Kathleen Ferrier
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| Kathleen Ferrier (1912 - 1953) Image source |
Kathleen Mary Ferrier was born in Lancashire, England. During her short career as a contralto, she went from one triumph to another, whilst maintaining humility, humour and love for truth, people and life.
Listen to her recording of Handel's Ombra mai fu:
Ferrier's father was the village schoolmaster at Higher Walton. A good singer himself, he taught most of the music at the school. He then became headmaster at a school in Blackburn, where the family moved when young Kathleen was just two years old. Ferrier was a keen member of her school choir - even then she had a big voice, but was usually asked to stand at the back and sing quietly. Her mother, keen to encourage Kathleen's musical interest, arranged piano lessons for: Kathleen excelled in all her examinations.
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| Ferrier at the piano Image source |
Ferrier left school at 14 and went to work for the General Post Office in Blackburn, first in the telegrams department and then as a switchboard operator. At the age of 18 (July 1930), Ferrier took part in her first concert as a pianist, which was broadcast from Manchester, and began to accompany many local singers in a musical scene which was very active in Lancashire. She regularly entered and won all the major music festivals, but had become interested in singing and took some rudimentary lessons from the singers she accompanied.
By the time Ferrier was 23, she was married and living on the Cumbrian coast, where her husband was the local bank manager.
Listen to this traditional English folk song, Blow the Wind Southerly:
Kathleen gave piano lessons to the local children. When she entered the prestigious Carlisle Festival in 1937 as a pianist, her husband bet her that she would not dare to enter for the singing contest as well as the piano prize. Never one to refuse a dare, Ferrier accepted the challenged, entered the contralto solo class and not only carried off both trophies, but won the first prize for best singer at the festival. Carlisle was a turning point, and Ferrier was suddenly in great demand. In 1939, she made her first radio broadcast as a singer.
Ferrier was approached by CEMA - the Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts. By this point it was wartime and CEMA were bringing music to people in the factories, villages and hostels throughout Britain during the war years. In June 1941, she signed up with CEMA and her professional career had effectively begun. The CEMA tours were difficult but also invaluable and important training for Ferrier. Wartime travel was extremely tricky and the venues were all over the place geographically speaking: the North one day, South next, North the day after etc. Ferrier sang in church halls, cinemas, schoolas and factories - in fact, anywhere where an audience could be assembled.
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In 1942, Ferrier sang for the English conductor Sir Malcolm Sargent, who told her that she had a great future, but that in order to further her career, she must live in London. With the help of her sister, the decision was made and they moved into a flat in Hampstead. Ferrier began voice lessons with the baritone Professor Roy Henderson, who helped improve Ferrier's voice dramatically.
In 1948, Ferrier sang for the first time in New York, to great acclaim, beginning tours of America, Canada, Holland and Scandinavia subsequently. The problems of travelling abroad were similar to those she had experienced at home. Ferrier did not have the entourages that many 'stars' have now: she mostly travelled alone and had to cope with indifferent and sometimes non-existent hotel arrangements.
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During 1951, Ferrier had an operation to remove a malignant breast tumour. This seemed to be successful and she resumed her busy career after hospital. She toured again, at home and abroad and was one half of many brilliant collaborations - with Roy Henderson, Benjamin Britten, Sir John Barbirolli and the conductor Bruno Walter, with whom she was instrumental in bring the work of the composer Gustav Mahler to a much wider audience.
Throught 1952 she was troubled by problems of movement and it was found that further treatment was necessary. However, determined as she was, she fulfilled as many of her commitments as she could between regular hospital visits. Eventually, she was unable to meet the travel demands. Despite a further operation, her condition continued to deteriorate and she was re-admitted to hospital where she died on 8 October 1953, aged 41.
Her loss was a tragedy to the music profession, but in the ten years or so of fame which she was granted, she achieved more than most singers achieve in a lifetime. In tribute, Bruno Walter said that the greatest privileges of his life were to have known and worked with Kathleen Ferrier and Gustav Mahler - in that order.
Listen to this recording of Mahler's "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen"/"I am lost to the world" under the baton of Bruno Walter, sung, of course, by Kathleen Ferrier:
This blog is intended to be educational and to share knowledge about music. Daily Hit of Music does not claim to own anything contained in this post and declares its sources openly.
The following sources were used for this blog post: Kathleen Ferrier Society.
Image sources can be found in the image captions.
Recordings can be found on YouTube by clicking the 'DHM YouTube Playlist' links.
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