Maude Fay
Encyclopedia
Maude Fay was an American operatic soprano
who was known for singing dramatic roles.
on the advice of Johanna Gadski
. There she studied singing with the Hungarian soprano Aglaja Orgeni
, who herself had studied with Pauline Viardot.
After three years of training in Dresden, Fay made her debut in 1906 at the Court Theater in Munich as Marguerite in Gounod's Faust
. Her performance resulted in a five-year engagement to sing leading dramatic roles. She was particularly admired in Wagner. Other roles in Munich included the title role in Emil von Reznicek
's comic opera Donna Diana
(1 December 1908), Chrysothemis in Richard Strauss's Elektra
at the Munich premiere with Felix Mottl
conducting (14 February 1909), Hermann Waltershausen's Oberst Chabert (3 November 1912), and the title role in Richard Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos
at the Munich premiere with Bruno Walter
conducting (30 January 1913). In the autumn of 1913 she sang Luigi Cherubini
's "Ave Maria" in the Munich Frauenkirche
as part of the enthronement ceremonies for Ludwig III of Bavaria
. She also received the title of Königliche Bayerische Kammersängerin (Royal Bavarian Chamber Singer) for life.
She appeared in Thomas Beecham
's 1910 season at His Majesty's Theatre
in London, as Diemut in Richard Strauss's Feuersnot
(9, 11, and 13 July 1910), and performed at Covent Garden
in 1914 as Sieglinde in Wagner's Die Walküre
and Elsa in Lohengrin
, both performances conducted by Arthur Nikisch
. She also appeared in Bayreuth
, Berlin
, Budapest
, Dresden
, Saint Petersburg
, Vienna
, and Chicago
.
During World War I she made two appearances at the Metropolitan Opera
in New York, singing Sieglinde (28 February 1916, with Gadski as Brünnhilde and Artur Bodanzky
conducting) and Elsa (1 December 1916, also with Bodanzky).
After her marriage (12 July 1922) to Powers Symington, a graduate of Annapolis
and a former captain of the , she no longer appeared on stage and only gave concert performances. She was born and died in San Francisco.
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...
who was known for singing dramatic roles.
Biography
Originally from San Francisco, Maude Fay went to DresdenDresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
on the advice of Johanna Gadski
Johanna Gadski
Johanna Gadski was a German soprano blessed with a secure, powerful, ringing voice, fine musicianship and an excellent technique. These attributes enabled her to enjoy a top-flight career in New York City and London, performing heavy dramatic roles in the German and Italian repertoires.-Life &...
. There she studied singing with the Hungarian soprano Aglaja Orgeni
Aglaja Orgeni
Aglaja Orgeni, real name Anna Maria von Görger St. Jörgen , was a Hungarian operatic coloratura soprano.-Biography:Orgeni was born in Rimászombat, Galicia...
, who herself had studied with Pauline Viardot.
After three years of training in Dresden, Fay made her debut in 1906 at the Court Theater in Munich as Marguerite in Gounod's 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...
. Her performance resulted in a five-year engagement to sing leading dramatic roles. She was particularly admired in Wagner. Other roles in Munich included the title role in Emil von Reznicek
Emil von Reznicek
Emil Nikolaus Freiherr von Reznicek was an Austrian late Romantic composer of Czech ancestry.-Life:...
's comic opera Donna Diana
Donna Diana
Donna Diana is a comic opera in three acts by Emil von Reznicek. The libretto, written by the composer, is based on a German translation by Carl August West titled Donna Diana oder Stolz und Liebe of the Spanish comedy El desdén con el desdén by Agustín Moreto y Cavana.-Performance history:It was...
(1 December 1908), Chrysothemis in Richard Strauss's Elektra
Elektra (opera)
Elektra is a one-act opera by Richard Strauss, to a German-language libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, which he adapted from his 1903 drama Elektra. The opera was the first of many collaborations between Strauss and Hofmannsthal...
at the Munich premiere with Felix Mottl
Felix Mottl
Felix Josef von Mottl was an Austrian conductor and composer. He was regarded as one of the most brilliant conductors of his day. He composed three operas, of which Agnes Bernauer was the most successful, as well as a string quartet and numerous songs and other music...
conducting (14 February 1909), Hermann Waltershausen's Oberst Chabert (3 November 1912), and the title role in Richard Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos
Ariadne auf Naxos
Ariadne auf Naxos is an opera by Richard Strauss with a German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. Bringing together slapstick comedy and consuming beautiful music, the opera's theme is the competition between high and low art for the public's attention.- First version :The opera was originally...
at the Munich premiere with 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...
conducting (30 January 1913). In the autumn of 1913 she sang Luigi Cherubini
Luigi Cherubini
Luigi Cherubini was an Italian composer who spent most of his working life in France. His most significant compositions are operas and sacred music. Beethoven regarded Cherubini as the greatest of his contemporaries....
's "Ave Maria" in the Munich Frauenkirche
Munich Frauenkirche
The Frauenkirche is a church in the Bavarian city of Munich that serves as the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising and seat of its Archbishop. It is a landmark and is considered a symbol of the Bavarian capital city.The church towers are widely visible because of local height...
as part of the enthronement ceremonies for Ludwig III of Bavaria
Ludwig III of Bavaria
Ludwig III , was the last King of Bavaria, reigning from 1913 to 1918.-Early life:...
. She also received the title of Königliche Bayerische Kammersängerin (Royal Bavarian Chamber Singer) for life.
She appeared in 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 1910 season at His Majesty's Theatre
Her Majesty's Theatre
Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre, in Haymarket, City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who established the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art at the theatre...
in London, as Diemut in Richard Strauss's Feuersnot
Feuersnot
Feuersnot , Op. 50, is a Singgedicht or opera in one act by Richard Strauss. The German libretto was written by Ernst von Wolzogen, based on J. Ketel's report "Das erloschene Feuer zu Audenaerde" in the Oudenaarde Gazette, Leipzig, 1843...
(9, 11, and 13 July 1910), and performed 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 1914 as Sieglinde in Wagner's Die Walküre
Die Walküre
Die Walküre , WWV 86B, is the second of the four operas that form the cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen , by Richard Wagner...
and Elsa in Lohengrin
Lohengrin (opera)
Lohengrin is a romantic opera in three acts composed and written by Richard Wagner, first performed in 1850. The story of the eponymous character is taken from medieval German romance, notably the Parzival of Wolfram von Eschenbach and its sequel, Lohengrin, written by a different author, itself...
, both performances conducted by Arthur Nikisch
Arthur Nikisch
Arthur Nikisch ; 12 October 185523 January 1922) was a Hungarian conductor who performed internationally, holding posts in Boston, London and - most importantly - Berlin. He was considered an outstanding interpreter of the music of Bruckner, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and Liszt...
. She also appeared in Bayreuth
Bayreuth Festival
The Bayreuth Festival is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of operas by the 19th century German composer Richard Wagner are presented...
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, 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...
, and Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
During World War I she made two appearances 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, singing Sieglinde (28 February 1916, with Gadski as Brünnhilde and Artur Bodanzky
Artur Bodanzky
Artur Bodanzky was an Austrian-American conductor particularly associated with the operas of Wagner.- Career :...
conducting) and Elsa (1 December 1916, also with Bodanzky).
After her marriage (12 July 1922) to Powers Symington, a graduate of Annapolis
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
and a former captain of the , she no longer appeared on stage and only gave concert performances. She was born and died in San Francisco.
Recordings
- "Das süsse Lied verhallt...Atmest du nicht mit mir" from Lohengrin with Maude Fay (soprano) and Heinrich KnoteHeinrich KnoteHeinrich Knote was an outstanding German dramatic tenor with an international reputation.Born in Munich, he studied in that Bavarian city with Emmanuel Kirschner before joining the Munich Opera in 1892, debuting in Lortzing's Der Waffenschmied...
(tenor), recorded in 1907. Included on the CD album Aus Münchens Operngeschichte (History of the Munich Opera) [Artists of the Munich State Opera, 1900-1945], Preiser CD 89405 (4 CDs, released May 2000). Also: Lebendige Vergangenheit (1999) .
Gallery
External links
- Marin Music Chest: History (founded by Maude Fay Symington in 1933).
- Maude Fay Answers Mrs. Atherton's Criticism of Her Sentiments. Letter to The New York Times, dated Munich, Bavaria, 4 October 1915; published 2 November 1915, concerning Maude Fay's German sympathies during World War I.