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The Mapleson Cylinders - Program Notes
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Ernestine Schumann-Heink
(1861-1936), Austrian (later naturalized
American) contralto from Lieben, made her official Metropolitan Opera debut on
January 9, 1899, as Ortrud in Lohengrin, following
tour appearances with the company in Chicago. During 1902-03, her salary
was $4,000 per month; for six months and one week, she was paid
$25,000. She performed forty-two times in opera, at seven Sunday-night
concerts, and in thirty-six outside engagements, with the Met retaining all
concert fees. She sang Ortrud, the Shepherd in Tannhäuser, Fidès in Prophète,
Erda and Flosshilde in Rheingold, Fricka and
Waltraute in Walküre, Erda in Siegfried, Brangäne, the Prologo in Mancinelli's Ero e Leandro, and Magdalene in Meistersinger.
On Sunday nights, she performed in the Verdi Requiem
and the Rossini Stabat Mater, as well as singing one
of her most famous numbers, the "Brindisi" from Lucrezia
Borgia. In subsequent seasons, Schumann-Heink undertook lengthy concert
tours, and appeared on Broadway in Love's Lottery.
Thereafter, she appeared only sporadically at the Met, but returned in 1932 to
sing her operatic farewell, as Erda in Siegfried, at
the age of 70. TRISTAN (Brangäne): Side 9/Band 7; Side 12/Band 8
WALKÜRE (Fricka): Side 10/Band 4
WALKÜRE (Waltraute): Side 10/Bands 5-8
