Nelle Richmond Eberhart (August 28, 1871 – November 15, 1944) was an American

librettist A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major litu ...

, poet, and teacher. She is known for her long collaboration with composer

Charles Wakefield Cadman Charles Wakefield Cadman (December 24, 1881 – December 30, 1946) was an American composer. For 40 years he worked closely with Nelle Richmond Eberhart, who wrote most of the texts to his songs, including ''Four American Indian Songs''. She also ...

. She wrote 200 songs and the librettos for five operas for which he composed the music.

Early life

Eberhart was born Ellen Loretta McCurdy in 1871 in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, daughter of John Thomas and Cora Amelia Newton McCurdy.Nelle Richmond Eberhart
entry, Durward Howes, ''American Women'' (R. Blank Company, 1935): p. 258. Her mother remarried. At an early age, Nelle was given her stepfather's surname, Richmond. Her family moved to

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

, where she was raised. As a young woman she developed a strong interest in music. She gained certification and taught school. In 1894 Richmond married Oscar Eberhart, a physician. They had a daughter together, Constance Richmond Eberhart. She became an opera singer and teacher of voice. She sang as a member of the

Chicago Civic Opera The Civic Opera Company (1922–1931) was a Chicago company that produced seven seasons of grand opera in the Auditorium Theatre from 1922 to 1928, and three seasons at its own Civic Opera House from 1929 to 1931 before falling victim to financi ...

and the

American Opera Company The American Opera Company was the name of four different opera companies active in the United States. The first company was a short-lived opera company founded in New York City in February, 1886 that lasted only one season. The second company grew ...

Career

The Eberhart family moved to

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

in 1900 for her husband's work. In 1902, Eberhart met a young neighbor

. When she learned he was studying and writing music, they began to work together. She wrote the words for a hymn and he the music, for their first song.Mabel Ansley Murphy, "From Railroad Clerk to Grand Opera Composer"
''The American Magazine'' Vol. 89, Crowell-Collier Publishing Company, 1920, pp. 69-70 They began to collaborate - she would write the texts and he the music for songs. She wrote the lyrics for some 200 songs, and the librettos for the five operas that they created together. His "Four American Indian Songs Op. 45" (which included " From the Land of Sky-Blue Water") was his first commercial success in 1909, after the noted soprano Nordica performed the song in Cleveland. Their first opera, ''Da O Ma'' (1912), set in Sioux culture, was never produced. But their second opera ''Shanewis, or The Robin Woman'' (1918) was premiered by 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 oper ...

in New York City; it was also performed there for a second, succeeding season. Eberhart was the first woman librettist to have her work performed by that company. The opera was taken on tour, being produced in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

in 1924 and

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

in 1926. Eberhart wrote the libretto for ''Garden of Mystery'', music by Cadman, which was performed in 1925 at Carnegie Hall in New York. Later, she wrote ''The Willow Tree'' (1932, music by Cadman), one of the first operas commissioned for radio, certainly the first for American radio. In addition to her emphasis on Native American themes, Eberhart also showed interest in Asian and Pacific Island themes. She wrote lyrics for "Sayonara: A Japanese Romance for One or Two Voices, op. 49," and "Idyls of the South Seas" (music by Cadman). Her interest in historical drama inspired their ''A Witch of Salem: An American Opera'' (1926), music by Cadman. She also wrote several Christian hymns ("The Dawn of Peace Resplendent Breaks," "Give Praise," "O Come and Adore Him"), and general sentimental art songs
I Hear a Thrush at Eve
" "Lilacs," "Memories,"
The Moon Behind the Cottonwood
). Eberhart also published poetry in literary reviews and general interest publications, such as ''Granite Monthly'' and ''

Munsey's Magazine ''Munsey's Weekly'', later known as ''Munsey's Magazine'', was a 36-page quarto American magazine founded by Frank A. Munsey in 1889 and edited by John Kendrick Bangs. Frank Munsey aimed to publish "a magazine of the people and for the people, ...

.''

Personal life

The Eberhart couple left Pittsburgh in 1917, living next in New York and then Chicago. In 1941 they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where they lived the rest of their lives. Oscar's nephew, Alanson Eberhart, was married to Mignon G. Eberhart, a prolific mystery writer. Mignon dedicated her seventh novel (''The White Cockatoo'', 1933) to Nelle Richmond Eberhart and her collaborator, composer

. Nelle Richmond Eberhart died in 1944, in Kansas City, Missouri.Mrs. Eberhart Dies at Home in Missouri
Writer of Lyrics Was Ex-Pittsburgher," ''Pittsburgh Press'' (November 16, 1944): p, 8.Writer of Song Lyrics, Mrs. Eberhart, is Dead
" ''Milwaukee Journal'' (November 16, 1944): p. 12.

References

External links

*
Nelle Richmond Eberhart at IMDb

Sheet music
in Nebraska Memories {{DEFAULTSORT:Eberhart, Nelle Richmond 1871 births 1944 deaths Writers from Detroit American opera librettists American women poets Writers from Nebraska 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American poets Women opera librettists