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

opera singer 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 libret ...

known for her powerful

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, typical ...

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 musical range—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 conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and j ...

with Charles Tinney. 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 or Pathé Frères (, styled as PATHÉ!) is the name of various French businesses that were founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France starting in 1896. In the early 1900s, Pathé became the world's largest film equipment ...

, 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 archi