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 1-25 of 87 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | B-22696 | 10-in. | 4/22/1919 | Gentle Annie | Merle Alcock | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Victor | B-22697 | 10-in. | 4/22/1919 | 'Tis all that I can say | Merle Alcock | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Victor | B-22698 | 10-in. | 4/22/1919 | Suo-gan | Merle Alcock | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Victor | B-22699 | 10-in. | 4/22/1919 | The meeting of the waters | Merle Alcock | Female vocal solo, with harp and orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Victor | B-22800 | 10-in. | 4/23/1919 | Goodbye, sweet day | Merle Alcock | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Victor | B-24180 | 10-in. | 6/23/1920 | Sad at heart | Merle Alcock | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Victor | B-24355 | 10-in. | 7/26/1920 | I cannot sing the old songs | Merle Alcock | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Victor | B-24624 | 10-in. | 10/14/1920 | I have a dream | Merle Alcock | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Victor | B-25200 | 10-in. | 4/12/1921 | Caresses | Merle Alcock | Female vocal solo, with xylophone and orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Victor | B-25201 | 10-in. | 4/12/1921 | Monastery bells | Merle Alcock | Female vocal solo, with bells, celeste, chimes, and orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Victor | B-25513 | 10-in. | 8/15/1921 | The old road | Merle Alcock | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Victor | B-25514 | 10-in. | 8/15/1921 | Ship o' dreams | Merle Alcock | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Victor | B-25578 | 10-in. | 9/27/1921 | The Virgin's lullaby | Merle Alcock | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Victor | C-25585 | 12-in. | 10/5/1921 | The radiant morn hath passed away | Lyric Quartet | Mixed vocal quartet, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Victor | B-25586 | 10-in. | 10/5/1921 | Rock of ages | Lyric Quartet | Mixed vocal quartet, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Victor | B-25792 | 10-in. | 12/5/1921 | Rock-a-bye baby | Merle Alcock | Female vocal solo, with violin, harp, and orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Victor | B-25793 | 10-in. | 12/5/1921 | My trundle bed | Merle Alcock | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Victor | B-26459 | 10-in. | 5/9/1922 | Violets | Merle Alcock | Female vocal solo, with violin and orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Victor | B-26460 | 10-in. | 5/9/1922 | Not a sparrow falleth | Merle Alcock | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Victor | B-27019 | 10-in. | 10/11/1922 | My task | Merle Alcock | Female vocal solo, with celeste and orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Victor | B-27020 | 10-in. | 10/11/1922 | The little sandman | Merle Alcock | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Victor | B-27098 | 10-in. | 12/4/1922 | Grass and roses | Merle Alcock | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Victor | B-27378 | 10-in. | 1/8/1923 | Sweet spirit, hear my prayer | Merle Alcock | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Victor | B-27752 | 10-in. | 4/12/1923 | Hold thou my hand | Merle Alcock | Female vocal solo, with violin and orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Victor | B-28128 | 10-in. | 6/18/1923 | We'd better bide a wee | Merle Alcock | Contralto vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Alcock, Merle," accessed November 21, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/113828.
Alcock, Merle. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/113828.
"Alcock, Merle." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 21 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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