Mary Garden - Clair de Lune (Verlaine/Szulc)

If you have trouble playing this, add &fmt=18 to the URL at the top of the page. Mary Garden singing Clair de Lune, a poem by Verlaine set to music by Josef Szulc [See my other postings (and comments) of this song for more info. about it]. Recorded for Victor in 1930. Mary Garden (1874-1967) was born in Scotland but became famous for her performances of French opera and song. Was as famous for her acting as for her singing. Only 5' tall and 100 lbs. At the Chicago Opera for 21 years. There is an interesting interview of her on YT. I first posted this song sung by a 65 year old Nellie Melba and was quite taken by her recording of it. I was then asked if I had any more versions of this rather obscure song. I found one by Maggie Teyte which I posted. Now a YT friend has reminded me of this version. Garden was 56 when she recorded it but hers is an ideal voice for it. The slight aging of her voice I believe actually enhances her performance.

Below is a translation by YT member AulicExclusiva for which I am very grateful.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Mary
• Garden
• Verlaine
• Szulc
• Victor

[bethieebaybee91]

What do you mean there is an interview of her on YT? Could i get a copy of the interview?

[merrihew]

@bethieebaybee91 Well, it seems to have disappeared. It was a brief interview with her while she was on the Queen Mary in the early 1950's. It wasn't very interesting.

[VinylToVideo]

How could this have been recorded in 1930?!? There couldn't be sessions after the 1929 (New York, I think) Victor sessions that I don't know about - I thought I had ALL her electric recordings! What's the matrix and catalog numbers? By the way, I certainly don't blame you for not wanting to play this one on the Orthophonic. I don't even think Ward Marston could better sound out of that record.

[merrihew]

Yes, its an LP. Usually I don't use LPs but I didn't have this request on 78. Could be 1929. I was going by the record #. There are 12 electric sides on the LP.

[pax41]

Forgot to ask, what is the book you are holding with her pic?

[merrihew]

Its The Great Opera Stars In Historic Photographs, edited by James Camner, Dover Publications, 1978. I don't know if its still in print. There was another volume of instrumentalists.

[melbapatti]

After listening to this song again on the Romophone CD, it is very apparent that the Bb near the end, on the word "d'eau" in the phrase "les jets d'eau" is certainly suspect. She may be coloring the vowel, but it does sound under pitch to me. Singing out of tune or flat, however, was not a dominant feature of her singing at this time.

[melbapatti]

Of course it is no reflection on Merrihew's wonderful youtube postings. This just happens to be a less-than-ideal LP transfer. The wavering pitch is from the transfer, not present in the original disc. No one will deny that Miss Garden at 55 developed a habit of "scooping" into pitches. She never lost, however, her ability to sustain notes dead center on pitch. Jock o' Hazeldean, her last published disc is my favorite of all.

[melbapatti]

Matrix is BVE 57525-2, recorded November 4, 1929, the same day she recorded Afton Water, and Debussy's Beau soir. On the 5th she recorded the unpub Somewhere a Voice is Calling, Over the Steppes, and the Carmen aria. Her final Victor session was on the 7th when she recorded at Wanamaker's NYC. If you have the Romophone CD, you have all her known Victor recordings.

Jeffrey Miller, Wilmington, Delaware. P.S Ward DID get better sound out of that record.

[vstasov]

Fantastic sound reveals the art of this famous singer.

Thank you.

[VinylToVideo]

I think the Romophone CD has three "Depuis," two "Résurrection" arias (both the same), and one "Carmen" aria. I was a little disappointed that she only made 6 electric sides of arias, especially since they were mostly different takes of the same arias. But they are fantastic recordings.

[AulicExclusiva]

No. But she did make more than one take of each one of those. The Depuis le jour was done with orchestra in 1926, then redone with piano accompaniment by Jean Dansereau in 1927. The Romophone compilation has something like 5 takes of the Louise aria .

[VinylToVideo]

Any arias other than those from "Louise," "Carmen," or "Résurrection?"