American Soprano Elizabeth Wheeler ~ Vilia song (c.1909?)

For AulicExclusiva / American soprano Elizabeth Wheeler (1875-1971) / Vilia song / The Merry Widow (Lehar) Recorded: circa 1909 (?) --

Jim Walsh of Hobbies Magazine in 1961 described Elizabeth Wheeler and William Wheeler as "the most successful husband and wife duet pair in the history of the phonograph." She was born Bess Nicholson in Kokomo, Indiana, in 1875; he was born in Shawano, Wisconsin in 1879. They married in 1904, and performed widely, doing standard ballads, light opera, and hymns. Mr. Wheeler made some solo recordings for Leeds & Caitlin, Edison and others, and then the two began their duet recordings in 1910, for Victor. "Beautiful Isle of Somewhere" was an early hit, though it did not reach the 1917 Victor catalog, where there were 17 other titles by the pair. Their final Victor recording was the most popular one, "What a Friend We have in Jesus." Mrs. Wheeler made many solo Victors beginning in 1909; she sang ballads and children's songs, and also "Elizabeth's Prayer" from Tannhauser. William Wheeler did some solo work for Pathe. They did not record after the acoustic period, and "What a Friend" was the only one of their titles to reach the 1927 Victor catalog. Elizabeth Wheeler died in 1971; William Wheeler died in 1967. (From "The Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound in the United States" / edited by Guy A. Marco / Garland Publishing, Inc. - 1993)

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Category:

Music

Tags:

• American
• Soprano
• Elizabeth
• Wheeler
• Operetta
• Lehar
• Vilia
• Merry
• Widow
• Acoustic
• 78RPM
• CurzonRoad

[65attila]

Doug

What a wonderful performance - sweet tone and wonderful sense of the music.

Regards and thanks-John

[CurzonRoad]

@65attila

Agreed... while never a star, she made numerous recordings on Victor's budget Black Label, and in ensemble on the Purple Label. Nice, sweet voice. Thank you, John!

[Bivolari]

Very prettily done. I sure hope she knows what she is saying because I sure don't! A nice, well schooled voice, but to me, she lacks a "face".

[CurzonRoad]

@Bivolari

Perhaps not... but her sweetness and delivery are winsome. Thank you, Stephen!

[opertutto]

A charming rendition of a piece that has deservedly been translated into many languages and survived many interpretations. Thank you, Doug!

[stuartliff]

Sorry about Alda - A momentary memory lapse. It could have been Farrar, Nordica, Lewis etc,. My apologies. Vivian

[AulicExclusiva]

@stuartliff Alda was from New Zealand, but how about Mabel Garrison? Or Anna Case?

[AulicExclusiva]

She has to hurry a bit, to get it all into a 10-inch disk, but her lyric freshness is always remarkable. Her ascents into the soft high register, without cooing or squeezing, are a thing of beauty. Thanks, Doug, this was an appreciated birthday present!

[meltzerboy]

I agree Wheeler's is a sweet-toned performance, and I CAN understand the words (maybe because I already know them). Moreover, I can't really fault the phrasing. Still, it's a rather generic performance, but how much can a singer do with this music? To answer my own question, listen to Jeanette MacDonald's early recording; but avoid Joan Sutherland's, which is truly incomprehensible though rich in tone. La Sutherland was fond of the tune.

[AlmaWinemiller]

A charming performance. Thank you!

[stuartliff]

Lovely voice but surprisingly short phrased in places. I get the impression that this was not really her 'fach'. Why are there no voices today of this sort of quality? America seemes to have produced so many - viz Agnes Kimball, Edith Mason, Frances Alda etc.Anyway I am very grateful to have been given the chance to hear two new voices (Wheeler and Kimball) A million thanks Doug.

[grahamrankin]

A very pure and beguiling voice. Wonderful. Thank you.

[Herur22]

Nice performance.