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Marilyn Horne
Marilyn Horne 1961.jpg
Horne in 1961
Born (1934-01-16) January 16, 1934 (age 91)
Bradford, Pennsylvania
Other names Jackie
Peanut
Occupation Opera singer
Years active 1954–1999
Known for Bel canto and opera seria roles
Spouse(s) Henry Lewis (1960–1979; divorced)
Children 1

Marilyn Berneice Horne (born January 16, 1934) is a famous American mezzo-soprano opera singer. A mezzo-soprano is a female singer with a voice range lower than a soprano but higher than a contralto. Marilyn Horne was known for her beautiful voice, strong breath control, and amazing ability to sing very fast and difficult musical passages, called coloratura. She has received many important awards, including the National Medal of Arts and the Kennedy Center Honors. She has also won four Grammy Awards for her music.

Early Life and Family

Marilyn Berneice Horne was born in Bradford, Pennsylvania, on January 16, 1934. She was one of four children born to Bentz and Berneice Horne. Her parents were involved in local government. Her mother worked as a city assessor, and her father was a county assessor. An assessor is someone who officially values property.

Marilyn's father was also a singer. He noticed Marilyn's singing talent early on. To help her get the best vocal training and more chances to perform, the family moved to Long Beach, California, when Marilyn was 11. Her younger brother, Jay, was born later in Long Beach.

When she was 13, Marilyn joined a new singing group called the Roger Wagner Chorale. She went to Long Beach Polytechnic High School. During high school, she sang in the St. Luke's Episcopal Church Choir. This choir often worked for movie studios and recorded music.

Education and Training

Robert Craft Gesualdo Madrigalists
Marilyn Horne (left) performed as the second soprano of the Gesualdo Madrigalists, a five-person group formed by conductor Robert Craft (center) to explore the radical music of Italian composer Carlo Gesualdo. Other members included Grace-Lynne Martin (soprano), Charlie Scharbach (bass), Cora Lauridsen (alto), and Richard Robinson (tenor).

Marilyn Horne earned a scholarship to the University of Southern California. A scholarship is money given to a student to help them pay for their education. At the university, she was part of the Pi Beta Phi sorority. A sorority is a social club for female students. She studied singing with famous teachers like William Vennard and Gwendolyn Koldofsky. She also took special master classes with the legendary singer Lotte Lehmann.

Singing Career Highlights

Marilyn Horne's professional singing career began in 1954. She provided the singing voice for actress Dorothy Dandridge in the movie Carmen Jones. This means someone else acted on screen, but Marilyn's voice was heard when the character sang. Before this, she sang background vocals for TV shows and recorded popular songs. These songs were sold in "dimestores," which were like old-fashioned discount stores.

She also appeared on TV shows like The Odd Couple and The Carol Burnett Show. Her first opera performance in Los Angeles was in 1954.

Her big break came when the famous composer Igor Stravinsky noticed her talent. He invited her to perform at a festival in Venice, Italy, in 1956. She then stayed in Europe for three years, singing for the Gelsenkirchen Opera in Germany. She was highly praised for her role in the opera Wozzeck in 1960. Later that year, she returned to the United States to perform Wozzeck in San Francisco.

For many years, Marilyn Horne often performed with the Australian soprano Joan Sutherland. They sang together in many bel canto operas. Bel canto is an Italian singing style that focuses on beautiful tone and smooth, flowing melodies. Their first performance together in New York City in 1961 was so successful that they repeated it several times.

Marilyn Horne made her debut at the Royal Opera House in London in 1964. She first sang at La Scala in Milan, Italy, in 1969. During a performance of Rossini's Le siège de Corinthe at La Scala, she received an amazing seven-minute ovation (applause) in the middle of the show! This showed how much the audience loved her performance.

La Mignon di A.Thomas con Marilyn Horne Canadian Opera Edmonton 1978
Beniamino Prior as Wilhelm Meister and Marilyn Horne as the titular Mignon, Edmonton Opera, 1978.

In 1970, Horne made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. She sang regularly there, even opening the 1972-1973 season as Carmen. In 1984, she sang the main role in Handel's Rinaldo. This was the first time a Handel opera had ever been performed at the Met.

Besides opera, Marilyn Horne also sang a lot of American music. This included modern classical pieces and traditional popular songs. She sang "Love, Look Away" in the 1961 film Flower Drum Song. She also sang as Lady Thiang on a recording of The King and I.

In 1983, she wrote a book about her life called My Life. A second book, Marilyn Horne: The Song Continues, came out in 2004.

On July 5, 1986, she performed at a special concert for the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty. The concert was held in Central Park and shown live on TV. She sang a famous song from the opera Carmen. In 1993, she sang at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton.

Retirement and Teaching

Marilyn Horne retired from performing concerts in 1999. However, she still sometimes performs at pop concerts. She also started the Marilyn Horne Foundation. This foundation helps keep the art of vocal recitals alive. A recital is a concert given by one or two performers.

She teaches special classes called Master Classes every year. These classes are held at several universities and music schools, including the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the Manhattan School of Music.

From 1997 to 2018, Horne led the Voice Program at the Music Academy of the West in California. She is now the Honorary Voice Program Director there. She also helps judge the Marilyn Horne Song Competition.

Marilyn Horne Museum

In 2013, Marilyn Horne gave her personal collection of items to the University of Pittsburgh. This collection includes many things from her long career. A special museum, the Marilyn Horne Museum and Exhibit Center, was created at the Pitt Bradford campus.

The museum opened on May 6, 2017. It shows different parts of her collection to the public. The museum is open seven days a week, and admission is free.

Personal Life

Marilyn Horne and Henry Lewis
Marilyn Horne and her husband Henry Lewis in 1961. Photo by Carl Van Vechten.

Marilyn Horne was married to the conductor Henry Lewis from 1960 to 1979. They met in college. In 1965, they had a daughter named Angela.

In 2005, Marilyn Horne faced a health challenge. She recovered well and continues to be active in the music world.

Partial Discography

This is a list of some of the recordings Marilyn Horne made during her career.

Abridged Videography

These are some of the video recordings of Marilyn Horne's performances.

  • Corigliano: The Ghosts of Versailles (Stratas, Fleming; Levine, Graham, 1992) [live] Deutsche Grammophon
  • Rossini: L'italiana in Algeri (M.Merritt, Ahlstedt; Levine, Ponnelle, 1986) [live] Deutsche Grammophon
  • Rossini: Semiramide (Anderson, Ramey; Conlon, Copley, 1990) [live] Kultur
  • Verdi: Falstaff (Freni, Bonney, Lopardo, Plishka; Levine, Zeffirelli, 1992) [live] Deutsche Grammophon
  • Vivaldi: Orlando furioso (Behr, Pizzi, 1989) [live] Kultur

Awards and Recognition

Marilyn Horne received many awards and honors throughout her career.

  • Most Promising New Classical Recording Artist, 1964, 7th Annual Grammy Awards
  • Handel Medallion, 1980
  • Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance, 1981, 24th Annual Grammy Awards
  • Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance, 1983, 26th Annual Grammy Awards
  • Gold Medal of Merit from the National Society of Arts and Letters, 1987
  • Best Opera Recording, 1993, 36th Annual Grammy Awards
  • National Medal of Arts, 1992
  • Commandeur de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres, 1995 (a French honor for arts and literature)
  • Kennedy Center Honors, 1995
  • Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award, 2021

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Marilyn Horne para niños

  • The Rossini Bicentennial Birthday Gala
  • Thomas: Mignon (Antonio de Almeida recording)
  • Marilyn Horne & Frederica von Stade: Lieder & Duets
  • A Salute to American Music (Richard Tucker Music Foundation Gala XVI, 1991)
  • The Metropolitan Opera Centennial Gala

Works

  • Marilyn Horne: The Song Continues, Marilyn Horne and Jane Scovell, Baskerville Publishers; ISBN: 1880909715
  • Marilyn Horne: My Life, Marilyn Horne and Jane Scovell, Atheneum Books; ISBN: 068911401X
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