Grahame Clifford
Encyclopedia
For the film editor with a similar name, see Graeme Clifford
.
Grahame Clifford (25 December 1905 - 26 January 1984), was an English opera
singer and actor primarily known for his work in the Gilbert and Sullivan
comic opera
s with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
and as principal baritone
of the Royal Opera Company, Covent Garden
.
, Lancashire
, England. He attended the Royal Manchester College of Music from 1925 to 1928, winning the Stocks Massey Scholarship, and appeared in The Marriage of Figaro
at the college in 1928. From 1928 to 1930, he studied at the Royal College of Music
in London under Ernest Palmer Bursary.
's opera
Giulio Cesare
in 1930. He created the role of Ford in Vaughan Williams' opera Sir John in Love. Clifford joined the Carl Rosa Opera Company
from 1930 to 1932, becoming principal baritone and singing the title role in Rigoletto
, Tonio in Pagliacci
, Alberich in Der Ring des Nibelungen
, Dr. Miracle in The Tales of Hoffman, and many other roles. For several years after that, he left singing to teach and act in plays and to produce plays and operas at the Westminster Theatre. He was also an avid amateur photographer. Clifford met his future wife, dancer and model Barbara Bonnar, in 1932, and they married in 1935. In 1937, Clifford returned to opera, joining the Covent Garden Opera Company
as principal baritone. He made his television debut in 1938 as King Claudius in W. S. Gilbert
's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. In 1938 he sang in the Grand International Opera Season at Covent Garden
.
In September 1939, at the outbreak of World War II
, the British government ordered all theatres to close indefinitely. Rupert D'Oyly Carte
cancelled the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
's entire autumn tour and terminated the contracts of all of his performers. When the company started up again at Christmas 1939, Carte's principal comedian, Martyn Green
, had accepted another engagement and was not available. Clifford was exempt from military service, and Carte hired him to play Green's roles. He was trained in all of these roles by the company's director, J. M. Gordon
. From 1939 to 1946, Clifford performed these roles with the company nearly year-round. The roles were: Sir Joseph Porter in H.M.S. Pinafore
, Major-General Stanley in The Pirates of Penzance
, Reginald Bunthorne in Patience
, the Lord Chancellor in Iolanthe
, Ko-Ko in The Mikado
, Robin Oakapple in Ruddigore
, Jack Point in The Yeomen of the Guard
, and the Duke of Plaza-Toro in The Gondoliers
. In 1943, Clifford's daughter Flavia was born. In 1946, he sang in a production of Merrie England
.
, serving as principal baritone at the Royal Opera Company, Covent Garden
from 1946 to 1952, singing such roles as Papageno in The Magic Flute
, Faninal in Der Rosenkavalier
, Ping in Turandot
, Beckmesser in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
, Benoit in La bohème
, and Alberich. In 1947 he also recorded the roles of Spallanzani and Frantz in a recording which later formed the soundtrack of Sir Thomas Beecham
's 1951 film version of The Tales of Hoffman, and in 1952 he appeared in a BBC
television production of Pagliacci, in the role of Tonio. In 1952, Clifford underwent a serious operation to repair a duodenal ulcer. From 1953-54, he returned to the Royal Manchester College of Music to teach master class
es and to help create a school of opera. For the next two years, Clifford taught privately and performed in London.
In 1956, Clifford joined the J. C. Williamson Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company to tour in Australia
and New Zealand
. He moved to Dunedin
, New Zealand in 1958, where he directed a number of theatre and opera companies until 1964, including the Dunedin Repertory Company, Dunedin Opera Company, Shakespeare Company, and Oamaru
Operatic Company. He also taught privately from 1963-65. In 1966, Clifford moved to Wellington, New Zealand. For the next five years, he toured with the New Zealand Opera Company in roles such as Frosch in Die Fledermaus
. He also continued to teach and direct. In 1976, he performed the role of King Gama in Princess Ida
for the Dunedin Gilbert and Sullivan Company's 25th anniversary production. In 1977, he made another film, The Steps. Clifford's wife died in 1978. He made a TV film of Gianni Schicchi
in 1979 and appeared on Louise Malloy’s television show in 1980, finally retiring in 1981.
Clifford died in Auckland
, New Zealand at the age of 79. His daughter, Flavia Clifford-White, is still living.
He also appears in the 1938 television production of W. S. Gilbert
's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as King Claudius,http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0411813/ and he dubbed the singing voices of Spalanzani and Franz in a 1951 film of Tales of Hoffmann
.http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0166626/ He also appeared in the film The Steps in New Zealand in 1977.
Graeme Clifford
For the opera singer with a similar name, see Grahame Clifford.Graeme Clifford is an acclaimed Australian film director, his directing credits include the Academy Award nominated film Frances, Gleaming the Cube and the mini-series The Last Don, which received two Emmy nominations.Clifford was a...
.
Grahame Clifford (25 December 1905 - 26 January 1984), was an English opera
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...
singer and actor primarily known for his work in the Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
comic opera
Comic opera
Comic opera denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...
s with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company was a professional light opera company that staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas. The company performed nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere, from the 1870s until it closed in 1982. It was revived in 1988 and...
and as principal baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
of the Royal Opera Company, Covent Garden
Royal Opera, London
The Royal Opera is an opera company based in central London, resident at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Along with the English National Opera, it is one of the two principal opera companies in London. Founded in 1946 as the Covent Garden Opera Company, it was known by that title until 1968...
.
Life and career
Clifford was born Clifford White in BurnleyBurnley
Burnley is a market town in the Burnley borough of Lancashire, England, with a population of around 73,500. It lies north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Brun....
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England. He attended the Royal Manchester College of Music from 1925 to 1928, winning the Stocks Massey Scholarship, and appeared 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...
at the college in 1928. From 1928 to 1930, he studied at the Royal College of Music
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
in London under Ernest Palmer Bursary.
Early career and D'Oyly Carte
Clifford's first professional London performance was in HandelHANDEL
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 opera
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...
Giulio Cesare
Giulio Cesare
Giulio Cesare in Egitto , commonly known simply as Giulio Cesare, is an Italian opera in three acts written for the Royal Academy of Music by George Frideric Handel in 1724...
in 1930. He created the role of Ford in Vaughan Williams' opera Sir John in Love. Clifford joined the Carl Rosa Opera Company
Carl Rosa Opera Company
The Carl Rosa Opera Company was founded in 1873 by Carl August Nicholas Rosa, a German-born musical impresario, to present opera in English in London and the British provinces. The company survived Rosa's death in 1889, and continued to present opera in English on tour until 1960, when it was...
from 1930 to 1932, becoming principal baritone and singing the title role in Rigoletto
Rigoletto
Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851...
, Tonio in Pagliacci
Pagliacci
Pagliacci , sometimes incorrectly rendered with a definite article as I Pagliacci, is an opera consisting of a prologue and two acts written and composed by Ruggero Leoncavallo. It recounts the tragedy of a jealous husband in a commedia dell'arte troupe...
, Alberich in Der Ring des Nibelungen
Der Ring des Nibelungen
Der Ring des Nibelungen is a cycle of four epic operas by the German composer Richard Wagner . The works are based loosely on characters from the Norse sagas and the Nibelungenlied...
, Dr. Miracle in The Tales of Hoffman, and many other roles. For several years after that, he left singing to teach and act in plays and to produce plays and operas at the Westminster Theatre. He was also an avid amateur photographer. Clifford met his future wife, dancer and model Barbara Bonnar, in 1932, and they married in 1935. In 1937, Clifford returned to opera, joining the Covent Garden Opera Company
Royal Opera, London
The Royal Opera is an opera company based in central London, resident at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Along with the English National Opera, it is one of the two principal opera companies in London. Founded in 1946 as the Covent Garden Opera Company, it was known by that title until 1968...
as principal baritone. He made his television debut in 1938 as King Claudius in W. S. Gilbert
W. S. Gilbert
Sir William Schwenck Gilbert was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his fourteen comic operas produced in collaboration with the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan, of which the most famous include H.M.S...
's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. In 1938 he sang in the Grand International Opera Season at Covent Garden
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...
.
In September 1939, at the outbreak of 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...
, the British government ordered all theatres to close indefinitely. Rupert D'Oyly Carte
Rupert D'Oyly Carte
Rupert D'Oyly Carte was an English hotelier, theatre owner and impresario, best known as proprietor of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and Savoy Hotel from 1913 to 1948....
cancelled the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company was a professional light opera company that staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas. The company performed nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere, from the 1870s until it closed in 1982. It was revived in 1988 and...
's entire autumn tour and terminated the contracts of all of his performers. When the company started up again at Christmas 1939, Carte's principal comedian, Martyn Green
Martyn Green
William Martyn-Green , better known as Martyn Green, was an English actor and singer. He is best known for his work as principal comedian in the Gilbert & Sullivan comic operas, which he performed and recorded with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and other troupes.After army service in World War I,...
, had accepted another engagement and was not available. Clifford was exempt from military service, and Carte hired him to play Green's roles. He was trained in all of these roles by the company's director, J. M. Gordon
J. M. Gordon
J. M. Gordon, was an English singer, actor, stage manager and director, best known as the influential long-time director of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company following the death of W. S. Gilbert.-Life and career:...
. From 1939 to 1946, Clifford performed these roles with the company nearly year-round. The roles were: Sir Joseph Porter in H.M.S. Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, England, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which was the second-longest run of any musical...
, Major-General Stanley in The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. The opera's official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 1879, where the show was well received by both audiences...
, Reginald Bunthorne in Patience
Patience (opera)
Patience; or, Bunthorne's Bride, is a comic opera in two acts with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. First performed at the Opera Comique, London, on 23 April 1881, it moved to the 1,292-seat Savoy Theatre on 10 October 1881, where it was the first theatrical production in the...
, the Lord Chancellor in Iolanthe
Iolanthe
Iolanthe; or, The Peer and the Peri is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy operas and is the seventh collaboration of the fourteen between Gilbert and Sullivan....
, Ko-Ko in The Mikado
The Mikado
The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen operatic collaborations...
, Robin Oakapple in Ruddigore
Ruddigore
Ruddigore; or, The Witch's Curse, originally called Ruddygore, is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy Operas and the tenth of fourteen comic operas written together by Gilbert and Sullivan...
, Jack Point in The Yeomen of the Guard
The Yeomen of the Guard
The Yeomen of the Guard; or, The Merryman and His Maid, is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 3 October 1888, and ran for 423 performances...
, and the Duke of Plaza-Toro in The Gondoliers
The Gondoliers
The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 December 1889 and ran for a very successful 554 performances , closing on 30 June 1891...
. In 1943, Clifford's daughter Flavia was born. In 1946, he sang in a production of Merrie England
Merrie England (opera)
Merrie England is an English comic opera in two acts by Edward German to a libretto by Basil Hood. The patriotic story concerns love and rivalries at the court of Queen Elizabeth I, who is portrayed as jealous of the affection of Sir Walter Raleigh for Bessie Throckmorton. Its sunny depiction of...
.
Grand opera and later years
Clifford returned to grand operaGrand Opera
Grand opera is a genre of 19th-century opera generally in four or five acts, characterised by large-scale casts and orchestras, and lavish and spectacular design and stage effects, normally with plots based on or around dramatic historic events...
, serving as principal baritone at the Royal Opera Company, Covent Garden
Royal Opera, London
The Royal Opera is an opera company based in central London, resident at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Along with the English National Opera, it is one of the two principal opera companies in London. Founded in 1946 as the Covent Garden Opera Company, it was known by that title until 1968...
from 1946 to 1952, singing such roles as Papageno in The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute is an opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a Singspiel, a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue....
, Faninal in Der Rosenkavalier
Der Rosenkavalier
Der Rosenkavalier is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from the novel Les amours du chevalier de Faublas by Louvet de Couvrai and Molière’s comedy Monsieur de Pourceaugnac...
, Ping in Turandot
Turandot
Turandot is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, set to a libretto in Italian by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni.Though Puccini's first interest in the subject was based on his reading of Friedrich Schiller's adaptation of the play, his work is most nearly based on the earlier text Turandot...
, Beckmesser in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg is an opera in three acts, written and composed by Richard Wagner. It is among the longest operas still commonly performed today, usually taking around four and a half hours. It was first performed at the Königliches Hof- und National-Theater in Munich, on June 21,...
, Benoit in 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...
, and Alberich. In 1947 he also recorded the roles of Spallanzani and Frantz in a recording which later formed the soundtrack of 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...
's 1951 film version of The Tales of Hoffman, and in 1952 he appeared in a 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...
television production of Pagliacci, in the role of Tonio. In 1952, Clifford underwent a serious operation to repair a duodenal ulcer. From 1953-54, he returned to the Royal Manchester College of Music to teach master class
Master class
A master class is a class given to students of a particular discipline by an expert of that discipline—usually music, but also painting, drama, or any of the arts....
es and to help create a school of opera. For the next two years, Clifford taught privately and performed in London.
In 1956, Clifford joined the J. C. Williamson Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company to tour in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. He moved to Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
, New Zealand in 1958, where he directed a number of theatre and opera companies until 1964, including the Dunedin Repertory Company, Dunedin Opera Company, Shakespeare Company, and Oamaru
Oamaru
Oamaru , the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is 80 kilometres south of Timaru and 120 kilometres north of Dunedin, on the Pacific coast, and State Highway 1 and the railway Main South Line connects it to both...
Operatic Company. He also taught privately from 1963-65. In 1966, Clifford moved to Wellington, New Zealand. For the next five years, he toured with the New Zealand Opera Company in roles such as Frosch 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 :...
. He also continued to teach and direct. In 1976, he performed the role of King Gama in Princess Ida
Princess Ida
Princess Ida; or, Castle Adamant is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was their eighth operatic collaboration of fourteen. Princess Ida opened at the Savoy Theatre on January 5, 1884, for a run of 246 performances...
for the Dunedin Gilbert and Sullivan Company's 25th anniversary production. In 1977, he made another film, The Steps. Clifford's wife died in 1978. He made a TV film of 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...
in 1979 and appeared on Louise Malloy’s television show in 1980, finally retiring in 1981.
Clifford died in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand at the age of 79. His daughter, Flavia Clifford-White, is still living.
Recordings and films
Grahame appears on recordings of Tales of Hoffman (1951)http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Drilldown?name_id1=81870&name_role1=2&bcorder=2&label_id=5809 and http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Drilldown?name_id1=81870&name_role1=2&bcorder=2&label_id=1649, as well as The Bartered Bride.http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Drilldown?name_id1=81870&name_role1=2&bcorder=2&label_id=468He also appears in the 1938 television production of W. S. Gilbert
W. S. Gilbert
Sir William Schwenck Gilbert was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his fourteen comic operas produced in collaboration with the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan, of which the most famous include H.M.S...
's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as King Claudius,http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0411813/ and he dubbed the singing voices of Spalanzani and Franz in a 1951 film of Tales of Hoffmann
The Tales of Hoffmann (film)
The Tales of Hoffmann is a 1951 British film adaptation of Jacques Offenbach's opera Les contes d'Hoffmann, written, produced and directed by the team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger working under the umbrella of their production company, The Archers...
.http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0166626/ He also appeared in the film The Steps in New Zealand in 1977.
External links
- Grahame Clifford at Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte
- Profile of Clifford with links to photos
- IMDB filmography of Clifford