Beverly Sills as Baby Doe

[spintotenor83]

heartbreakingly beauitful!

[raymeo888]

IN MY WHOLE LIFE, I HAVE LOVED MANY GREAT SOPRANOS AS A FAN. IT MATTERS LITTLE BY CRITERIA ONE COMPARES ONE WITH ANOTHER. I LOVED THE VOICE OF GALLI-CURCI AND OF LILY PONS OF MADO ROBAN AND LUISA TETRAZZINI AND CERTAINLY JOAN SUTHERLAND, BUT THERE WAS SOMETHING SO AMERICAN AND SPECIAL ABOUT BEVERLY SILLS, NOT ONLY AS A SINGER BUT AS A PERSON. I SIMPLY LOVE HER VOICE.

[kgarmaker123]

What year was this?

[bearanda07]

perfect combo of song and performer:)

charming

[paulostroff99]

A real delight! Totally unknown to me TY DOUG

[herminestover]

In EVERY possible way, this is a very hard act to follow!

[BarbaraPloyer333]

I didn't know she played the piano... wow.

She is amazing, indeed! IS not WAS- we're still hearing her sing, aren't we? Her musicianship remains with us.

[nightbeauty02]

Oh wow, I just love her voice so much. I could listen to her recordings all day long and never tire of them. <3!

[11777766]

Beverly Sills with her god-given voice was

such a joy to hear, and Baby Doe belongs to her. Who else combined their love of singing so passionately with their love of the audience? She gave us so much of herself-- a treasure we will always cherish.

[dt195k2]

This performance was magnificent in every way: a great aria sung by a great singer. It was technically and artistically beautiful. I think this vid was from a TV special Bubbles did in the 1970's. Also this opera is rarely performed which is a terrible shame. I saw it a few years ago at NYC Opera with Elizabeth Futral and Mark Delevan, and it was terrific.

[kgarmaker123]

No one sings this with such beauty of tone and pathos.. Sills voice was simply gorgeous, with beautiful round tones all the way up and down her scale.

[pianosinger745]

She was a remarkable artist & a remarkable human being as well. A wonderful role model for women especially nowadays when there are so few positive role models.

[bruceagogox]

AND such an actress.

rest in peace bubbles.

[jordan1980]

i think this was my most favorite song to work on as a soprano.

[7inga7]

Gorgeous, perfect!

[maestromuffin]

well, here's how to sing a beautiful american aria - listen and pay homage!

[brualmighty1]

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!Best Soprano in the World

[castodivo]

Do you notice how she doesn't have any of the usual singer mannerisms? Her body is so calm. She's telling us a little story. Her voice does all the work and her body can relax. She just has to stand there and sing pretty; but somehow, her voice and singing is immensely interpretive. And I really respect how she doesn't need to scoop these big intervals. Her legato's just perfect -- thanks to her amazing, AMAZING breath control!

[McKunda77]

Most often in these videos they have a pre-recorded track and ask the singer to sing "prettily". The calm appearence is just because they only have to mark instead of singing full out.

However, she might actually be singing without a recording. In which case, blame it on her sheer professionalism and proper training.

[primadivo]

Sill's silvery tone is PERFECT in this..she always did have the ability to sing and act a part in a way that touches you..and as for the high D..beautiful :-)

[ktpj]

I was in the chorus of my university's production of The Ballad of Baby Doe. I fell in love with the opera and Beverly Sills then. I listened to the the NYCO LP several times during college rehearsals. Still own and treasure it even though I purchased the CD that was finally issued. Except for NYCO and a few regional opera companies in the United States, the majors won't produce it. The preference for European repertoire at the expense of a classic like this remains. That's

snobbery and stupid.

[leadingbyxample]

I'm listening to Baby Doe on NPR right now! Sills sounds absolutely lovely! I love this opera.

[Loved92305]

I am learning this aria in my voice lessons, and she is the one person my teacher recommended for me to listen to sing this aria. Absolutly beautiful! I hope I can sing it half as well.

[spintotenor83]

She can gain your heart in the first few notes she sings.

[pearlmuth3]

Fantastic but they played one she did in great sound as a tribute on PBS TV in color when she died, thanks for this she was the greatest.

[tosca333scarpia]

I have always loved Sills' voice and appreciated her ability to act and sing exquisitely. I saw her perform in "Ballad of Baby Doe" when the NYC Opera Co. brought 3 nights of American opera to Chicago. Sills was tall, willow & every time I have seen this opera in my mind's eye I see Beverly Sill. I still don't know why it isn't done more often. It is a beautiful opera.

.

[happyvoice15]

wow.she is so good and wonderful i cant even start to explain it.God's work is amazing.

[turandot82]

I, literally, just listened to the NYCO recording of this opera with Sills.

OH, God.

There has never been an artist that puts so much "TRUTH" into the text as Sills does. And it's not just for "Baby Doe" but for every role she's ever done. She truly was one of the greatest.

[dragonfly51990]

She is an angel. God's gift to earth.

The song is so gorgeous, not overly complex and she sings those super high notes so beautifully and effortlessly.

Rest in Peace. and sing with those angels in heaven.

[tenormcgee]

I would love to see her perform the Letter Song "Dearest Mama"...it would be fantastic!

[REDRYDER3001]

Simply exquisite!! You literally cannot just listen to it once! I completely agree with the person who stated that the Great Sills OWNED this role, among others. Does anyone know, did anyone else of renown try to sing this? I know I tried to sing it as a young coloratura many, many years ago--it was the hardest thing I ever sang. Bubbles, may you rest in peace, but even leaving such a wonderful and extensive body of work behind, you will be sorely missed!

[ceb2633]

My sister had a pirated recording of the only time beloved Beverly ever sang Soeur Angelica. It was soon after the birth of her second child and she cracked up on stage and never sang it again. Both her children were handicapped; to me the saddest is the one who was deaf and never heard her mother sing. Oh, I miss her, lovely lady.

[patriciaoday]

Beautiful.

[meltzerboy]

Beverly Sills stated in fact that singing Roberto Devereaux took ten years off from her vocal career. But she also said she would rather have tried to sing a role and failed than never to have tried at all.

[coopandre]

I loved her recording of that role.

[rauzino]

You're right. Beverly Sills DID own Baby Doe. I, for one, am incredibly sad that she is really one of the last of the singers with fabulous techniques and real understanding of the roles. She never indulged in the tasteless scooping which so many singers indulge in when their voices are not quite what they used to be. The music ALWAYS came first.

[meltzerboy]

CoreyLeig, thank you for the compliment. I try to call them as I hear them. The role of Baby Doe is yet another that I believe Beverly owns.

[meltzerboy]

I agree with your comment about comparisons although they are fun and informative anyway; each was great in her own way. I also agree about the porn ad's being insulting to the memory of Beverly Sills. And I didn't think your initial comment referred to me, unless you were one of those real fanatics who cannot tolerate any criticism of their favorite singer!

[ceb2633]

Sorry, the first comment I made had to do with the porn ad at the beginning of the heavenly Ms. Sills. Such an insult.

[ceb2633]

So hard to make comparisons. Bubbles, Sutherland, and the unequaled Renata Tabaldi and on and on were all so special and perfect in their own way. But I miss Beverly Sills so much. Just knowing she was alive made my day better.

[ceb2633]

what an idiot you are.  Beyond sick, just pathetic.

[meltzerboy]

Sorry for the misspelling; I meant "Oh! quante volte."

[meltzerboy]

Actually, CoreyLeig, I do prefer Sills to Sutherland in the role of Cleopatra, but NOT the trills. Also, I can't imagine anyone singing Bellini's "O quante volta" better than Sills, even Sutherland. And Sills' Manon is also unbeatable. For the rest (as you already know), my preference lies with Sutherland.

[CoreyLeig]

meltzer boy, if I respected your opinion before, now even more so with what you say about Beverly´s Manon, Cleopatra and "O quante volte", you are truly unbiased and my hat´s off to you for that. Best regards.

[agnellodei]

That high D was just so beautiful

[Tenor777]

Simply Glorious. Oh how I miss her!!!! :(

[RedVelvetCake25]

I'll just agree to disagree with you!! You are very knoweledgeable about the voice!!!

[coopandre]

I love Sills' voice. She was very dramatic and a coloratura soprano, but not a dramatic coloratura. She also sang Aida and other roles that did not quite match her "natural" voice. I think she understood that some of the parts she sang contributed to the premature decline of her glorious voice.

[filippovonreutter]

coopandre,

I remember the answer she gave her interviewer concerning this very question when she was on the cover of "Time" at the time of her Scala debut (and no Spring Chicken). "At my age what would I be SAVING my voice for"? She was incredible.

[RedVelvetCake25]

Trust she is most truly a Dramatic Coloratura. She is the main heroine in La Traviata and she is Lucia in Lucia Lammermoor. She is also Mozart's Queen of the night in which she takes the arias up a half step. She is definetly Dramatic Coloratura, she does not even mix with the lyric coloratura sounds of Kathleen Battle.

[Iareto]

She was VERY dramatic and she was a great coloratura, but she is not a dramatic coloratura. She didn't have the vocal size to be a dramatic coloratura like Sutherland, Callas, etc. She was a BRILLIANT artist though.

[RedVelvetCake25]

I know you aint saying that Callas was a dramatic coloratura she couldn't hardly sing coloratura. Her coloratura seemed more like slides and smears rather than coloratura! And by the way Sills and Sutherlad sang the same repetoire.

[Iareto]

I know that. I love both of them, but believe me that Sills was not a dramatic coloratura. She was a brilliant lyric-coloratura who sung rep out of her vocal zone. And Callas was indeed a dramatic coloratura. She was VERY good with coloratura, though I don't personally care for her voice.

[coopandre]

Thanx for stating the facts about Callas. She did tons of recordings, some excellent and some awful. I hope you are not judging her coloratura from bad recordings. It's like judging Horowitz from his Japan performance. He is a great artist, but he stank during that performance.

[kaseylfuller]

i think her voice was made for this part! I love it!

[fiercejarret]

RIP Bella Diva!

[RedVelvetCake25]

She was the greatest Dramatic Colloratura Sopranos of her time. She was an American National Treasure. She will be missed do much in the Opera World. She had a trill that no other singer could even come close to emulating.

[Iareto]

She was a lyric coloratura and Joan had trills to rival (and imo better), but other than that you are one hundred percent correct.

[CoreyLeig]

I disagree with you. Sills´ trills were truly a thing of beauty that not even Sutherland, as great as she was, could match. Just listen to her V´Adoro Pupile from Cleopatra and tell me if Joan ever produced such incredible sounds. Not even close.

[Callas77]

Douglas Moore, the composer of Baby Doe, told Beverly himself that she WAS Baby Doe. Somehow, the words and music of this aria seem to be a very fitting tribute to Beverly. No one can deliver this aria like her and her Manon will never be matched!! This is one of my favorite arias she recorded. My only regret is that I never had the opportunity to see her perfom live. We miss you Beverly!!!!!!!

[kbrisin]

This song and the opera "Ballad of Baby Doe" belong to Beverly Sills forever. No one will ever sing it as beautifully again. Thanks for this wondeful posting.

[steveklitzman]

How very beautiful is this aria. Thanks so much for giving us such beauty for so many years. Rest in peace, Beverly Sills. Steve in DC

[aubreymmurphy]

miss sills...your generous,lovely,musical and rare gifts are cherished and loved the past several years...my students loved you....there will be more 'se pietas' but never like yours....i am so hurt but your gifts will heal the wound of your leaving... mauricemurphy

[nickbigd]

So lovely.

[Mamasan41]

Oh my. I cannot even imagine singing a high D natural. It seems to be in the clouds, to my low voiced self. These videos are the only way I will get to see Miss Sills. Thank YOU so much for them. I thank HER for such joy.

[dinacarina88]

RIP bubbles

[tenormcgee]

this was my favorite roll of hers.

[tenorbear60]

A great artist has passed. She was special, and I am so glad I got to hear her Lucia in '72 at her absolute prime. Beverly, you will be missed. That shimmering tone, that vocal facility, her work for opera: she leaves a great legacy.

[queenoftheuniverse]

An American treasure. Her generosity of spirit shone through from childhood on through her careers as singer and arts advocate. She gave so much. So sad to thinks she is gone.

[JDOopera76]

I only recently became a fan of "Bubbles" - she had a wonderful voice, and was a true artist. I am saddened by by her death; but I am grateful to have her recordings to enjoy...Brava, Beverly!

[OperaBR]

Definitely, one of the faces that I (and most people) most enjoyed looking at! She had a fantastic smile, a genuine, funny and charismatic personality and a really thrilling ability to express emotions, in Opera or not. Such an amazing artist and woman! People like Sills only pass away, but they never stop bringing life and amazement to our lives. ;-)

[SahibAmar]

A great musician, an incredible voice, but above all a mensch (if there is a feminine form of that word). I will miss her presence in my living room in Live From Lincoln Center broadcasts - it was always so wonderful to see her smiling face.

[Rosalind80]

"Mensch" means "person," so anyone can be a mensch. Beverly Sills was definitely one!

[burnskj190]

R.I.P

there is no one like you.

[gclef2288]

May you rest in eternal peace...

[mwk12kev]

Rest in Peace dear Bubbles -- We all love you!

[ceb2633]

I have been watching, listening and weeping to this video all day. Bless you, Beverly, at least I still have your voice to listen to. Rest in peace.

[dyetkoque]

Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. We are weeping, too...

[jclmiami23]

BRAVA, BRAVA , BRAVA

She is now along with the other names who made history in Opera.

May she rest in peace.

[Iareto]

Rest in peace Beverly. This performance is the one that introduced me to opera, and you will always be the person who truly inspired me to accept it. May you always be remembered by those whose lives you touched. Thank you so much Beverly.

[Pjeppy]

My heart weeps. Que en paz descanses, Beverly.

[missiu]

Brava, Miss Sills. Thank you for it all.

[Laeliapurpurata]

Ohh... I miss her! We lose so many the past few years.

[skepticsightsten]

I seldom weep at the passing of a celebrity, but she was for me, a young singer, the purest, most inspiring, most fun-filled artist of all time. She sang for sheer joy, never taking herself or her art to any snooty level, which she would have been quite justified in doing. I was privileged to see her live in Pittsburgh in the early 70's, a Lucia like none other. . . Thank God for her voice, her life, her inspiration, her legacy in recordings and on film for generations to come.

[51258alan]

I too almost never weep at the passing of the rich and famous. But I have shed a tear for Beverly and reading your comment today I find I shed another. Thank goodness there are people like her who can touch people like us!

alan

[uncleernie50]

Saddened by the news today.. heartened by the people who have come here to pay respects to an amazing force in opera...

[VivaCallas]

A charismatic woman, blessed with a sweet, sweet voice, who gave all she could to her art. May she rest in piece, & may she be remebered forever.

[JSP3091]

We were so blessed to have heard her beautiful voice, and so fortunate to have witnessed her consummate artistry. There will never be another one like her in our age, which makes this clip all the more precious. Miss Sills, requiescant in pace.

[DanRobSo]

There have been Baby Doe's before and since, but there will never be one like Beverly Sills. Rest in peace, dear lady.

[vendettealouette]

Beverly Sills, rest in peace. I'm sure she's up there singing in the angels' chorus.

[tinyvoicedgheorghiu]

Wishing Beverly Sills a speedy recovery

[laChanteuse27]

Ah...that's how it's done

[beefnotfish]

this clip just speaks volumes...what a thing of sheer beauty is the voice of siils. How can this be topped?

[Iareto]

Beautiful. The song, her voice, everything. The phrase "They don't make 'em like this anymore" comes to mind...this is definitely one of her best performances I've seen. Incredible.

[belcantowvu]

This is just beautiful. I love it.

[godivapaw]

La SUPREMA!!!! So beautiful! So controlled but at the same time, filled with emotion!!!

[JSP3091]

Sublime...moving...gorgeous...­what more could one want?

[donizettirules]

can one find this? and if so where?

[donizettirules]

so pignant! she truly envolves the listener and translates the character's emotions beautifully into the physically palatable. being an 18 young singer-in-training myself, Sills is perhaps my greatest hero and idol in opera, along with other such a Price and Kiri Te, my dad ushered at the san fransisco opera back when he was in college and got to hear her live (and free -_-)on a number of occasions... always a very great fan he's raised me on her music- to which i am very thankful!

[wedidntknow]

wow! this is amazing. i'm always telling singers that one of the greatest voice lessons can happen by watching the greats. not just hearing but truly watching. The way she uses her mouth to approach the high notes. How she outwardly creates the crescendo and decrescendos. sopranos instead of being critical watch she's not one of the greatest for nothing.

[Jezeroth]

Oh, my goodness, this just makes me want to cry it's so beautiful. My favorite Opera, hands down, and did Miss Sills ever own that role.

[bruceagogox]

Do you or anyone else have any baby doe more baby doe vids?

[vendettealouette]

This is probably my favorite song of hers. It's already one of the most beautiful I've ever heard, but the way she sings it is just so perfect.

[Richarddude]

Moreover, this hotel scene is exactly as I remember it in Leadville, Colorado, where you can still visit Doe's place of vigil, the Matchless Mine. Sills is Doe.

[mkb143]

I'm in awe; simply beautiful!

[ladivina2]

in the right repertoire she was fabulous

[currymuttonpizza]

WOW. So lyrical... and That high D was amazing. It was just... THERE. No effort. I'm jealous. :D

And that blip scared the crap out of me, lol.

[ncrunch]

Bubbles!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Greatfan]

She makes me feel close to tears. What a sensitive, enormous artist ! She is one of the greatest XX century divas. In Argentina she sang Manon, Cleopatra and Lucia. I wish we could have seen her in Baby Doe !

[sillsfan]

Greatfan, I have left you a message in your youtube inbox which i hope you will reply to. Its so nice to see that you feel the same way about Beverly as I do!

[Greatfan]

What a monumental artist ! Sills has something in her voice that moves me deeply, sometimes to tears. She is a great singer, a great musician and a stupendous artist ! It is the first time I hear this opera. I wrote many times Teatro Colón to hire her in this role. Pure intuition. Now I see how great she was in this role.I forsaw it. She deserves her throne as one of XX century greatest divas !

[infoman111]

While this aria is commonly referred to as "The Willow Song" (mainly because the character is singing from sheet music at a piano), it is perfectly correct to refer to it (and all arias) by the usual convention of naming arias by the first few words of the first line (such as "Vissi d'arte" and "Celeste Aida"). The two commercial recordings of Baby Doe do it that way, for instance.

[BelleMusique]

She does a very good job with this song. The only thing is the song is not called "Willow, where we met together" the song is called "The Willow Song". I know this because I sing it as well. It makes for a good audition song. Gotta love those high notes!

[nyc88s]

How beautiful her voice was back in the earlier days! Limpid and shimmering. Listen to her sail up to that high Dflat! Heaven.

[jvinikour]

high D natural, you mean!

[bruceagogox]

haha

[sillsfan]

OOH! Beverly is just the greatest!