Walter Midgley
Encyclopedia
Walter Midgley was an English
opera
tic tenor
who sang leading roles at the Royal Opera House
and elsewhere from the 1930s to the 1950s.
Midgley was born in Bramley
, near Rotherham
. After leaving school, he worked as a clerk in a steelworks in Sheffield
while learning to play musical instruments and sing in choirs during his spare time. In order to earn enough to pay for singing lessons, he formed a dance-band and eventually enrolled in the Sheffield School of Music. He auditioned for the Carl Rosa Opera Company
and was engaged as a chorister, subsequently playing small parts and eventually making his debut as a principal in the role of Rodolfo in La bohème
. Before World War II
, he also sang with the Sadler's Wells company. He also sang with Geraldo on BBC Radio
.
After the war he became Principal Tenor at the Royal Opera House
, Covent Garden, making his debut as Calaf in Turandot
. He sang major tenor roles from 1951 to 1953 but left after a difference with the management and never returned.
In 1948 during Rigoletto
at Covent Garden, while he was singing 'Questa o quella', Walter swallowed his moustache. This incident made newspaper headlines all over the world and the story has become a classic. But far from being amusing, it was very worrying. Walter completed the first act and the Opera House staff were able to retrieve some of the offending article in the interval, but the next day an operation to remove the gauze was needed. For Walter it was a case of 'the show must go on' but the accident caused him much discomfort for some months after.
He was married to the pianist Gladys Vernon, and his daughter Maryetta Midgley
and his son Vernon Midgley
became accomplished singers in their own right. He once appeared with his wife and children on the long-running BBC Radio programme "Friday Night is Music Night
", the only occasion on which all four Midgleys were to perform together.
He died in 1980 having that day completed another of his very popular Radio 2 Series, 'Walter Midgley Remembers'.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
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...
tic tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
who sang leading roles 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...
and elsewhere from the 1930s to the 1950s.
Midgley was born in Bramley
Bramley, Rotherham
Bramley is a village and civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England, situated roughly 4 miles from central Rotherham and 8 miles from Sheffield city centre. Bramley is bordered by Wickersley, Sunnyside, Ravenfield and Hellaby...
, near Rotherham
Rotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
. After leaving school, he worked as a clerk in a steelworks in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
while learning to play musical instruments and sing in choirs during his spare time. In order to earn enough to pay for singing lessons, he formed a dance-band and eventually enrolled in the Sheffield School of Music. He auditioned for 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...
and was engaged as a chorister, subsequently playing small parts and eventually making his debut as a principal in the role of Rodolfo 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...
. Before 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...
, he also sang with the Sadler's Wells company. He also sang with Geraldo on BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
.
After the war he became Principal Tenor 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, making his debut as Calaf 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...
. He sang major tenor roles from 1951 to 1953 but left after a difference with the management and never returned.
In 1948 during 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...
at Covent Garden, while he was singing 'Questa o quella', Walter swallowed his moustache. This incident made newspaper headlines all over the world and the story has become a classic. But far from being amusing, it was very worrying. Walter completed the first act and the Opera House staff were able to retrieve some of the offending article in the interval, but the next day an operation to remove the gauze was needed. For Walter it was a case of 'the show must go on' but the accident caused him much discomfort for some months after.
He was married to the pianist Gladys Vernon, and his daughter Maryetta Midgley
Maryetta Midgley
Maryetta Midgley is an English soprano.Maryetta was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, the daughter of the International Operatic tenor Walter Midgley and the pianist, Gladys Vernon. Her brother is the international tenor Vernon Midgley. She was educated at the Holy Cross Convent, New Malden, Surrey,...
and his son Vernon Midgley
Vernon Midgley
Vernon Midgley born 28 May 1940, is an English tenor.Vernon was born in Worcester Park, Surrey. His parents were the tenor Walter Midgley and the pianist Gladys Vernon...
became accomplished singers in their own right. He once appeared with his wife and children on the long-running BBC Radio programme "Friday Night is Music Night
Friday Night is Music Night
Friday Night is Music Night is a long running live BBC radio concert programme featuring the BBC Concert Orchestra, broadcast most Fridays on BBC Radio 2 at 8.00pm. It is the world's longest-running live music radio programme....
", the only occasion on which all four Midgleys were to perform together.
He died in 1980 having that day completed another of his very popular Radio 2 Series, 'Walter Midgley Remembers'.
Sources
- D. Brook, Singers of Today (Revised Edition - Rockliff, London 1958), 140-144.
- Harold RosenthalHarold RosenthalHarold David Rosenthal OBE was an English music critic, writer, lecturer, and broadcaster about opera. Originally a schoolmaster, he became drawn to music, particularly opera, and began working on musical publications...
: Two Centuries of Opera at Covent Garden. London, 1958