Marguerite d'Alvarez (c. 1884 – 18 October 1953) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

contralto A contralto () is a classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range is the lowest of their voice type, voice types. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare, similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to ...

, born Margarita Amelia Alvarez de Rocafuerte. She sang on the opera and concert stages, for recordings, and in radio concerts, and appeared in three films.

Early life

D'Alvarez was born in

Bootle Bootle (pronounced ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England, which had a population of 51,394 in 2011; the wider Bootle (UK Parliament constituency), Parliamentary constituency had a population of 98,449. It is pa ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, though she is sometimes mentioned as being born in Peru. Her father, Benjamín Álvarez de Buenavista, was a Peruvian diplomat, and her mother was French. Her brother was also a diplomat. She studied at the Brussels Conservatoire.

Career

D'Alvarez made her debut in

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...

in 1907, singing in '' Samson and Delilah''.Potter T. Ladies of low repute - Part 7. ''

Classical Recordings Quarterly ''Classical Recordings Quarterly'' (formerly ''Classic Record Collector'') was a quarterly British magazine devoted to vintage recordings of classical music, across the range of instrumental recordings, chamber music, orchestral, vocal and opera. ...

'', Autumn 2014, No 78, p. 45 After further studies in Paris she made her first

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

appearances with the

Manhattan Opera Company The Manhattan Opera Company was an opera company based in New York City. Active from 1906 until 1910, it was founded by Oscar Hammerstein I. History The company began operations in 1906 at the Manhattan Opera House on 34th Street in New York Cit ...

in 1909 as Fidès in

Giacomo Meyerbeer Giacomo Meyerbeer (born Jakob Liebmann Meyer Beer; 5 September 1791 – 2 May 1864) was a German opera composer, "the most frequently performed opera composer during the nineteenth century, linking Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mozart and Richard Wa ...

's ''

Le prophète ''Le prophète'' (''The Prophet'') is a grand opera in five acts by Giacomo Meyerbeer, which was premiered in Paris on 16 April 1849. The French-language libretto was by Eugène Scribe and Émile Deschamps, after passages from the ''Essay on the ...

''. Following her season in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, she went to

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to help

Oscar Hammerstein Oscar Hammerstein may refer to: *Oscar Hammerstein I (1846–1919), cigar manufacturer, opera impresario and theatre builder *Oscar Hammerstein II Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II (; July 12, 1895 – August 23, 1960) was an ...

inaugurate his London Opera in 1911; that year, she scored great successes in French roles. D'Alvarez subsequently appeared at leading

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an opera houses such as

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...

, and also sang in

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and

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, and made a tour of Australia and New Zealand after

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. In 1923, she was praised by Queen Mary after a recital at London's

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 ...

. She was guest soloist at a concert in Indianapolis in 1925. She sang in radio concerts in 1926 and 1927. In 1929, she headlined in a "Pan-American Program" in Washington, D.C. In 1926, d'Alvarez defended

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

from its European detractors, including composers

Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; ; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer and conductor best known for his Tone poems (Strauss), tone poems and List of operas by Richard Strauss, operas. Considered a leading composer of the late Roman ...

and

Pietro Mascagni Pietro Mascagni (7 December 1863 – 2 August 1945) was an Italian composer primarily known for his operas. His 1890 masterpiece '' Cavalleria rusticana'' caused one of the greatest sensations in opera history and single-handedly ushered in the ...

. "I want to live to the tunes of

Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Isidore Beilin; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-born American composer and songwriter. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Berlin received numerous honors including an Acade ...

and go to my grave while Whiteman's orchestra plays the Gershwin '

Rhapsody in Blue ''Rhapsody in Blue'' is a 1924 musical composition for solo piano and jazz band by George Gershwin. Commissioned by bandleader Paul Whiteman, the work combines elements of classical music with jazz-influenced effects and premiered in a concer ...

'", she said in response. "It is the twentieth century itself — energy, spice, sparkle and flavor. Those who deplore it belong in the mummy case. It is speed and fun." D'Alvarez made several acoustic recordings in New York, including arias from her operatic repertoire and Spanish songs by Falla, Chapi and Tabuyo. She also made three films, '' Till We Meet Again'', in 1944, ''

An Angel Comes to Brooklyn ''An Angel Comes to Brooklyn'' is a 1945 American comedy film directed by Leslie Goodwins and written by June Carroll and Stanley Paley. The film stars Kaye Dowd, Robert Duke, David Street, Barbara Perry, Charles Kemper and Marguerite d'Alvare ...

'' (1945) and '' Affair in Monte Carlo'' (1952). Her

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

, ''Forsaken Altars'', was published in 1954.

Later life

D'Alvarez died in 1953, in

Alassio Alassio (Ligurian: Arasce or Arasci) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Savona situated in the western coast of Liguria, Northern Italy, approximately from the French border. Alassio is known for its natural and scenic views ...

, Italy.

Bibliography

*David Ewen, ''Encyclopedia of the Opera'', Hill and Wang; enlarged edition (1963),

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dalvarez, Marguerite 1953 deaths 20th-century English women opera singers British operatic contraltos Singers from Liverpool 1880s births