Ruby Helder (March 3, 1890 – November 21, 1938) was a British

opera singer Opera is a form of Western 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 lib ...

known for her powerful

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 ...

voice.

Early life and family

Helder was born Emma Jane Holder in 1890 in the Easton district of Bristol. Her father, Thomas, a dairyman at the time, became landlord of a nearby public house where a young Helder would sing to entertain the regulars. Helder's

vocal range Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of stud ...

—from C₃ to C₅—attracted attention from an early age. She soon began formal music lessons, at which point she changed her name to avoid confusion with a classmate. Her aunt, who was housekeeper to the music hall star

Harry Lauder Sir Henry Lauder (; 4 August 1870 – 26 February 1950)Russell, Dave"Lauder, Sir Henry (1870–1950)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, online edition, January 2011, accessed 27 April 2014 was a S ...

, made arrangements for Helder to train at the

Guildhall School of Music The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a music and drama school located in the City of London, England. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz along with dram ...

with

Charles Tinney Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was ...

. Helder also later trained with

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 ...

. Santley described her voice as a "natural, pure tenor voice of great beauty and power."

Singing career and later life

By 1908, Helder was recording for

Pathé Pathé SAS (; styled as PATHÉ!) is a French major film production and distribution company, owning a number of cinema chains through its subsidiary Pathé Cinémas and television networks across Europe. It is the name of a network of Fren ...

, and in 1909 made her first appearance in an opera 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 ...

, London. In 1911, she signed a recording contract with HMV, and by 1913 her international fame was such that she is said to have travelled to the United States in order to sing at a millionaire's private party. She sang at venues across the United States, and between 1916 and 1917 pursued music studies at

Grinnell College Grinnell College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, United States. It was founded in 1846 when a group of Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalis ...

. Helder later toured the United States and Canada with

John Philip Sousa John Philip Sousa ( , ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic music, Romantic era known primarily for American military March (music), marches. He is known as "The March King" or th ...

and his band. On July 12, 1920, Helder married the American architect and artist

Chesley Bonestell Chesley Knight Bonestell Jr. (January 1, 1888 – June 11, 1986) was an American painter, designer, and illustrator. His paintings inspired the American space program, and they have been (and remain) influential in science fiction art and illust ...

. The married couple then undertook a tour of Italy. At this point, however, Helder's popularity was in decline, and there were no recordings made of her after 1921, although she made her English radio debut on the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

in January 1925. They returned to the United States in 1927, settling in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

. She worked there as a music teacher for some years. Helder retired from singing in 1935, and died on November 21, 1938, aged just 48, at the Highland Hotel, Hollywood, after a long battle with alcoholism.

Legacy

In June 2001 a commemorative plaque was unveiled at Helder's birthplace by Bristol’s Lord Mayor.

Discography

*''Girl Tenor''. 2003. Pearl Records. *''Lily of Killarney.'' 1913. Columbia 5534. Columbia Records.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Helder, Ruby 1890 births 1938 deaths English contraltos British operatic contraltos Singers from Bristol 20th-century British women opera singers British emigrants to the United States