Merle Alcock
Merle Alcock (February 6, 1884 - March 1, 1975) was an American contralto who sang with the Metropolitan Opera in 236 performances from 1919 to 1929, officially signing in with them in 1924. Alcock's concert debut was in London in 1914. She also sang with the Boston and New York Symphony Orchestras. She found a patron in Mrs. Charles Schwab in 1916. Mrs. Schwab was herself a singer as a young woman. Alcock first sang at the Met in a performance of Verdi’s Requiem Mass on Dec. 14, 1919. Her opera debut was on Nov. 15, 1923, when she sang the role of the fiddler Beppe in L’amico Fritz. Alcock trained other singers in her retirement such as Eileen Farrell. Alcock was born Merle Tillotson in Andover, Missouri, to Zula and the Reverend Elijah Tillotson. She graduated from Drake University’s Conservatory of Music in 1906. She married Bechtel Alcock, a tenor, in 1914. The two would often perform together. She died on March 1, 1975, and is buried in Wooster Cemetery in Wooster, Ohio. |
Birth and Death Data: Born 1890 (Andover, Missouri), Died January 3, 1975 (Phoenix)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1909 - 1928
Roles Represented in DAHR: contralto
Notes: Born Merle Tillotson; wife of tenor Bechtel Alcock. Victor ledgers give her address as 42 West 12th Street, New York City.
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 76-87 of 87 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Edison | 4758 | 10-in. | 6/1/1916 | My old Kentucky home | Thomas Chalmers | Male vocal solo and mixed vocal ensemble, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Edison | 4765 | 10-in. | 6/5/1916 | I'm a-longin' fo' you | Merle Alcock | Contralto vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Edison | 5629 | 10-in. | 6/18/1917 | Bella figlia dell' amore | Merle Alcock ; Guido Ciccolini ; Arthur Middleton ; Alice Verlet | Mixed vocal quartet (soprano, contralto, tenor, and bass), with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Edison | 5770 | 10-in. | 9/7/1917 | My ain folk | Merle Alcock | Contralto vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Edison | 5774 | 10-in. | 9/10/1917 | Let me dream again | Merle Alcock | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Edison | 5787 | 10-in. | 9/14/1917 | Sextet : Chi mi frena | Merle Alcock ; Enrico Baroni ; Guido Ciccolini ; Arthur Middleton ; Henri Scott ; Alice Verlet | Vocal sextet (soprano, contralto, tenor, baritone, and 2 basses), with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Edison | 5839 | 10-in. | 10/8/1917 | The fields o' Ballyclare | Merle Alcock | Contralto vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Edison | 6466 | 10-in. | between 11/12/1918 and 11/27/1918 | Voce di donna | Merle Alcock | Contralto vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Edison | 6475 | 10-in. | between 11/12/1918 and 11/27/1918 | Danny boy | Merle Alcock | Contralto vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Edison | 6489 | 10-in. | between 12/2/1918 and 12/11/1918 | Largo | Merle Alcock | Contralto vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat 5737-A] | 10-in. | Before May 1911 | Dear delightful women | Merle Alcock ; Henry Burr | Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat 5753-B] | 10-in. | Before July 1911 | Irish lullabye | Merle Tillotson | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Alcock, Merle," accessed November 22, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/113828.
Alcock, Merle. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 22, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/113828.
"Alcock, Merle." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 22 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Merle Alcock
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Alcock, Merle, 1890-1975 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2007149584
Wikidata: Merle Alcock - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q42064563
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/68724828
MusicBrainz: Merle Alcock - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/a79d82d5-d202-405a-b5e6-22d2f73d3530
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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