Jan Peerce (born Yehoshua Pinkhes Perelmuth; June 3, 1904 December 15, 1984) 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 libr ...

tic

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...

. Peerce was an accomplished performer on the operatic and

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

concert stages, in solo

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 ...

s, and as a recording artist. He is the father of film director

Larry Peerce Lawrence "Larry" Peerce (born April 19, 1930) is an American film and TV director whose work includes the theatrical feature ''Goodbye, Columbus'' (1969), the early rock and roll concert film ''The Big T.N.T. Show'' (1966), ''One Potato, Two Pota ...

.AllMovie.com: Larry Peerce
/ref>

Family life

Jan Peerce was born Jacob Pincus Perelmuth (though his Hebrew gravestone gives his first name as יהושע, or Joshua, not Jacob), to a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family. His parents, Louis and Henya Perelmuth, came from the village of Horodetz, formerly in Poland, now Belarus.Biographical sketc
narrated by Jan's friend Isaac Stern
/ref> Their first child, a daughter, died in an epidemic. In 1903 they emigrated to America along with their second child, a boy named Mottel. A year later, on June 3, 1904, their third child, Jacob Pincus, was born in a

cold water flat A cold water flat is an apartment that has no running hot water. In most developed countries, current building codes make cold water flats illegal, but they used to be common in such cities as Detroit, Chicago and New York City until the mid-twen ...

in the Lower East Side,

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, New York. He was nicknamed "Pinky" by his neighborhood friends. When he was three years old, his older brother Mottel was killed in an accident as he hitched a ride on an ice wagon. He attended

DeWitt Clinton High School , motto_translation = Without Work Nothing Is Accomplished , image = DeWitt Clinton High School front entrance IMG 7441 HLG.jpg , seal_image = File:Clinton News.JPG , seal_size = 124px , ...

and

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. At his mother's urging he took violin lessons, and gave public performances, including dance band work as Jack "Pinky" Pearl. Sometimes he also sang and it was soon discovered he was an exceptional lyric tenor. Peerce was the brother-in-law of fellow American tenor

Richard Tucker Richard Tucker (August 28, 1913January 8, 1975) was an American operatic tenor and cantor. Long associated with the Metropolitan Opera, Tucker's career was primarily centered in the United States. Early life Tucker was born Rivn (Rubin) Ticke ...

. Jan remained on the Lower East Side until his 1930 marriage to Alice Kalmanovitz (1907–1994), a childhood friend to whom he was married for 54 years, until his death. He died at his home in

New Rochelle New Rochelle (; older french: La Nouvelle-Rochelle) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the seventh-largest in the state o ...

, New York on December 15, 1984 at the age of 80. Peerce is interred at Mount Eden Cemetery in

Valhalla In Norse mythology Valhalla (;) is the anglicised name for non, Valhǫll ("hall of the slain").Orchard (1997:171–172) It is described as a majestic hall located in Asgard and presided over by the god Odin. Half of those who die in combat e ...

Westchester County Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population ...

Career

Peerce studied singing in New York City with

Giuseppe Boghetti Giuseppe Boghetti (1896 - July 1941) was an American voice teacher and tenor. He was the teacher of several famous American opera singers, including Marian Anderson, Edythe Johnson, Jan Peerce, Blanche Thebom, and Helen Traubel. Life and career ...

. In 1932 he was hired as a tenor soloist with the Radio City Music Hall company by the impresario Roxy, who renamed him John Pierce. They soon compromised on the spelling Jan Peerce, which the singer felt better reflected his ethnicity. Thanks to radio broadcasts and stage programs, Peerce soon had a nationwide following. The legendary maestro Arturo Toscanini heard him singing

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

on the radio and was able to contact Peerce through a mutual friend to see if he would like to audition for him. Toscanini found him to be the tenor he had sought to sing operatic and choral works with the NBC Symphony Orchestra. The recordings made during, or following, the NBC broadcasts are among the outstanding musical legacies of the mid-20th century. Toscanini was reportedly pleased with Peerce's professionalism, as well as his musical talents and his unusually native-sounding pronunciation of Italian; many have said that Peerce was Toscanini's "favorite tenor" during the Maestro's 17 years at NBC. Peerce recalled that Toscanini never lost his temper with him the way he famously did with other musicians, even though Peerce believed he had the right to, on a few occasions. Peerce first sang publicly with Toscanini on February 6, 1938, in Carnegie Hall in an NBC broadcast performance of

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

's Ninth Symphony; the soloists also included soprano

Vina Bovy Vina Bovy (Malvina Bovi Van Overberghe) born Ghent 22 May 1900, died in the same city 16 May 1983 was a Belgian operatic soprano. Rosenthal H., "Vina Bovy". In: ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera''. Macmillan, London & New York, 1997. She studied ...

, mezzo-soprano Kerstin Thorborg, and bass

Ezio Pinza Ezio Fortunato Pinza (May 18, 1892May 9, 1957) was an Italian opera singer. Pinza possessed a rich, smooth and sonorous voice, with a flexibility unusual for a bass. He spent 22 seasons at New York's Metropolitan Opera, appearing in more than 750 ...

. Peerce joined the roster of principal tenors at the

Philadelphia La Scala Opera Company The Philadelphia La Scala Opera Company (defunct) was an American opera company located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that was actively performing at the Academy of Music (Philadelphia), Academy of Music between 1925 and 1954. In 1955 the company m ...

(PLSOC) in 1938. He made his professional opera debut with the company on December 10 of that year as the Duke of Mantua in

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

's ''

Rigoletto ''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play '' Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had co ...

'' with

Robert Weede Robert Weede (February 22, 1903 – July 9, 1972) was an American operatic baritone. Life and career Born Robert Wiedefeld in Baltimore, Maryland, Weede studied voice at the Eastman School of Music and in Milan. He made his Metropolitan Op ...

in the title role and Fritz Mahler conducting. He also sang Alfredo in '' La traviata'' with Annunciata Garrotto as Violetta and Weede as Germont during the company's 1938-1939 season. Peerce sang in several more performance with the PLSOC through 1941, singing Pinkerton in

Puccini Giacomo Puccini ( Lucca, 22 December 1858Bruxelles, 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long ...

's '' Madama Butterfly'' with Elda Ercole as Cio-Cio-San, and reprising the roles of the Duke and Alfredo a number of times. In November 1939, Peerce performed his first solo recital in New York City. He made his debut with 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 ...

on November 29, 1941, singing Alfredo in Verdi's ''La traviata''. He sang also the parts of Cavaradossi in Puccini's ''

Tosca ''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1887 French-language drama ...

'', Rodolfo in ''

La bohème ''La bohème'' (; ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions '' quadri'', '' tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giusep ...

'', and in

Gounod Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...

's ''

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroa ...

''. He was hailed by critics as the "All-American successor to the 'greats' of opera's almost extinct 'Golden Age'." In December 1943, Peerce appeared in the OWI film, '' Hymn of the Nations'', with Toscanini, the NBC Symphony Orchestra, and the Westminster Choir in a performance of Verdi's then seldom-heard cantata. Filmed in

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

Studio 8-H, the soundtrack of the performance of ''Hymn of the Nations'' has been issued on LP and CD by RCA Victor and the entire film has been released on video-cassette and DVD. Jan Peerce Headstone 2011

During the 1950s Peerce performed regularly as a featured soloist before audiences of over 14,000 guests under the conductor

Alfredo Antonini Alfredo Antonini (May 31, 1901 – November 3, 1983) was a leading Italian-American symphony conductor and composer who was active on the international concert stage as well as on the CBS radio and television networks from the 1930s through the e ...

at the

Lewisohn Stadium Lewisohn Stadium was an amphitheater and athletic facility built on the campus of the City College of New York (CCNY). It opened in 1915 and was demolished in 1973. History The Doric-colonnaded amphitheater was built between Amsterdam and Conven ...

in New York City. These ''Italian Night'' open-air concerts featured the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

and the Lewisohn Stadium Orchestra along with such operatic luminaries as

Robert Merrill Robert Merrill (June 4, 1917 – October 23, 2004) was an American operatic baritone and actor, who was also active in the musical theatre circuit. He received the National Medal of Arts in 1993. Early life Merrill was born Moishe Miller, ...

, and

Eileen Farrell Eileen Farrell (February 13, 1920 – March 23, 2002) was an American soprano who had a nearly 60-year-long career performing both classical and popular music in concerts, theatres, on radio and television, and on disc. NPR noted, "She possessed ...

. In 1956 Peerce made a sensation in Moscow as a musical "cultural exchange" ambassador, being the first American to sing with the famed Bolshoi Opera. He remained on the roster of the Metropolitan until 1966, appearing again in 1966-1967. He also taught a master class. In 1971 he made his

debut as Tevye in '' Fiddler on the Roof''. Jan Peerce Footstone 2011C

He continued to make occasional appearances until his retirement in 1982, remaining in fine voice. His last concert was on May 2, 1982, as the guest artist with the Beth Abraham Youth Chorale in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater D ...

Recordings

Peerce's first recordings were made in 1931-1932, as a vocalist with New York area dance bands, using the names "Jack Pearl" and "Pinky Pearl." Several of these were with the Jack Berger Orchestra, with whom he was appearing at the Hotel Astor. They include popular hits of the day such as "Snuggled on Your Shoulder" and "Dancing on the Ceiling," and were issued on numerous smaller labels including Crown, Perfect, Banner and Melotone. Peerce recorded almost exclusively for RCA Victor as a " Red Seal" artist from the late 1930s to the early 1960s. Among his first RCA Victor recordings were as a featured soloist in

Nathaniel Shilkret Nathaniel Shilkret (December 25, 1889 – February 18, 1982) was an American musician, composer, conductor and musical director. Early career Shilkret (originally named Natan Schüldkraut) was born in New York City, United States, to parents ...

's 1939 tribute album to

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 bes ...

. Peerce had been the tenor soloist in Toscanini's 1938 broadcast concert of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, which was rejected for commercial release by Toscanini and RCA Victor; it wasn't until 1952 that Toscanini approved a studio recording of that symphony (with Peerce as tenor soloist) for release. Peerce also sang in Toscanini's 1944 performance/broadcast of

's ''

Fidelio ''Fidelio'' (; ), originally titled ' (''Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love''), Op. 72, is Ludwig van Beethoven's only opera. The German libretto was originally prepared by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly, wi ...

'' with

Rose Bampton Rose Bampton (November 28, 1907 in Lakewood, Ohio – August 21, 2007 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania) was an American opera singer who had an active international career during the 1930s and 1940s. She began her professional career performing mostly m ...

, followed by the complete performances of

's '' La traviata'',

's ''

'' (both with Licia Albanese), and Verdi's ''

Un ballo in maschera ''Un ballo in maschera'' ''(A Masked Ball)'' is an 1859 opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The text, by Antonio Somma, was based on Eugène Scribe's libretto for Daniel Auber's 1833 five act opera, '' Gustave III, ou Le bal masqué''. Th ...

'' (with Herva Nelli), all eventually released by RCA Victor on LP and CD. Peerce did not sing in Toscanini's broadcasts of Verdi's '' Otello'', ''

Aida ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 Decemb ...

'', or ''

Falstaff Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare and is eulogised in a fourth. His significance as a fully developed character is primarily formed in the plays '' Henry IV, Part 1'' and '' Part 2'', w ...

''; he was offered the tenor parts in the latter two but declined, believing his voice was not right for those roles. He also sang in the Madison Square Garden concert in 1944, which featured the final act of ''

'' with

Leonard Warren Leonard Warren (April 21, 1911 – March 4, 1960) was an American opera singer. A baritone, he was a leading artist for many years with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Especially noted for his portrayals of the leading baritone roles in ...

Zinka Milanov Zinka Milanov (; May 17, 1906 – May 30, 1989) was a Croatian operatic dramatic soprano who had a major career centered on the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. After finishing her education in Zagreb, Milanov made her debut in 1927 in Ljublj ...

, and Toscanini conducting the combined

and NBC Symphony Orchestra; this performance was recorded and also released by RCA Victor on LP and CD. In 1952, he participated in Toscanini's only studio recording of the Beethoven Ninth Symphony, which the Maestro finally approved for release by RCA Victor. Among the operas Peerce recorded commercially for RCA Victor were Verdi's ''Rigoletto'' in 1950 with Leonard Warren singing the title role,

Erna Berger Erna Berger (19 October 1900 – 14 June 1990) was a German lyric coloratura soprano. She was best known for her Queen of the Night and her Konstanze. Career Born in Dresden, Germany, Berger spent some years as a child in India and South Amer ...

, and Nan Merriman,

Bizet Georges Bizet (; 25 October 18383 June 1875) was a French composer of the Romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, '' Carmen'', which has become o ...

's '' Carmen'' in 1951 with

Risë Stevens Risë Stevens (; June 11, 1913 – March 20, 2013) was an American operatic mezzo-soprano and actress. Beginning in 1938, she sang for the Metropolitan Opera in New York City for more than two decades during the 1940s and 1950s. She was most ...

in the title role, Licia Albanese, and

, and also

Donizetti Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was an Italian composer, best known for his almost 70 operas. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, he was a leading composer of the ''bel canto'' opera style duri ...

's ''

Lucia di Lammermoor ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' () is a (tragic opera) in three acts by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian-language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's 1819 historical novel '' The Bride of Lammermoo ...

'' in 1957 with

Roberta Peters Roberta Peters (May 4, 1930 – January 18, 2017) was an American coloratura soprano. One of the most prominent American singers to achieve lasting fame and success in opera, Peters is noted for her 35-year association with the Metropolitan Oper ...

, Philip Maero, and

Giorgio Tozzi Giorgio Tozzi (January 8, 1923 – May 30, 2011) was an American operatic bass. He was a mainstay for many years with the Metropolitan Opera, and sang principal bass roles in nearly every major opera house worldwide. Career Tozzi was born Georg ...

and ''

Ariadne auf Naxos (''Ariadne on Naxos''), Op. 60, is a 1912 opera by Richard Strauss with a German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. The opera's unusual combination of elements of low commedia dell'arte with those of high opera seria points up one of the work's ...

'', with Leonie Rysanek, Sena Jurinac,

, and Walter Berry, conducted also by

Erich Leinsdorf Erich Leinsdorf (born Erich Landauer; February 4, 1912 – September 11, 1993) was an Austrian-born American conductor. He performed and recorded with leading orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States and Europe, earning a ...

. Several opera excerpt albums with Peerce were released by RCA Victor as well including ''

Samson et Dalila ''Samson and Delilah'' (french: Samson et Dalila, links=no), Op. 47, is a grand opera in three acts and four scenes by Camille Saint-Saëns to a French libretto by Ferdinand Lemaire. It was first performed in Weimar at the (Grand Ducal) Theater ( ...

'' with Risë Stevens and '' Madama Butterfly'' with Licia Albanese. Many broadcasts of performances from the Metropolitan opera and other houses with Peerce have been released on LP and CD as well. Peerce later recorded several operas and oratorios for

Vanguard Records Vanguard Recording Society is an American record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York City. It was a primarily classical label at its peak in the 1950s and 1960s, but also has a catalogue of recordings by a n ...

, a good majority of them Handelian. For

Westminster Records Westminster Records was an American classical music record label, issuing original recordings until 1965. It was co–founded in 1949 by Mischa Naida (who later founded Musical Heritage Society), the owner of the Westminster Record Shop in New Y ...

in 1961, Peerce again recorded ''Fidelio'' opposite Sena Jurinac and Beethoven's

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 ...

'' Christ on the Mount of Olives'' with Maria Stader; for Columbia Records he sang the title role in a 1963 recording of selections from

Sigmund Romberg Sigmund Romberg (July 29, 1887 – November 9, 1951) was a Hungarian-born American composer. He is best known for his musicals and operettas, particularly '' The Student Prince'' (1924), '' The Desert Song'' (1926) and '' The New Moon'' (1928). E ...

's ''

The Student Prince ''The Student Prince'' is an operetta in four acts with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Dorothy Donnelly. It is based on Wilhelm Meyer-Förster's play '' Old Heidelberg''. The piece has a score with some of Romberg's most enduri ...

'', opposite Roberta Peters, and also featuring Giorgio Tozzi. Peerce's final religious, pop, and recital albums from the late 1960s through 1980 were released by Vanguard. Peerce's best-selling record was his 1945 RCA Victor recording of " Bluebird of Happiness" (music by Sandor Harmati, lyrics by

Edward Heyman Edward Heyman (March 14, 1907October 16, 1981) was an American lyricist and producer, best known for his lyrics to " Body and Soul," "When I Fall in Love," and " For Sentimental Reasons." He also contributed to a number of songs for films. Biog ...

and Harry Parr-Davies). It became his "signature tune" and he recorded it at least three times for RCA Victor. As of the late 1970s, it remained among the all-time best selling recordings by opera and concert singers. ''Bluebird'' was second in sales only to Enrico Caruso's 1918 recording of

George M. Cohan George Michael Cohan (July 3, 1878November 5, 1942) was an American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and theatrical producer. Cohan began his career as a child, performing with his parents and sister in a vaudev ...

's " Over There". Peerce titled his 1976 autobiography ''The Bluebird of Happiness: The Memoirs of Jan Peerce''.

Recordings of complete operas

*Beethoven, ''Fidelio'', Toscanini/Steber/Bampton/Peerce/Janssen/Belarsky, 1944, NBC Studio 8H, New York, Dec 10 and 17, RCA *Beethoven, ''Fidelio'', Knappertsbusch/Stader/Jurinac/Peerce/Neidlinger/Ernster, 1961, Westminster *Bizet, ''Carmen'', Reiner/Albanese-L/Stevens/Peerce/Merrill, 1951, RCA *Donizetti, ''Lucia di Lammermoor'', Leinsdorf/Peters-R/Peerce/Maero/Tozzi, 1957, RCA *Gounod, ''Faust'', Monteux/los Ángeles/Miller-Mi/Peerce/Merrill/Siepi, 1955, live in New York, Melodram *Mozart, ''Don Giovanni'', Böhm/Steber/della Casa/Peters-R/Peerce/Corena/Siepi, 1957, live in New York, Andromeda *Puccini, ''La Bohème'', Toscanini/Albanese-L/McKnight/Peerce/Valentino, 1946, NBC Studio 8H, New York, Feb 3 and 10, RCA *Puccini, ''Madama Butterfly'', Ormandy/Steber/Carré/Peerce/Bonelli, 1948, live in Los Angeles, VAI *Romberg, ''The Student Prince'', Allers/Peters-R/Peerce, 1963, Columbia Masterworks *Strauss, ''Ariadne auf Naxos'', Leinsdorf/Rysanek/Peters-R/Jurinac/Peerce, 1958, Decca *Verdi, ''Un ballo in maschera'', Walter/Milanov/Greer/Thorborg/Peerce/Warren, 1944, live in New York, Jan 15, Myto *Verdi, ''Un ballo in maschera'', Toscanini/Nelli/Haskins/Turner/Peerce/Merrill, 1954, Carnegie Hall, Jan 17 and 24 and June 3, RCA *Verdi, ''Un ballo in maschera'', Mitropoulos/Milanov/Peters-R/Anderson-M/Peerce/Merrill, 1955, live in New York, Sony *Verdi, ''Rigoletto'', Cellini/Berger/Peerce/Warren, 1950, RCA *Verdi, ''La traviata'', Toscanini/Albanese-L/Peerce/Merrill, 1946, NBC Studio 8H, New York, Dec 1 and 8, RCA

Film appearances

Peerce made a few film appearances, most notably in 1947's ''

Something in the Wind ''Something in the Wind'' is a 1947 American musical comedy film directed by Irving Pichel and starring Deanna Durbin, Donald O'Connor, and John Dall. Durbin's third husband Charles David said she "hated" making her last three films and that she ...

'', in which he plays Tony the jailer. In this role, Peerce sings the ''Miserere'' from ''

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 ...

'' in a duet with his jailed charge, the film's star,

Deanna Durbin Edna Mae Durbin (December 4, 1921 – April 17, 2013), known professionally as Deanna Durbin, was a Canadian-born actress and singer, who moved to the USA with her family in infancy. She appeared in musical films in the 1930s and 1940s. With t ...

. This performance is available on DVD.

References

External links

* *
Discography
(Capon's Lists of Opera Recordings)
History of the Tenor / Jan Peerce / Sound Clips and Narration
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Peerce, Jan 1904 births 1984 deaths Hazzans American male musical theatre actors American operatic tenors Jewish American classical musicians Jewish opera singers Singers from New York City Musicians from New Rochelle, New York United States National Medal of Arts recipients RCA Victor artists Vanguard Records artists American people of Belarusian-Jewish descent 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American male opera singers DeWitt Clinton High School alumni Columbia University alumni Majestic Records artists Classical musicians from New York (state) 20th-century American Jews