Myron William Whitney (5 September 1836, Ashby, Massachusetts - 18 September 1910,

Sandwich, Massachusetts Sandwich is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, and is the oldest town on Cape Cod. The town motto is ''Post tot Naufracia Portus'', "after so many shipwrecks, a haven". The population was 20,259 at the 2020 census. History Cape Cod wa ...

) was an American

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

opera singer. Whitney went to

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 ...

at the age of 16 and made his first appearance there in 1858 at a Christmas performance of the ''Messiah'' that was given by the Handel and Haydn Society. After about 10 years of concert singing, he went to

Florence, Italy Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

, to study and then to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

to become a pupil of

Alberto Randegger Alberto Randegger (13 April 1832 – 18 December 1911) was an Italian-born composer, conductor and singing teacher, best known for promoting opera and new works of British music in England during the Victorian era and for his widely used textbook o ...

. After his studies, Whitney filled various engagements and attracted attention especially by his rendition of the part of Elijah at the

Birmingham 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 ...

. In early 1875 he sang in '' Elijah'' with

Marie Roze Marie Roze (born Marie Hippolyte Ponsin; 2 March 1846 in Paris – 2 June 1926 in Paris), was a French operatic soprano. Early years She was born in Paris. At the age of 12, she was sent from France to be educated in England for two years. She ...

Antoinette Sterling Antoinette Sterling (January 23, 1841January 10, 1904) was an American contralto who had a career singing sentimental ballads in Britain and the Empire. Early life Sterling was born in Sterlingville, New York, on January 23, 1841. Her father, ...

and George Bentham 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 1876 he was the principal soloist at the opening exercises of the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. After 1876, he sang in the United States, and appeared in nearly all the May festivals held in various cities in the country. He accompanied Theodore Thomas on two tours and was part of his American Opera Company. For several years, he was a member of the

Boston Ideal Opera Company The Boston Ideal Opera Company, later The Bostonians, was a comic opera acting company based in Boston from 1878 through 1905.Bordman, Gerald & Thomas S. HischakThe Oxford Companion to American Theatre p. 87 (3d ed 2004) History Effie Hinckley O ...

. He possessed a bass voice of nearly three octaves compass, and was especially noted as an

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 ...

singer. He had three children with Eleanor Breasha, whom he married in 1859. He retired in 1890.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitney, Myron William 1836 births 1910 deaths 19th-century American male opera singers Singers from Massachusetts American operatic basses