Janet Baker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dame Janet Baker
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Janet Baker in 1967
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Janet Abbott Baker
21 August 1933 Hatfield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
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| Occupation | Opera singer (mezzo-soprano) |
| Years active | 1950s–1980s |
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Dame Janet Baker (born August 21, 1933) is a famous English singer. She is known for her powerful mezzo-soprano voice. This means she sings in a lower female vocal range. Janet Baker performed in operas, concerts, and sang German songs called lieder.
She was especially good at singing old Italian operas. She also performed music by famous composers like Benjamin Britten, Gustav Mahler, and Edward Elgar. Many people admired her strong acting skills on stage. One of her most famous roles was Dido in the opera Les Troyens.
Contents
Janet Baker's Life and Singing Career
Her Early Life and Training
Janet Abbott Baker was born in Hatfield, England. Her father was an engineer and also sang in a choir. When she was 10, her older brother, Peter, sadly passed away. This event made her feel very responsible for her life.
Janet first worked in a bank. In 1953, she moved to London to study singing. She learned from teachers like Meriel St Clair and Helene Isepp. Helene's son, Martin Isepp, often played the piano for Janet's performances. In 1956, she came second in a big singing contest. This helped her become known across the country.
Starting Her Stage Career
In 1956, Janet Baker performed on stage for the first time. She played Miss Róza in an opera called The Secret. That same year, she also sang at the famous Glyndebourne festival.
She sang in many operas by Handel, like Rodelinda and Ariodante. She even made a well-known recording of Ariodante.
Famous Opera Roles
Janet Baker became very well-known for her opera performances. At Glyndebourne, she played Dido again. She also sang as Diana/Jupiter in La Calisto and Penelope in Il ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria.
For Scottish Opera, she sang Dorabella in Mozart's Così fan tutte. She also played Dido in The Trojans and Dido and Aeneas. Other roles included Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier and the Composer in Ariadne auf Naxos.
Her most famous role was Orfeo in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice. She performed this role many times. You can even watch a video of her performance from Glyndebourne.
In 1966, Janet Baker first sang at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. She played Hermia in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream. She also sang Dido, Kate, Vitellia, Idamante, Cressida, and Alceste there. For the English National Opera, she sang in L'incoronazione di Poppea, Werther, Maria Stuarda, and Giulio Cesare.
Concerts and Oratorios
At the same time, Janet Baker also became very popular in concert halls. She sang in oratorios and gave solo recitals. An oratorio is a large musical work for voices and orchestra, usually based on a religious story.
Some of her best recordings include the Angel in Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius. She recorded this with Sir John Barbirolli and later with Sir Simon Rattle. She also recorded Elgar's Sea Pictures and Mahler's Rückert Lieder.
In 1963, she sang in Mahler's Resurrection Symphony. This was at the BBC Promenade Concerts. In 1976, she sang in Phaedra, a new piece written just for her by Britten. She also performed in From the Diary of Virginia Woolf, another piece written for her voice.
She was also praised for her performances of Brahms's Alto Rhapsody and Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder. She sang many solo songs in French, German, and English.
Retirement from Singing
Dame Janet's last opera performance was as Orfeo in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice. This was on July 17, 1982, at Glyndebourne. She continued to give song recitals until 1989.
In 1982, she wrote a book about her life called Full Circle. In 1991, she became the Chancellor of the University of York. She held this important position until 2004. She is also a supporter of the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition.
Awards and Special Honours
Janet Baker has received many important awards. She became a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1970. In 1976, she was made a Dame Commander (DBE). This is why she is called "Dame Janet." In 1993, she became a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH).
She also received the Shakespeare Prize in 1971. In 1979, she won the Léonie Sonning Music Prize from Denmark. She has also received special honors from the Royal Philharmonic Society. Since 1983, she has been a vice-president of The Bach Choir.
In 2007, she received the Distinguished Musician Award. In 2011, she was made an Honorary Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Musicians. This is the highest honor they can give to a musician. In 2012, Gramophone magazine put her in their Hall of Fame.
Her Private Life
Janet Baker married James Keith Shelley in 1957. He became her manager and helped her with her singing jobs. They decided not to have children so she could focus on her career.
After she stopped singing, she did some spoken roles. For example, she was the narrator in Britten's The Rescue of Penelope. In later years, she spent time with close friends. These friends include singer Felicity Lott and pianist Imogen Cooper. Her husband had a stroke, and she cared for him at home. He passed away in June 2019.
Recordings of Janet Baker's Music
Janet Baker made many recordings during her career. Here are some of them:
- Bellini: I Capuleti e i Montecchi (1975)
- Berlioz: Béatrice et Bénédict (1977)
- Berlioz: Les Troyens: scenes from Act V and La Mort de Cléopâtre (1969)
- Berlioz: L'Enfance du Christ, Op.25 (1976)
- Brahms: Alto Rhapsody, op 53 (1970)
- Britten: Spring Symphony, op 44 (1978)
- Delius: Songs of Sunset
- Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius (1964, 1986)
- Elgar: Sea Pictures, Op. 37 (1965)
- Gluck: Orpheus and Euridice at Glyndebourne Festival Opera (video, 1982)
- Handel: Julius Caesar with the English National Opera (1984)
- Mahler: Kindertotenlieder (1968)
- Mahler: Rückert Lieder (1967, 1968, 1974, 1987)
- Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde (1970, 1975, 1977)
- Mahler: Symphony No. 2 (1963, 1965, 1974, 1986)
- Mahler: Symphony No. 3 (1987)
- Mozart: Cosi fan tutte (1974)
- Mozart: La clemenza di Tito (1977)
- Purcell: Dido and Aeneas (1961)
- Rameau: Hippolyte et Aricie (1966)
- Schubert: Lieder (a double-CD with 42 songs)
- Verdi: Requiem (1977)
Images for kids
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Janet Baker in 1967
See also
In Spanish: Janet Baker para niños
