Ada Jemima Crossley (3 March 1871 – 17 October 1929) was an Australian

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, typica ...

notable as the first Red Seal recording artist engaged in the US by the

Victor Talking Machine Company The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer that operated independently from 1901 until 1929, when it was acquired by the Radio Corporation of America and subsequently operated as a subsidi ...

in 1903. Born at

Tarraville Tarraville is a town in Gippsland, Victoria, Australia, located near the mouth of the Tarra River and southeast of Melbourne. History Tarraville was established as a village in 1841, when the land was selected as part of the Reeve's Specia ...

Gippsland Gippsland is a rural region that makes up the southeastern part of Victoria, Australia, mostly comprising the coastal plains to the rainward (southern) side of the Victorian Alps (the southernmost section of the Great Dividing Range). It cove ...

, Victoria, she was the daughter of Edwards Wallis Crossley (died 11 April 1902), an ironmonger, and Harriette, née Morris, both from Northamptonshire, England. Ada was the sixth surviving child in a family of twelve children. Crossley's singing in the country met with so much appreciation that she was sent to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

to be trained, where Sir Frederic Cowen, (who had come from London to conduct the orchestra at the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1888–9), heard her sing and gave her advice. She studied under Madame Fanny Simonsen for singing, and under Alberto Zelman the elder for piano and harmony.Margery Missen
'Crossley, Ada Jemima (1871–1929)'
Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 8, (MUP), 1981 Afternoon Tea 1895 B62429

Her first appearance was with the Philharmonic Society at Melbourne in 1889. She sang frequently in Melbourne at concerts and in

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 ...

, and was the principal contralto in the choir of Charles Strong's Australian Church. She made her début performance in Sydney in January 1892, and also became well known there. In 1894, she went to Europe and studied under

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; ...

for voice production, and under (Sir)

Charles Santley Sir Charles Santley (28 February 1834 – 22 September 1922) was an English opera and oratorio singer with a ''bravura''From the Italian verb ''bravare'', to show off. A florid, ostentatious style or a passage of music requiring technical skill ...

for oratorio work. Her first appearance in London was at the

Queen's Hall The Queen's Hall was a concert hall in Langham Place, London, Langham Place, London, opened in 1893. Designed by the architect Thomas Knightley, it had room for an audience of about 2,500 people. It became London's principal concert venue. Fro ...

on 18 May 1895, when she had an immediate success. For many years she held a leading place at music festivals and on the concert platform, and she gave five command performances before

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

in two years. She was also successful in America, and on returning to Australia in 1904 her tour was a series of triumphs. She also visited South Africa, and her second tour in Australia in 1908 was again very successful. She sang regularly at English festivals until 1913 but retired a few years later, though she made occasional appearances for charity. On 27 February 1923 she appeared in concert at

Wigmore Hall Wigmore Hall is a concert hall located at 36 Wigmore Street, London. Originally called Bechstein Hall, it specialises in performances of chamber music, early music, vocal music and song recitals. It is widely regarded as one of the world's leadi ...

in support of her friend and protégée, the South Australian contralto

Clara Serena Clara Serena Kleinschmidt (9 June 1890 – 11 August 1972) was an Australian operatic contralto singer, professionally known as Clara Serena. She had a successful career in London and in Europe, which was interrupted by the Great War of 1914–191 ...

. The London newspapers gave positive reviews, also praising Serena's accompanist (and husband) Roy Mellish. She never lost her love for her native country and her

Cavendish Square Cavendish Square is a public garden square in Marylebone in the West End of London. It has a double-helix underground commercial car park. Its northern road forms ends of four streets: of Wigmore Street that runs to Portman Square in the much la ...

, London, house was always open to young singers and artists from Australia. There they received advice, hospitality, and sometimes assistance, without any suggestion of patronage.

Personal

On 16 May 1905 Crossley married Francis Muecke CBE FRCS, son of H. C. E. Muecke. The wedding, which took place at

St Marylebone Parish Church St Marylebone Parish Church is an Anglican church on the Marylebone Road in London. It was built to the designs of Thomas Hardwick in 1813–17. The present site is the third used by the parish for its church. The first was further south, near Ox ...

, was a grand social occasion. A choir comprising Evangeline Florence, Mary Conly, Nora Long, Elsie Jones, Eva Mylott, Meta Buring, May Otto,

Ivy Ansley ''Hedera'', commonly called ivy (plural ivies), is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to western, central and southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern Africa and ...

and

May Putney May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian calendar, Julian and Gregorian calendars and is the third of seven months to have a length of 31 days. May is a month of Spring (season), spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the So ...

sang the hymn "O Perfect Love", specially arranged by George H. Clutsam and directed by Minna Fischer. For a time they had a cottage home at

St John's Wood St John's Wood is a district in the City of Westminster, London, lying 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Charing Cross. Traditionally the northern part of the ancient parish and Metropolitan Borough of Marylebone, it extends east to west from ...

, but as Muecke's London practice grew, a city address became necessary. There were no children. Crossley died at London after a short illness on 17 October 1929.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Crossley, Ada 1874 births 1929 deaths Operatic contraltos Australian contraltos 19th-century Australian women singers Musicians from Victoria (Australia) 20th-century Australian women singers Australian people of English descent Australian emigrants to England