Nellie Melba (1861-1931)

Air des bijoux
Faust Charles Gounod

Nellie Melba was probably the greatest name among the legendary singers of her time. But her origins were in obscurity: She was born in Australia; she married and had a child, then abandoned her family. She decided she wanted to become a singer, and to that end, at the age of 27, traveled to Paris to study with the legendary teacher, Mathilde Marchesi. It was not until then that Melba saw and heard her first opera. She made her debut in Brussels less than a year later, and by age thirty, was a star in both London and Paris.

Melba was a great singer, but was not known as an effective actress. She may have believed that emotional involvement in a singing role shortens vocal life. At any rate, she learned to color her voice to great dramatic effect and reportedly gave moving performances.

Her singing bears the trademark of the Marchesi studio: “an absolutely even scale, a lightness and precision of attack, an absence of any kind of forcing, an immaculate intonation, even in the most rapid passages, and a marvelous ease at the upper extreme of the vocal compass.” (Henry Pleasants)

And yes, Melba Toast and Peach Melba are named after the great diva.