Nell Rankin
Encyclopedia
Nell Rankin was an American operatic mezzo-soprano
. Although a successful opera singer internationally, she spent most of her career at the Metropolitan Opera
where she worked from 1951-1976. Rankin was particularly admired for her portrayals of Amneris in Verdi's Aida
and the title role in Bizet's Carmen
. Opera News
said, "Her full, generous tone and bold phrasing, especially in the Italian repertory, were unique among American mezzos of her generation.
, Rankin was raised in a musical family. Along with her mother, father, sister and brother, Rankin grew up playing various musical instruments. She began performing at the age of four on the radio by singing for commercials. As a teenager she studied voice with Jeanne Lorraine at the Birmingham Conservatory. In order to pay for her lessons with Lorraine, Rankin rented the Huntingdon College
pool and spent her summers teaching the children of Montgomery to swim. Helen Traubel
visited the conservatory to perform a recital in 1943 while Rankin was a student. Determined to succeed in an opera career, Rankin went backstage and persuaded Ms. Traubel's accompanist, Coenraad Bos, to hear her sing. On Bos's advice, she moved to New York City to continue her studies with Karin Branzell
. Her sister Ruth Rankin, a soprano
with similar ambitions, moved with her.
, in a joint recital with her sister in March 1947. This was followed by her operatic debut as Amneris in a production of Aida
at the Salmaggi Opera Company in Brooklyn
, with her sister in the title role.
Rankin joined the Opernhaus Zürich in 1948 where she made her debut as Ortrud in Wagner's Lohengrin
. She stayed with the company for two years and sang 126 performances with the company during her first year alone. In 1950 she joined Theater Basel
where she performed Amneris in Aida and Dalila in Saint-Saëns
's Samson et Dalila. That same year she became the first American singer to win the first prize at the International Music Competition in Geneva
, which raised Rankin's profile in the opera world; she soon received invitations to perform at many of the world's best opera houses.
In 1951 she debuted at the Teatro alla Scala, the Vienna State Opera
, and the Metropolitan Opera
, all in the role of Amneris in Aida. That same year she recorded the role of Suzuki in Puccini's Madama Butterfly
, opposite Renata Tebaldi
, for Decca Records
and was a soloist in La Scala's production of Verdi's Requiem
under Victor de Sabata
, with Renata Tebaldi
, Giacinto Prandelli
and Nicola Rossi-Lemeni
. In 1953, she made her debuts at the Royal Opera House
, Covent Garden
, and the San Francisco Opera
, both in the title role of Bizet's Carmen
. She also had the honor of giving a solo recital for Queen Elizabeth II in honor of her coronation
. Also in 1953, she gave her first solo recital in New York City at Town Hall. The New York Times said of her performance, "Not only is Miss Rankin's a voice of power and range, but it is as warm as the red color of the dress she wore. Her voice is beautifully trained so that it flows purely and evenly no matter how long sustained or how quickly stated."
In a 2002 Opera News
interview, Rankin said that the single most memorable musical event in her career took place in 1952. Her husband was in the Air Force in North Africa, and she was engaged to give a solo concert on the Mediterranean coast, in an open-air theater forty miles outside Tripoli
. "Imagine", says Rankin, "Libya was still a kingdom then, and King Idris had a piano flown in from Egypt
, while an American cruiser
was stationed near the shore to illuminate the stage. The whole thing was unreal and unforgettable."
Although Rankin made appearances with several major companies throughout her career, she spent most of her time in New York City performing at the Metropolitan Opera between 1951 and 1976; there she sang the role of Carmen, the Princess di Bouillon in Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur
, Madelon in Giordano
's Andrea Chénier
, Santuzza in Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana
, Marina in Mussorgsky
's Boris Godunov
, Giulietta in Offenbach
's Les Contes d'Hoffmann
, Herodias in Richard Strauss
's Salome
, Maddalena in Verdi's Rigoletto
, Azucena in Verdi's Il Trovatore
, Princess Eboli in Verdi's Don Carlo, Ulrica in Verdi's Un ballo in maschera
, Brangäne in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde
, Gutrune in Wagner's Götterdämmerung
, Fricka in Wagner's Die Walküre
and Ortrud in Wagner's Lohengrin
among others. Her last performance with the company was as Laura in Ponchielli's La Gioconda
on April 16, 1976.
Other notable performances in Rankin's career include the starring role in CBS
's television production of Carmen in 1954 and several productions at La Scala
, including the role of Cassandra in Berlioz's Les Troyens
in 1960. She made her Lyric Opera of Chicago
debut in 1959 as Princess Eboli in Verdi's Don Carlo. She also appeared at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples
as Adalgisa in Bellini
's Norma
in 1963. In 1971 she appeared as Carmen in the very first production made by the Lyric Opera Company of Long Island. She also appeared at the Teatro Colón, Bellas Artes Opera in Mexico City, the Liceu
in Barcelona and a score of other companies in Europe and North America. She was an admired recitalist and concert singer throughout her career.
After she retired from the Metropolitan Opera, Rankin devoted herself to teaching, first at the Academy of Vocal Arts
in Philadelphia, from 1977 to 1984, and then privately in New York City until she retired in 1991.
for radio broadcast in Vienna
, a recording of Verdi's Requiem at La Scala from that same year, and the 1960 La Scala production of Berlioz's Les Troyens. A famous "pirate" recording of hers is a 1958 performance of Aïda in Mexico City, with Rankin as Amneris and fellow singers Anita Cerquetti
, Flaviano Labò
, Cornell MacNeil
, Fernando Corena
and Norman Treigle
.
, a bone marrow
disease, in 2005. She died at Cabrini Medical Center
in New York City. The Davidsons had no children.
Rankin did claim to have owned an exotic pet. In a 2002 Opera News
interview, she recalled, "I became fascinated with a pet jaguar
I discovered one day walking down the street in New Orleans. Eventually I talked his owner into selling him to me. His name was King Tut. We all became very much attached to him and watched him become a featured character in two movies. My husband and I even decided to take him to the Met once as a 'negotiating tool.' I don't think we really intimidated Bing, but he felt distinctly uncomfortable."
Mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
. Although a successful opera singer internationally, she spent most of her career 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...
where she worked from 1951-1976. Rankin was particularly admired for her portrayals of Amneris in Verdi's 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...
and the title role in Bizet's 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...
. Opera News
Opera News
Opera News is an American classical music magazine. It has been published since 1936 by the Metropolitan Opera Guild, a non-profit organization located at Lincoln Center which was founded to support the Metropolitan Opera of New York City...
said, "Her full, generous tone and bold phrasing, especially in the Italian repertory, were unique among American mezzos of her generation.
Early life and education
Born in Montgomery, AlabamaMontgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
, Rankin was raised in a musical family. Along with her mother, father, sister and brother, Rankin grew up playing various musical instruments. She began performing at the age of four on the radio by singing for commercials. As a teenager she studied voice with Jeanne Lorraine at the Birmingham Conservatory. In order to pay for her lessons with Lorraine, Rankin rented the Huntingdon College
Huntingdon College
Huntingdon College, founded in 1854, is a coeducational liberal arts college in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. Related to the United Methodist Church, the college's central hallmarks are faith, wisdom, and service. The college is known for providing a solid academic experience based on good...
pool and spent her summers teaching the children of Montgomery to swim. Helen Traubel
Helen Traubel
Helen Francesca Traubel was an American opera and concert singer. A dramatic soprano, she was best known for her Wagnerian roles, especially those of Brünnhilde and Isolde. Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, she began her career as a concert singer and went on to sing at the Metropolitan...
visited the conservatory to perform a recital in 1943 while Rankin was a student. Determined to succeed in an opera career, Rankin went backstage and persuaded Ms. Traubel's accompanist, Coenraad Bos, to hear her sing. On Bos's advice, she moved to New York City to continue her studies with Karin Branzell
Karin Branzell
Karin Branzell was a Swedish operatic contralto , who had a prominent career at the Metropolitan Opera, New York, and in Europe. Her very wide range enabled her to sing both contralto roles and the occasional soprano role...
. Her sister Ruth Rankin, a 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...
with similar ambitions, moved with her.
Career
Rankin made her professional recital debut at Town HallThe Town Hall
The Town Hall is a performance space, located at 123 West 43rd Street, between Sixth Avenue and Broadway, in New York City. It seats approximately 1,500 people.-History:...
, in a joint recital with her sister in March 1947. This was followed by her operatic debut as Amneris in a production of 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...
at the Salmaggi Opera Company in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, with her sister in the title role.
Rankin joined the Opernhaus Zürich in 1948 where she made her debut as Ortrud in Wagner's 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...
. She stayed with the company for two years and sang 126 performances with the company during her first year alone. In 1950 she joined Theater Basel
Theater Basel
Theater Basel is the municipal theatre of the city of Basel, Switzerland, which is home to the city's opera and ballet companies. The theatre also presents plays and musicals in addition to operas and operettas....
where she performed Amneris in Aida and Dalila in Saint-Saëns
Camille Saint-Saëns
Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns was a French Late-Romantic composer, organist, conductor, and pianist. He is known especially for The Carnival of the Animals, Danse macabre, Samson and Delilah, Piano Concerto No. 2, Cello Concerto No. 1, Havanaise, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, and his Symphony...
's Samson et Dalila. That same year she became the first American singer to win the first prize at the International Music Competition in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, which raised Rankin's profile in the opera world; she soon received invitations to perform at many of the world's best opera houses.
In 1951 she debuted at the Teatro alla 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 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...
, all in the role of Amneris in Aida. That same year she recorded the role of Suzuki in Puccini's 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...
, opposite Renata Tebaldi
Renata Tebaldi
Renata Tebaldi was an Italian lirico-spinto soprano popular in the post-war period...
, for Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
and was a soloist in La Scala's production of Verdi's Requiem
Requiem
A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead or Mass of the dead , is a Mass celebrated for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, using a particular form of the Roman Missal...
under Victor de Sabata
Victor de Sabata
Victor de Sabata was an Italian conductor and composer. He is widely recognized as one of the most distinguished operatic conductors of the twentieth century, especially for his Verdi, Puccini and Wagner. He is also acclaimed for his interpretations of orchestral music...
, with Renata Tebaldi
Renata Tebaldi
Renata Tebaldi was an Italian lirico-spinto soprano popular in the post-war period...
, Giacinto Prandelli
Giacinto Prandelli
Giacinto Prandelli was an Italian operatic tenor, particularly associated with the Italian and French repertoires.-Life and career:Born in Lumezzane, Italy, Prandelli sang as a boy in a church choir...
and Nicola Rossi-Lemeni
Nicola Rossi-Lemeni
Nicola Rossi Lemeni, , was a basso opera singer of mixed Italian-Russian parentage.Rossi Lemeni was born in Istanbul, Turkey, the son of an Italian colonel and a Russian mother. In his prime he was one of the most respected bassos in Italy...
. In 1953, she made her debuts at 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...
, Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
, and the San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera is an American opera company, based in San Francisco, California.It was founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola and is the second largest opera company in North America...
, both in the title role of Bizet's 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...
. She also had the honor of giving a solo recital for Queen Elizabeth II in honor of her coronation
Coronation
A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...
. Also in 1953, she gave her first solo recital in New York City at Town Hall. The New York Times said of her performance, "Not only is Miss Rankin's a voice of power and range, but it is as warm as the red color of the dress she wore. Her voice is beautifully trained so that it flows purely and evenly no matter how long sustained or how quickly stated."
In a 2002 Opera News
Opera News
Opera News is an American classical music magazine. It has been published since 1936 by the Metropolitan Opera Guild, a non-profit organization located at Lincoln Center which was founded to support the Metropolitan Opera of New York City...
interview, Rankin said that the single most memorable musical event in her career took place in 1952. Her husband was in the Air Force in North Africa, and she was engaged to give a solo concert on the Mediterranean coast, in an open-air theater forty miles outside Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
. "Imagine", says Rankin, "Libya was still a kingdom then, and King Idris had a piano flown in from Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, while an American cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
was stationed near the shore to illuminate the stage. The whole thing was unreal and unforgettable."
Although Rankin made appearances with several major companies throughout her career, she spent most of her time in New York City performing at the Metropolitan Opera between 1951 and 1976; there she sang the role of Carmen, the Princess di Bouillon in Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur
Adriana Lecouvreur
Adriana Lecouvreur is an opera in four acts by Francesco Cilea to an Italian libretto by Arturo Colautti, based on the play by Eugène Scribe and Ernest Legouvé...
, Madelon in Giordano
Umberto Giordano
Umberto Menotti Maria Giordano was an Italian composer, mainly of operas.He was born in Foggia in Puglia, southern Italy, and studied under Paolo Serrao at the Conservatoire of Naples...
's Andrea Chénier
Andrea Chénier
Andrea Chénier is a verismo opera in four acts by the composer Umberto Giordano, set to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica. It is based loosely on the life of the French poet, André Chénier , who was executed during the French Revolution....
, Santuzza in Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana
Cavalleria rusticana
Cavalleria rusticana is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, adapted from a play written by Giovanni Verga based on his short story. Considered one of the classic verismo operas, it premiered on May 17, 1890 at the Teatro...
, Marina in Mussorgsky
Mussorgsky
Mussorgsky can refer to:*The Mussorgsky family of Russian nobility;*Modest Mussorgsky, a Russian composer belonging to that family.*Mussorgsky , a 1950 Soviet film about the composer...
's 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,...
, Giulietta in Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach was a Prussian-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Johann Strauss, Jr....
's Les Contes d'Hoffmann
Les contes d'Hoffmann
Les contes d'Hoffmann is an opéra by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was written by Jules Barbier, based on short stories by E. T. A...
, Herodias in Richard Strauss
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till...
's Salome
Salome (opera)
Salome is an opera in one act by Richard Strauss to a German libretto by the composer, based on Hedwig Lachmann’s German translation of the French play Salomé by Oscar Wilde. Strauss dedicated the opera to his friend Sir Edgar Speyer....
, Maddalena in Verdi's 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...
, Azucena in Verdi's Il Trovatore
Il trovatore
Il trovatore is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play El Trovador by Antonio García Gutiérrez. Cammarano died in mid-1852 before completing the libretto...
, Princess Eboli in Verdi's Don Carlo, Ulrica in Verdi's 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...
, Brangäne in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde
Tristan und Isolde
Tristan und Isolde is an opera, or music drama, in three acts by Richard Wagner to a German libretto by the composer, based largely on the romance by Gottfried von Straßburg. It was composed between 1857 and 1859 and premiered in Munich on 10 June 1865 with Hans von Bülow conducting...
, Gutrune in Wagner's Götterdämmerung
Götterdämmerung
is the last in Richard Wagner's cycle of four operas titled Der Ring des Nibelungen...
, Fricka 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 Ortrud in Wagner's 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...
among others. Her last performance with the company was as Laura in Ponchielli's La Gioconda
La Gioconda (opera)
La Gioconda is an opera in four acts by Amilcare Ponchielli set to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Angelo, tyran de Padoue, a play in prose by Victor Hugo, dating from 1835...
on April 16, 1976.
Other notable performances in Rankin's career include the starring role in CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
's television production of Carmen in 1954 and several productions at 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...
, including the role of Cassandra in Berlioz's Les Troyens
Les Troyens
Les Troyens is a French opera in five acts by Hector Berlioz. The libretto was written by Berlioz himself, based on Virgil's epic poem The Aeneid...
in 1960. She made her Lyric Opera of Chicago
Lyric Opera of Chicago
Lyric Opera of Chicago is one of the leading opera companies in the United States. It was founded in Chicago in 1952, under the name 'Lyric Theatre of Chicago' by Carol Fox, Nicolà Rescigno and Lawrence Kelly, with a season that included Maria Callas's American debut in Norma...
debut in 1959 as Princess Eboli in Verdi's Don Carlo. She also appeared at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
as Adalgisa in Bellini
Vincenzo Bellini
Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini was an Italian opera composer. His greatest works are I Capuleti ed i Montecchi , La sonnambula , Norma , Beatrice di Tenda , and I puritani...
's Norma
Norma (opera)
Norma is a tragedia lirica or opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini with libretto by Felice Romani after Norma, ossia L'infanticidio by Alexandre Soumet. First produced at La Scala on December 26, 1831, it is generally regarded as an example of the supreme height of the bel canto tradition...
in 1963. In 1971 she appeared as Carmen in the very first production made by the Lyric Opera Company of Long Island. She also appeared at the Teatro Colón, Bellas Artes Opera in Mexico City, the Liceu
Liceu
The Gran Teatre del Liceu , or simply Liceu in Catalan and Liceo in Spanish, is an opera house on La Rambla in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain...
in Barcelona and a score of other companies in Europe and North America. She was an admired recitalist and concert singer throughout her career.
After she retired from the Metropolitan Opera, Rankin devoted herself to teaching, first at the Academy of Vocal Arts
Academy of Vocal Arts
The Academy of Vocal Arts is a school dedicated to providing free higher education to aspiring opera singers. The school was founded in 1934 by Helen Corning Warden and is located at 1920 Spruce Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-History:...
in Philadelphia, from 1977 to 1984, and then privately in New York City until she retired in 1991.
Recordings
Rankin made few commercial recordings during her career. Although she was under contract with the Decca label, many of her recording projects fell through for various reasons, and her only Decca recording is Suzuki in Puccini's Madama Butterfly with Renata Tebaldi in the title role. A number of notable live recordings have only recently become available on CD. Among them is a 1951 recording of Rankin's Amneris in Aida that was conducted by Herbert von KarajanHerbert von Karajan
Herbert von Karajan was an Austrian orchestra and opera conductor. To the wider world he was perhaps most famously associated with the Berlin Philharmonic, of which he was principal conductor for 35 years...
for radio broadcast 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...
, a recording of Verdi's Requiem at La Scala from that same year, and the 1960 La Scala production of Berlioz's Les Troyens. A famous "pirate" recording of hers is a 1958 performance of Aïda in Mexico City, with Rankin as Amneris and fellow singers Anita Cerquetti
Anita Cerquetti
Anita Cerquetti is an Italian dramatic soprano who had a short career in the 1950s.Cerquetti was born in Montecosaro, near Macerata, Italy. She was first a student of the violin, she trained eight years with Luigi Mori. After a mere one year of vocal study at the Conservatory of Perugia she made...
, Flaviano Labò
Flaviano Labò
Flaviano Labò , was an Italian operatic tenor, particularly associated with heroic roles of the Italian repertory.Labò was born at Borgonovo, near Piacenza...
, Cornell MacNeil
Cornell MacNeil
Cornell MacNeil , was an American operatic baritone known for his exceptional voice and long career with the Metropolitan Opera, which spanned 642 performances in twenty-six roles. F...
, Fernando Corena
Fernando Corena
Fernando Corena was a Turkish Swiss bass who had a major international opera career from the late 1940s through the early 1980s. He enjoyed a long and successful career at the Metropolitan Opera between 1954 and 1978, and was a regular presence at the Vienna State Opera between 1963 and 1981...
and Norman Treigle
Norman Treigle
Norman Treigle was an American operatic bass-baritone, who was acclaimed for his great abilities as a singing-actor, and specialized in roles that evoked villainy and terror....
.
Personal life
In 1952 Rankin married Dr. Hugh Clark Davidson, M.D.. They were married for fifty-three years until her death of polycythemia veraPolycythemia vera
Polycythemia vera is a blood disorder in which the bone marrow makes too many red blood cells. It may also result in the overproduction of white blood cells and platelets. Most of the health concerns associated with polycythemia vera are caused by the blood being thicker as a result of the...
, a bone marrow
Bone marrow
Bone marrow is the flexible tissue found in the interior of bones. In humans, bone marrow in large bones produces new blood cells. On average, bone marrow constitutes 4% of the total body mass of humans; in adults weighing 65 kg , bone marrow accounts for approximately 2.6 kg...
disease, in 2005. She died at Cabrini Medical Center
Cabrini Medical Center
Cabrini Medical Center of New York City was created in the late 20th century by a merger of two Manhattan hospitals. It closed in 2008 due to financial difficulties....
in New York City. The Davidsons had no children.
Rankin did claim to have owned an exotic pet. In a 2002 Opera News
Opera News
Opera News is an American classical music magazine. It has been published since 1936 by the Metropolitan Opera Guild, a non-profit organization located at Lincoln Center which was founded to support the Metropolitan Opera of New York City...
interview, she recalled, "I became fascinated with a pet jaguar
Jaguar
The jaguar is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera genus, and is the only Panthera species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range extends from Southern United States and Mexico...
I discovered one day walking down the street in New Orleans. Eventually I talked his owner into selling him to me. His name was King Tut. We all became very much attached to him and watched him become a featured character in two movies. My husband and I even decided to take him to the Met once as a 'negotiating tool.' I don't think we really intimidated Bing, but he felt distinctly uncomfortable."