Joan Hammond
Encyclopedia
Dame Joan Hilda Hood Hammond, DBE, CMG (24 May 191226 November 1996) was an Australian opera
tic soprano
, singing coach and champion golfer.
, New Zealand and baptised Joan Hilda Hood Hammond. Her father, Samuel Hood, was born in England. He married his first wife Edith, then left her and took up with Joan's mother, Hilda Blandford, by whom he also had two sons in England. He informally added Hammond to his name, and they represented themselves as "Mr and Mrs Samuel H. Hammond", although they were not married at the time.
Hammond was born in May 1912, not long after the family had arrived in New Zealand. She was only 6 months old when her family moved again, to Sydney
, Australia. Her parents finally married in Sydney on 25 May 1927, the day after her 15th birthday, although there is no evidence Samuel's first wife Edith had died by that time, or that they had ever divorced.
Hammond attended Pymble Ladies' College
and excelled in both sports and music. She was known to her friends as 'Ham'. Hammond studied violin and singing at the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music
in Sydney. She played violin for three years with the Sydney Philharmonic Orchestra before studying singing in Vienna
in 1936.
, the wife of the then Governor of New South Wales, Lord Gowrie
, made the young Joan Hammond's dreams of studying in Europe possible. She would often refer to Lady Gowrie as her "guardian angel". Hammond's fellow golfers in New South Wales raised enough money for her to leave Australia in 1936 to study in Vienna. She also studied with Dino Borgioli
in London. She toured widely, and became noted particularly for her Puccini
roles.
She returned to Australia for concert tours in 1946, 1949 and 1953, and starred in the second Elizabethan Theatre Trust
opera season in 1957. She undertook world concert tours between 1946 and 1961. After retiring in 1965, Hammond became artistic director of the Victoria State Opera
(1971–1976) and was then head of vocal studies and vocal consultant at the Victorian College of the Arts
from 1975 to 1992. Her autobiography, A Voice, a Life, was published in 1970.
Dame Joan Hammond appeared in the major opera houses of the world – the Royal Opera House
, La Scala
, the Vienna State Opera
and the Bolshoi
. Her fame in Britain came not just from her stage appearances but from her recordings. She made famous the aria
"O mio babbino caro
" from Puccini
's opera Gianni Schicchi
. Recorded in English under the title "O My Beloved Father", it earned Hammond a Gold Record award for 1 million sold copies on 27 August 1969. Her recording of "O, Silver Moon" from Dvořák
's Rusalka
was also a huge seller.
A prolific artist, Hammond's repertoire also encompassed Verdi
, Handel
, Tchaikovsky
, Massenet
, Beethoven
, as well as folk song
, art song
and lied
er.
Lord Gowrie) who had helped Hammond fulfil her own dream. This funeral occurred on 30 July 1965, at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
. This occasion was also memorable for the fact that Hammond was the first woman ever granted royal permission to sing in that chapel.
Hammond embarked on a second career as a voice teacher after her performance career ended. In 1975 she was appointed the head of the voice faculty at the Victorian College of the Arts where she remained until her retirement seventeen years later in 1992. In that time she trained an extraordinary number of Australian singers who have since gone on to successful careers in Australia and on the international stage. Among her notable pupils is soprano Cheryl Barker
.
During the last few decades of her life, Hammond was instrumental in ensuring the continuing success of both the Australian Opera
and the Victoria State Opera
– organizations of which she was a lifetime member.
She died in 1996 in Bowral, New South Wales
, aged 84, and was buried in the Bowral General Cemetery. Joan Carden
sang at her funeral and also at her memorial concert, which was held in Melbourne.
of 1953, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire
(OBE) for her singing. In the Queen's Birthday Honours of 1963 she was promoted to Commander (CBE). In the Queen's Birthday Honours of 1974 she was promoted within the order to Dame Commander (DBE) for distinguished services to singing.
In the New Year's Day Honours of 1972 she was made a Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
(CMG) for services to young opera singers.
In 1986, Victoria State Opera created the Dame Joan Hammond Award with Moffatt Oxenbould
as its inaugural recipient.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
tic soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
, singing coach and champion golfer.
Early life
Hammond was born in ChristchurchChristchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
, New Zealand and baptised Joan Hilda Hood Hammond. Her father, Samuel Hood, was born in England. He married his first wife Edith, then left her and took up with Joan's mother, Hilda Blandford, by whom he also had two sons in England. He informally added Hammond to his name, and they represented themselves as "Mr and Mrs Samuel H. Hammond", although they were not married at the time.
Hammond was born in May 1912, not long after the family had arrived in New Zealand. She was only 6 months old when her family moved again, to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia. Her parents finally married in Sydney on 25 May 1927, the day after her 15th birthday, although there is no evidence Samuel's first wife Edith had died by that time, or that they had ever divorced.
Hammond attended Pymble Ladies' College
Pymble Ladies' College
Pymble Ladies' College, , is an independent, non-selective, day and boarding school for girls, located in Pymble, a suburb in the North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
and excelled in both sports and music. She was known to her friends as 'Ham'. Hammond studied violin and singing at the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music
Sydney Conservatorium of Music
The Sydney Conservatorium of Music is one of the oldest and most prestigious music schools in Australia...
in Sydney. She played violin for three years with the Sydney Philharmonic Orchestra before studying singing in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in 1936.
Golfer
Hammond won the women's junior golf championship for New South Wales in 1929, and the women's state championship in 1932, 1934, and 1935. When she became well known as a golfer, she started to sign her name as "Joan Hood Hammond"; newspaper articles would sometimes hyphenate this as "Joan Hood-Hammond". Later she dropped the word Hood.Opera
An encounter with Lady GowrieZara, Countess of Gowrie
Zara Eileen Hore-Ruthven, Countess of Gowrie was the Irish-born wife of the 1st Earl of Gowrie, Governor of South Australia 1928-34, Governor of New South Wales 1935-36 and the longest-serving Governor-General of Australia 1936-44...
, the wife of the then Governor of New South Wales, Lord Gowrie
Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie
Brigadier General Alexander Gore Arkwright Hore-Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie VC, GCMG, CB, DSO & Bar, PC was a British soldier and colonial governor and the tenth Governor-General of Australia. Serving for 9 years and 7 days, he is the longest serving Governor-General in Australia's history...
, made the young Joan Hammond's dreams of studying in Europe possible. She would often refer to Lady Gowrie as her "guardian angel". Hammond's fellow golfers in New South Wales raised enough money for her to leave Australia in 1936 to study in Vienna. She also studied with Dino Borgioli
Dino Borgioli
Dino Borgioli was an Italian lyric tenor. Praised by critics for his musicianship, he was particularly associated with roles in operas composed by Mozart, Rossini, and Donizetti....
in London. She toured widely, and became noted particularly for her Puccini
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
roles.
She returned to Australia for concert tours in 1946, 1949 and 1953, and starred in the second Elizabethan Theatre Trust
Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust
The Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust was set up in September 1954 under the guidance of H. C. ‘Nugget’ Coombs, Governor of the Commonwealth Bank, Sir Charles Moses General Manager, Australian Broadcasting Commission and John Douglas Pringle, Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald. It aimed to...
opera season in 1957. She undertook world concert tours between 1946 and 1961. After retiring in 1965, Hammond became artistic director of the Victoria State Opera
Victoria State Opera
The Victoria State Opera, based in Melbourne, Australia, where it was founded in 1962 as the Victorian Opera Company, collapsed in 1996 due to financial difficulties. At this point, the former Australian Opera merged with this company and renamed itself Opera Australia, taking on the...
(1971–1976) and was then head of vocal studies and vocal consultant at the Victorian College of the Arts
Victorian College of the Arts
The Faculty of the VCA and Music is a faculty of the University of Melbourne, in Victoria . VCAM is located near the Melbourne central business district, on two campuses, one - the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music - on the Parkville campus of the University of Melbourne, and the other - the...
from 1975 to 1992. Her autobiography, A Voice, a Life, was published in 1970.
Dame Joan Hammond appeared in the major opera houses of the world – the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
, La Scala
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
, the Vienna State Opera
Vienna State Opera
The Vienna State Opera is an opera house – and opera company – with a history dating back to the mid-19th century. It is located in the centre of Vienna, Austria. It was originally called the Vienna Court Opera . In 1920, with the replacement of the Habsburg Monarchy by the First Austrian...
and the Bolshoi
Bolshoi Theatre
The Bolshoi Theatre is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by architect Joseph Bové, which holds performances of ballet and opera. The Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera are amongst the oldest and most renowned ballet and opera companies in the world...
. Her fame in Britain came not just from her stage appearances but from her recordings. She made famous the aria
Aria
An aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment...
"O mio babbino caro
O mio babbino caro
"O mio babbino caro" is a soprano aria from the opera Gianni Schicchi , by Giacomo Puccini, to a libretto by Giovacchino Forzano. It is sung by Lauretta after tensions between her father Schicchi and the family of Rinuccio, the boy she loves, have reached a breaking point that threatens to...
" from Puccini
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
's opera Gianni Schicchi
Gianni Schicchi
Gianni Schicchi is a comic opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano, composed in 1917–18. The libretto is based on an incident mentioned in Dante's Divine Comedy. The work is the third and final part of Puccini's Il trittico —three one-act operas with...
. Recorded in English under the title "O My Beloved Father", it earned Hammond a Gold Record award for 1 million sold copies on 27 August 1969. Her recording of "O, Silver Moon" from Dvořák
Antonín Dvorák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
's Rusalka
Rusalka (opera)
Rusalka is an opera by Antonín Dvořák. The Czech libretto was written by the poet Jaroslav Kvapil based on the fairy tales of Karel Jaromír Erben and Božena Němcová. Rusalka is one of the most successful Czech operas, and represents a cornerstone of the repertoire of Czech opera houses...
was also a huge seller.
A prolific artist, Hammond's repertoire also encompassed Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
, Handel
George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
, Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
, Massenet
Jules Massenet
Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet was a French composer best known for his operas. His compositions were very popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and he ranks as one of the greatest melodists of his era. Soon after his death, Massenet's style went out of fashion, and many of his operas...
, Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
, as well as folk song
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, art song
Art song
An art song is a vocal music composition, usually written for one voice with piano or orchestral accompaniment. By extension, the term "art song" is used to refer to the genre of such songs....
and lied
Lied
is a German word literally meaning "song", usually used to describe romantic songs setting German poems of reasonably high literary aspirations, especially during the nineteenth century, beginning with Carl Loewe, Heinrich Marschner, and Franz Schubert and culminating with Hugo Wolf...
er.
Later life
A heart attack in 1965 forced Hammond to retire from the stage. Her final performance was at the funeral of her "guardian angel", Lady Gowrie (widow of the former Governor-GeneralGovernor-General of Australia
The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
Lord Gowrie) who had helped Hammond fulfil her own dream. This funeral occurred on 30 July 1965, at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
St George's Chapel is the place of worship at Windsor Castle in England, United Kingdom. It is both a royal peculiar and the chapel of the Order of the Garter...
. This occasion was also memorable for the fact that Hammond was the first woman ever granted royal permission to sing in that chapel.
Hammond embarked on a second career as a voice teacher after her performance career ended. In 1975 she was appointed the head of the voice faculty at the Victorian College of the Arts where she remained until her retirement seventeen years later in 1992. In that time she trained an extraordinary number of Australian singers who have since gone on to successful careers in Australia and on the international stage. Among her notable pupils is soprano Cheryl Barker
Cheryl Barker
Cheryl Barker is an Australian operatic soprano who has had an active international career since the late 1980s. She has sung on several complete opera recordings with Chandos Records, including Dvořák's Rusalka , Janáček's The Makropulos Case , Janáček's Káťa Kabanová , and Puccini's Madama...
.
During the last few decades of her life, Hammond was instrumental in ensuring the continuing success of both the Australian Opera
Opera Australia
Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House runs for approximately eight months of the year, with the remainder of its time spent in the The Arts Centre in Melbourne...
and the Victoria State Opera
Victoria State Opera
The Victoria State Opera, based in Melbourne, Australia, where it was founded in 1962 as the Victorian Opera Company, collapsed in 1996 due to financial difficulties. At this point, the former Australian Opera merged with this company and renamed itself Opera Australia, taking on the...
– organizations of which she was a lifetime member.
Death
Bowral, New South Wales
-Attractions:Bowral is perhaps the best known of the towns and villages of the Southern Highlands, and in recent years has become the commercial centre of the Wingecarribee Shire. Bowral is known for its boutiques, antique stores, gourmet restaurants, and rich coffee culture.Bowral is home to the...
, aged 84, and was buried in the Bowral General Cemetery. Joan Carden
Joan Carden
Joan Carden AO OBE is an Australian operatic soprano. She has been described as "a worthy successor to Dame Nellie Melba and Dame Joan Sutherland" and was sometimes known as "the other Joan" or "The People's Diva"...
sang at her funeral and also at her memorial concert, which was held in Melbourne.
Honours
In the Queen's Birthday HonoursQueen's Birthday Honours
The Queen's Birthday Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the celebration of the Queen's Official Birthday in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen...
of 1953, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(OBE) for her singing. In the Queen's Birthday Honours of 1963 she was promoted to Commander (CBE). In the Queen's Birthday Honours of 1974 she was promoted within the order to Dame Commander (DBE) for distinguished services to singing.
In the New Year's Day Honours of 1972 she was made a Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(CMG) for services to young opera singers.
In 1986, Victoria State Opera created the Dame Joan Hammond Award with Moffatt Oxenbould
Moffatt Oxenbould
Moffatt Benjamin Oxenbould AM is an Australian opera director.He was Artistic Director of Opera Australia from 1984 until his retirement in 1999. He had been part of the company since he graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1962...
as its inaugural recipient.
Sources
- Hammond, Joan. A Voice, a Life. Victor GollanczVictor GollanczSir Victor Gollancz was a British publisher, socialist, and humanitarian.-Early life:Born in Maida Vale, London, he was the son of a wholesale jeweller and nephew of Rabbi Professor Sir Hermann Gollancz and Professor Sir Israel Gollancz; after being educated at St Paul's School, London and taking...
(1970) ISBN 0 575 00503 3 - Hardy, Sara. Dame Joan Hammond: Love and Music. Allen & UnwinAllen & UnwinAllen & Unwin, formerly a major British publishing house, is now an independent book publisher and distributor based in Australia. The Australian directors have been the sole owners of the Allen & Unwin name since effecting a management buy out at the time the UK parent company, Unwin Hyman, was...
(2009) ISBN 9781741750836
Further reading
- D. Brook, Singers of Today (Revised Edition – Rockliff, London (1958), pp. 104–109.
External links
- Hammond, Joan Hood (1912–1996), profile and further links
- Joan Hammond – programs and related material at the National Library of AustraliaNational Library of AustraliaThe National Library of Australia is the largest reference library of Australia, responsible under the terms of the National Library Act for "maintaining and developing a national collection of library material, including a comprehensive collection of library material relating to Australia and the...