Elsie Suddaby
Encyclopedia
Elsie Suddaby was a leading British lyric soprano of the years between World War I
and World War II
. She was born in Leeds
.
A pupil of Sir Edward Bairstow
, she was known as ‘The Lass With The Delicate Air’ (taken from the title of one of the most popular songs in her repertoire).
She was principal soprano in the bicentennial St Matthew Passion (with Keith Falkner
and Margaret Balfour
) for the Bach Cantata Club under Charles Kennedy Scott
in November 1929. On 5 October 1938 she was one of the original 16 singers - lightest of the four soprano voices - in Vaughan Williams’s Serenade to Music
. (The solo line set for her was ‘I am never merry when I hear sweet music.’)
She created the soprano part in Vaughan Williams's Thanksgiving for Victory in 1945, and the following year she took part in the opening programmes for the BBC
Third Programme, in a broadcast of Milton
's masque Comus
, with Peggy Ashcroft
, John Laurie
, Heddle Nash
and Dylan Thomas
. On 22 May 1951 she appeared in scenes from Purcell
's King Arthur
in the Festival of Britain
Purcell recitals at the Victoria and Albert Museum
, under Anthony Lewis
.
When Sir Thomas Beecham
made his second recording of Handel
's Messiah
(HMV ALP 1077-80), Suddaby was the soprano soloist.
Leeds Town Hall has a room named after Suddaby, who died in England at the age of 87.
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. She was born in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
.
A pupil of Sir Edward Bairstow
Edward Bairstow
Sir Edward Cuthbert Bairstow was born in Huddersfield on 22 August 1874 and died in York on 1 May 1946. He was an English organist and composer in the Anglican church music tradition....
, she was known as ‘The Lass With The Delicate Air’ (taken from the title of one of the most popular songs in her repertoire).
She was principal soprano in the bicentennial St Matthew Passion (with Keith Falkner
Keith Falkner
Sir Keith Falkner was a distinguished English bass-baritone singer especially associated with oratorio and concert recital, who later became Director of the Royal College of Music in London.- Childhood and youth :...
and Margaret Balfour
Margaret Balfour
Margaret Balfour was an English classical Contralto of the 1920s and 1930s. She is best remembered as the angel in Elgar's own recorded excerpts of The Dream of Gerontius and one of the 16 soloists in the original performance of Vaughan Williams' Serenade to Music .She was also recorded by HMV...
) for the Bach Cantata Club under Charles Kennedy Scott
Charles Kennedy Scott
Charles Kennedy Scott was an English organist and choral conductor who played an important part in developing the performance of choral and polyphonic music in England, especially of early and modern English music.-Training:Educated at Southampton Grammar School, he entered the Brussels...
in November 1929. On 5 October 1938 she was one of the original 16 singers - lightest of the four soprano voices - in Vaughan Williams’s Serenade to Music
Serenade to Music
Serenade to Music is a work by Ralph Vaughan Williams for 16 vocal soloists and orchestra, composed in 1938. The text is an adaptation of the discussion about music and the music of the spheres in Act V, Scene 1 of The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare. Vaughan Williams later arranged...
. (The solo line set for her was ‘I am never merry when I hear sweet music.’)
She created the soprano part in Vaughan Williams's Thanksgiving for Victory in 1945, and the following year she took part in the opening programmes for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Third Programme, in a broadcast of Milton
John Milton
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
's masque Comus
Comus
In Greek mythology, Comus or Komos is the god of festivity, revels and nocturnal dalliances. He is a son and a cup-bearer of the god Bacchus. Comus represents anarchy and chaos. His mythology occurs in the later times of antiquity. During his festivals in Ancient Greece, men and women exchanged...
, with Peggy Ashcroft
Peggy Ashcroft
Dame Peggy Ashcroft, DBE was an English actress.-Early years:Born as Edith Margaret Emily Ashcroft in Croydon, Ashcroft attended the Woodford School, Croydon and the Central School of Speech and Drama...
, John Laurie
John Laurie
John Paton Laurie was a British actor born in Dumfries, Scotland. Although he is now probably most recognised for his role as Private James Frazer in the sitcom Dad's Army , he appeared in hundreds of feature films, including films by Alfred Hitchcock, Michael Powell and Laurence Olivier...
, Heddle Nash
Heddle Nash
William Heddle Nash was an English lyric tenor who appeared in opera and oratorio in the middle decades of the twentieth century. He also made numerous recordings that are still available on CD reissues....
and Dylan Thomas
Dylan Thomas
Dylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 January 2008. who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself...
. On 22 May 1951 she appeared in scenes from Purcell
Henry Purcell
Henry Purcell – 21 November 1695), was an English organist and Baroque composer of secular and sacred music. Although Purcell incorporated Italian and French stylistic elements into his compositions, his legacy was a uniquely English form of Baroque music...
's King Arthur
King Arthur (opera)
King Arthur or, The British Worthy , is a semi-opera in five acts with music by Henry Purcell and alibretto by John Dryden. It was first performed at the Queen's Theatre, Dorset Garden, London, in late May or early June 1691....
in the Festival of Britain
Festival of Britain
The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition in Britain in the summer of 1951. It was organised by the government to give Britons a feeling of recovery in the aftermath of war and to promote good quality design in the rebuilding of British towns and cities. The Festival's centrepiece was in...
Purcell recitals at the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
, under Anthony Lewis
Anthony Lewis (musician)
Sir Anthony Carey Lewis KBE was an English conductor, composer, editor, and music educator. He is best known for co-founding and serving as the first chief editor of Musica Britannica...
.
When Sir Thomas Beecham
Thomas Beecham
Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet CH was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic orchestras. He was also closely associated with the Liverpool Philharmonic and Hallé orchestras...
made his second recording of Handel
HANDEL
HANDEL was the code-name for the UK's National Attack Warning System in the Cold War. It consisted of a small console consisting of two microphones, lights and gauges. The reason behind this was to provide a back-up if anything failed....
's Messiah
Messiah (Handel)
Messiah is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, with a scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742, and received its London premiere nearly a year later...
(HMV ALP 1077-80), Suddaby was the soprano soloist.
Leeds Town Hall has a room named after Suddaby, who died in England at the age of 87.