Lucrezia Bori facts for kids

Lucrezia Bori (born December 24, 1887 – died May 14, 1960) was a famous Spanish opera singer. She had a beautiful voice, known as a lyric soprano. She was also very important in helping to raise money for the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.

Biography

Early Life and Family

Lucrezia Bori was born in Valencia, Spain, on December 24, 1887. Her full name was Lucrecia Borja y González de Riancho. Her father was an officer in the Spanish army. Her family was connected to the powerful House of Borgia from the Italian Renaissance. Lucrezia was even named after her famous ancestor, Lucrezia Borgia.

Her Amazing Voice

Lucrezia Bori's voice was very special. It had a unique sound and a clear, bright quality. She studied music in Milan, Italy, with a teacher named Vidal. Her first performance was on October 31, 1908. She sang the role of Micaëla in Bizet's opera Carmen at the Teatro Adriano in Rome.

In December 1910, she performed at La Scala, a very famous opera house. She sang Carolina in Cimarosa's Il matrimonio segreto. The next year, she sang Octavian in the first Italian performance of Der Rosenkavalier there.

Career at the Metropolitan Opera

Lucrezia Bori's career with the Metropolitan Opera, often called the Met, began in 1910. This was during the Met's first visit to Paris. On June 9, she stepped in for another singer. She sang the role of Manon in Puccini's Manon Lescaut.

She made her New York debut with the Met on opening night of the 1912-1913 season. She sang Manon alongside the legendary tenor Enrico Caruso. In 1915, she had to stop singing for a while. She needed surgery on her vocal cords. After a long time recovering, she returned to the stage in 1921.

During her career at the Met, she performed 629 times. She sang the main role in 39 different operas. This included the first U.S. performance of Rimsky-Korsakov's Snow Maiden. In 1930, Lucrezia Bori was featured on the cover of Time magazine. She was especially famous for her roles in:

• Manon by Massenet
• Mimì in La bohème
• Fiora in L'amore dei tre re
• Mélisande in Pelléas et Mélisande
• Violetta in La traviata

Saving the Met

Starting in late 1932, Lucrezia Bori began a new important role: fundraising. The Great Depression had hit, and while people still bought tickets, donations from the Met's supporters dropped a lot. By the end of 1932, the Met needed a lot of money to continue its next season.

In early 1933, Bori agreed to help raise these funds. She was not just a famous face; she led the effort. She was in charge of a group called the Committee to Save the Metropolitan Opera House. Her actions were widely reported in newspapers. She asked for donations through flyers, letters, and by talking to people who could help.

After a personal appeal from her during a radio broadcast of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde on March 11, 1933, thousands of people responded. She sent personal thank-you notes to everyone who donated. She also traveled widely and performed at many benefit concerts. All this time, she continued her busy performance schedule. It took only two months to raise the $300,000 that was needed.

In May 1933, the chairman of the Met's board publicly thanked Bori. He said she had done something thought to be impossible. He praised her "imagination and genius" in saving the opera house.

From 1933 to 1935, Bori led the "Maintain the Metropolitan" committee. This group raised a similar amount of money to keep the 1934-1935 opera season going. In 1935, she made history. She was the first performer ever elected to the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Opera Association. She continued to serve on its opera management committee.

Farewell and Later Life

Lucrezia Bori's farewell gala on March 29, 1936, was a huge event at the Met. She sang parts from Manon and La traviata. Many other famous singers performed too, including Flagstad, Melchior, Rethberg, Pinza, Ponselle, Martinelli, Tibbett, and Richard Crooks.

After retiring from the Met, Bori continued to perform in recitals and make recordings for several years. You can hear her in recordings from a Hollywood Bowl concert in 1937. She sang "Si, mi chiamano Mimì" and "O soave fanciulla" with tenor Joseph Bentonelli. The Los Angeles Philharmonic played with them, led by Otto Klemperer.

After she stopped singing completely, she became chairman of the Metropolitan Opera Guild. Under her leadership, the Guild collected musical instruments for military hospitals. They also did other war-related activities and helped promote opera across the country.

Lucrezia Bori passed away on May 14, 1960, at Roosevelt Hospital. She had a cerebral hemorrhage on May 2, 1960. She never married, believing that artists should focus entirely on their art.

Recordings

All of Lucrezia Bori's recordings for Victor were released on four compact discs by Romophone in 1995. These recordings were carefully restored by Ward Marston. He also plans to re-release her complete Edison recordings. You can also find live recordings, called airchecks, from her farewell gala at the Met on March 29, 1936.

Some of Bori's recordings, like "El jilguerito con pico de oro" and songs from Acis y Galatea, were included on a CD called Great Voices of the Century Sing Exotica. On this CD, she appears with other famous singers from her time.

Images for kids

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  Lucrezia Bori

See also

In Spanish: Lucrecia Bori para niños