Frances Greer
Encyclopedia
Frances Greer was an American soprano
. A leading performer at the Metropolitan Opera
and the Philadelphia Opera Company
, she recorded 13 albums, mostly musical operattas with RCA Victor, and made several concert appearances at Carnegie Hall
. For many years she was the featured singer on CBS’s Friday evening radio program, Musicland USA.
, the eldest of seven children to Charles F. Greer and Narene Greer (née Spence). Later the family moved to Helena, Arkansas
where Frances attended West Helena High School. Her father was a music teacher and it was from him that she received her first voice lessons. Although she won several state vocal competitions while in high school, she was denied admitance Arkansas State University
. However, she did win three different scholarships to Louisiana State University
. At LSU she studied voice and was highly active in student opera productions that were at that time directed by baritone Pasquale Amato
. While a student, Greer won a major singing contest which led to an engagement to perform as a soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra
under conductor Eugene Ormandy
.
After graduating from LSU, Greer joined the roster of principal artists at the Philadelphia Opera Company
(POC), making her debut with the company on January 19, 1939 as Musetta in Giacomo Puccini
's La bohème
. She remained with the company through 1941, portraying such roles as Adele in Die Fledermaus
, Cio-cio-san in Madama Butterfly
, Concepcion in L’heure espagnole, Frasquita in Carmen
, Giorgetta in Il tabarro
, Mařenka in The Bartered Bride
, Marguerite in Faust
, Méliande in Pelléas et Mélisande
, and Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro
. She notably appeared in the first staged production of Gian Carlo Menotti
's The Old Maid and the Thief
in the role of Laetitia with the POC at tbe Academy of Music
on February 11, 1941. Among the conductors she sung under while in Philadelphia were Sir Thomas Beecham, Bruno Walter
, and Sylvan Levin
.
In 1942 Greer left the POC to join the roster of performers at the Metropolitan Opera
in New York City. She made her debut at the house as Musetta on November 30, 1942 with Grace Moore
as Mimì, Frederick Jagel
as Rodolfo, Frank Valentino
as Marcello, and Cesare Sodero
conducting. She remained at the Met for the next 8 years, performing such roles as Ellen in Lakmé
, the High Priestess in Aida
, Frasquita, Marzelline in Fidelio
, Nannetta in Falstaff
, Nella in Gianni Schicchi
, Oscar in Un ballo in maschera
, Poussette in Manon
, Stéphano in Roméo et Juliette
, Susanna, Xenia in Boris Godunov
, and Zerlina in Don Giovanni
. Her final performance at the Met was on February 7, 1950 as Musetta with Bidú Sayao
as Mimì, Giuseppe Di Stefano
as Rodolfo, Frank Valentino as Marcello, and Giuseppe Antonicelli
conducting.
In 1954 Greer joined the voice faculty of the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance
at the invitation of Earl V. Moore, then Dean of the School. She taught at the school through 1962 and while there often gave recitals accompanied by Eugene Bossart. Shortly after arriving at the university, she met industrialist Frederick C. Matthaei who was then a Regent at the school. The two began a romantic relationship and eventually married. She died in Ann Arbor, Michigan at the age of 88.
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...
. A leading performer at the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
and the Philadelphia Opera Company
Philadelphia Opera Company
The Philadelphia Opera Company was the name of two different American opera companies active during the twentieth century in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The first company was founded by impresario Oscar Hammerstein I in 1908. That company disbanded only two years later as a result of financial...
, she recorded 13 albums, mostly musical operattas with RCA Victor, and made several concert appearances at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
. For many years she was the featured singer on CBS’s Friday evening radio program, Musicland USA.
Life and career
Greer was born in Piggott, ArkansasPiggott, Arkansas
Piggott, Arkansas is a city in Clay County, Arkansas, one of that county's two seats . It is also the northern terminus of the Arkansas segment of Crowley's Ridge Parkway. As of the 2000 census, Piggott's population was 3,894. The town was founded by William N...
, the eldest of seven children to Charles F. Greer and Narene Greer (née Spence). Later the family moved to Helena, Arkansas
Helena, Arkansas
Helena is the eastern portion of Helena-West Helena, Arkansas, a city in Phillips County, Arkansas. As of the 2000 census, this portion of the city population was 6,323. Helena was the county seat of Phillips County until January 1, 2006, when it merged its government and city limits with...
where Frances attended West Helena High School. Her father was a music teacher and it was from him that she received her first voice lessons. Although she won several state vocal competitions while in high school, she was denied admitance Arkansas State University
Arkansas State University
Arkansas State University is a public university and is the flagship campus of the Arkansas State University System, the state's second largest college system and third largest university by enrollment. It is located atop on Crowley's Ridge at Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA...
. However, she did win three different scholarships to Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
. At LSU she studied voice and was highly active in student opera productions that were at that time directed by baritone Pasquale Amato
Pasquale Amato
Pasquale Amato was an outstanding Italian operatic baritone. Amato enjoyed an international reputation but attained the peak of his fame in New York City, where he sang with the Metropolitan Opera from 1908 until 1921....
. While a student, Greer won a major singing contest which led to an engagement to perform as a soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...
under conductor Eugene Ormandy
Eugene Ormandy
Eugene Ormandy was a Hungarian-born conductor and violinist.-Early life:Born Jenő Blau in Budapest, Hungary, Ormandy began studying violin at the Royal National Hungarian Academy of Music at the age of five...
.
After graduating from LSU, Greer joined the roster of principal artists at the Philadelphia Opera Company
Philadelphia Opera Company
The Philadelphia Opera Company was the name of two different American opera companies active during the twentieth century in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The first company was founded by impresario Oscar Hammerstein I in 1908. That company disbanded only two years later as a result of financial...
(POC), making her debut with the company on January 19, 1939 as Musetta in Giacomo 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 La bohème
La bohème
La bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
. She remained with the company through 1941, portraying such roles as Adele in Die Fledermaus
Die Fledermaus
Die Fledermaus is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée.- Literary sources :...
, Cio-cio-san in Madama Butterfly
Madama Butterfly
Madama Butterfly is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Puccini based his opera in part on the short story "Madame Butterfly" by John Luther Long, which was dramatized by David Belasco...
, Concepcion in L’heure espagnole, Frasquita in Carmen
Carmen
Carmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
, Giorgetta in Il tabarro
Il tabarro
Il tabarro is an opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giuseppe Adami, based on Didier Gold's play La houppelande. It is the first of the trio of operas known as Il trittico...
, Mařenka in The Bartered Bride
The Bartered Bride
The Bartered Bride is a comic opera in three acts by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana, to a libretto by Karel Sabina. The opera is considered to have made a major contribution towards the development of Czech music. It was composed during the period 1863–66, and first performed at the...
, Marguerite in Faust
Faust (opera)
Faust is a drame lyrique in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré from Carré's play Faust et Marguerite, in turn loosely based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust, Part 1...
, Méliande in Pelléas et Mélisande
Pelléas et Mélisande (opera)
Pelléas et Mélisande is an opera in five acts with music by Claude Debussy. The French libretto was adapted from Maurice Maeterlinck's Symbolist play Pelléas et Mélisande...
, and Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro
The Marriage of Figaro
Le nozze di Figaro, ossia la folle giornata , K. 492, is an opera buffa composed in 1786 in four acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, based on a stage comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais, La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro .Although the play by...
. She notably appeared in the first staged production of Gian Carlo Menotti
Gian Carlo Menotti
Gian Carlo Menotti was an Italian-American composer and librettist. Although he often referred to himself as an American composer, he kept his Italian citizenship. He wrote the classic Christmas opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors, among about two dozen other operas intended to appeal to popular...
's The Old Maid and the Thief
The Old Maid and the Thief
The Old Maid and the Thief is an opera in one act by Italian-American composer Gian Carlo Menotti. The work uses an English language libretto by the composer which tells a twisted tale of morals and evil womanly power...
in the role of Laetitia with the POC at tbe Academy of Music
Academy of Music (Philadelphia)
The Academy of Music, also known as American Academy of Music, is a concert hall and opera house located at Broad and Locust Streets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1857 and is the oldest opera house in the United States that is still used for its original purpose...
on February 11, 1941. Among the conductors she sung under while in Philadelphia were Sir Thomas Beecham, Bruno Walter
Bruno Walter
Bruno Walter was a German-born conductor. He is considered one of the best known conductors of the 20th century. Walter was born in Berlin, but is known to have lived in several countries between 1933 and 1939, before finally settling in the United States in 1939...
, and Sylvan Levin
Sylvan Levin
Sylvan Levin was an American concert pianist and conductor. He notably served as the assistant conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York City Symphony under Leopold Stokowski for many years...
.
In 1942 Greer left the POC to join the roster of performers at the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in New York City. She made her debut at the house as Musetta on November 30, 1942 with Grace Moore
Grace Moore
Grace Moore was an American operatic soprano and actress in musical theatre and film. She was nicknamed the "Tennessee Nightingale." Her films helped to popularize opera by bringing it to a larger audience.-Early life:...
as Mimì, Frederick Jagel
Frederick Jagel
Frederick Jagel was an American tenor, primarily active at the Metropolitan Opera in the 1930s and 1940s.-Life and career:...
as Rodolfo, Frank Valentino
Frank Valentino
right|thumb|Valentino, ca. 1940sFrancesco Valentino was an American operatic baritone. He is perhaps best remembered for his performances under Arturo Toscanini.-Life and career:...
as Marcello, and Cesare Sodero
Cesare Sodero
Cesare Sodero was an Italian conductor who spent much of his career working in the United States.Born in Naples, Sodero studied with Giuseppe Martucci, and graduated from the Naples Conservatory at fourteen...
conducting. She remained at the Met for the next 8 years, performing such roles as Ellen in Lakmé
Lakmé
Lakmé is an opera in three acts by Léo Delibes to a French libretto by Edmond Gondinet and Philippe Gille. Delibes wrote the score during 1881–82 with its first performance on 14 April 1883 at the Opéra Comique in Paris. Set in British India in the mid 19th century, Lakmé is based on the 1880 novel...
, the High Priestess in Aida
Aida
Aida sometimes spelled Aïda, is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette...
, Frasquita, Marzelline in Fidelio
Fidelio
Fidelio is a German opera in two acts by Ludwig van Beethoven. It is Beethoven's only opera. The German libretto is by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly which had been used for the 1798 opera Léonore, ou L’amour conjugal by Pierre Gaveaux, and for the 1804 opera Leonora...
, Nannetta in Falstaff
Falstaff (opera)
Falstaff is an operatic commedia lirica in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, adapted by Arrigo Boito from Shakespeare's plays The Merry Wives of Windsor and scenes from Henry IV. It was Verdi's last opera, written in the composer's ninth decade, and only the second of his 26 operas to be a comedy...
, Nella in 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...
, Oscar in Un ballo in maschera
Un ballo in maschera
Un ballo in maschera , is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi with text by Antonio Somma. The libretto is loosely based on an 1833 play, Gustave III, by French playwright Eugène Scribe who wrote about the historical assassination of King Gustav III of Sweden...
, Poussette in Manon
Manon
Manon is an opéra comique in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on the 1731 novel L’histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut by the Abbé Prévost...
, Stéphano in Roméo et Juliette
Roméo et Juliette
Roméo et Juliette is an opéra in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, based on The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. It was first performed at the Théâtre Lyrique , Paris on 27 April 1867...
, Susanna, Xenia in Boris Godunov
Boris Godunov (opera)
Boris Godunov is an opera by Modest Mussorgsky . The work was composed between 1868 and 1873 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is Mussorgsky's only completed opera and is considered his masterpiece. Its subjects are the Russian ruler Boris Godunov, who reigned as Tsar during the Time of Troubles,...
, and Zerlina in Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
. Her final performance at the Met was on February 7, 1950 as Musetta with Bidú Sayao
Bidu Sayão
Bidú Sayão was a Brazilian opera soprano. One of Brazil's most famous musicians, Sayão was a leading artist of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City from 1937 to 1952.-Life and career:...
as Mimì, Giuseppe Di Stefano
Giuseppe Di Stefano
Giuseppe Di Stefano was an Italian operatic tenor who sang professionally from the late 1940s until the early 1990s. He was known as the "Golden voice" or "The most beautiful voice", as the true successor of Beniamino Gigli...
as Rodolfo, Frank Valentino as Marcello, and Giuseppe Antonicelli
Giuseppe Antonicelli
Giuseppe Antonicelli was an Italian conductor who was highly active with Italy's leading opera houses from the 1920s through the 1950s. Among the houses he conducted at were, La Scala in Milan, the Teatro Regio di Torino in Naples, La Fenice in Venice, the Teatro Donizetti in Bergamo, the Teatro...
conducting.
In 1954 Greer joined the voice faculty of the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance
University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance
The University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance is an undergraduate and graduate institution for the performing arts in the United States. It is part of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. The School of Music, Theatre & Dance was founded in 1880 and is currently headed by...
at the invitation of Earl V. Moore, then Dean of the School. She taught at the school through 1962 and while there often gave recitals accompanied by Eugene Bossart. Shortly after arriving at the university, she met industrialist Frederick C. Matthaei who was then a Regent at the school. The two began a romantic relationship and eventually married. She died in Ann Arbor, Michigan at the age of 88.