the part of ]Brunnhilde
Brunhild, also known as Brunhilda or Brynhild ( non, Brynhildr , gmh, Brünhilt, german: Brünhild , label= Modern German or ), is a female character from Germanic heroic legend. She may have her origins in the Visigothic princess Brunhilda ...
in Bayreuth
Bayreuth (, ; bar, Bareid) is a town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtelgebirge Mountains. The town's roots date back to 1194. In the 21st century, it is the capital of U ...
in 1914.[ She appeared on Broadway in 1924 in The Miracle.
Mariska was the subject of a portrait titled Caprice, created by artist Henry Salem Hubbell in 1908. This painting was in New York's National Arts Club and was the most publicized submission to the 1908 Paris Salon. Caprice is currently in the permanent collection of the Mulvane Art Museum (Topeka, Kansas) as part of the Endangered Art series.
She died in 1965. She was cremated at Los Angeles County Crematory on 6 October 1965. Her ashes are interred at Forest Lawn in ]Hollywood Hills
The Hollywood Hills are a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California.
Geography
The Hollywood Hills straddle the Cahuenga Pass within the Santa Monica Mountains.
The neighborhood touches Studio City, Univer ...
.[Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14000 Famous Persons by Scott Wilson]
Filmography
Mariska played a gloomy stiff zombie Igor-like woman called Hilda in Whistling in the Dark starring Red Skelton. Cult killers kidnap a radio sleuth (Red)and two girlfriends (Ann Rutherford, Virginia Grey) and force him to outline a perfect murder. In 1941 Conrad Veidt played the cult leader con whose parting lie was "I leave you in radiant contemplation." Director S. Sylvan Simon – Described as Suspense/Comedy. 1 hour 30 minutes Turner Classic Movies
References
External links
*
Mariska Aldrich on the cover of The Burr Mcintonsh Monthly – magazine, April 1909
1881 births
1965 deaths
American stage actresses
Spouses of Illinois politicians
20th-century American actresses
20th-century American women opera singers
Musicians from Boston
Actresses from Boston
American operatic contraltos
American operatic sopranos
Classical musicians from Massachusetts
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