Berthe Erza was a French soprano singer.
Berthe Erza | |
|---|---|
 Berthe Erza in 1922 | |
| Born | Algiers, Algeria |
| Nationality | French |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 1920s–death |
Early life
editErza was born to French parents in Algiers.[1] She studied voice in Italy and France.[2] In 1920, she moved to the United States with her vocal coach, Isidore Braggiotti (father of dancer Francesca Braggiotti).[3]
Career
editErza was a featured singer with the Pasdeloup Orchestra in Paris conducted by Rhené-Baton, and spent three seasons with the Concerts Classiques of Monte Carlo. In 1921 she sang at a concert to benefit a French village, Misery-sur-Somme, after World War I.[4] She made an "American debut" in July 1921,[5] then her "formal debut" in America, at the Aeolian Hall in New York City in 1922,[6] and had another New York concert billed as a "debut" in 1930, at the Biltmore Theatre.[2] The New York Times called her "a well-schooled musician with a flair for the exotic" in 1931.[7] She sang at Carnegie Hall later that year, sharing the stage with Hugh Ross and the chorus of the Schola Cantorum, Nelson Eddy, and others, for the American premiere of Karol Szymanowski's Stabat Mater.[8]
She made at least two recordings for Victor in 1920.[9] She taught vocal music in Brooklyn in the 1930s at the Chase School, on the same music faculty as composer Harrison Kerr.[10]
References
edit- ^ "Bertha Erza, Dramatic Soprano". The Musical Monitor. February 1922. p. 157 – via HathiTrust.
- ^ a b "Berthe Erza Makes Debut; Dramatic Soprano of Algiers Gives Varied Program at Biltmore". The New York Times. March 17, 1930. p. 19. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
- ^ "Berthe Erza Arrives to Coach with Braggiotti". Musical Courier. March 18, 1920. p. 40.
- ^ "Representative Audience at Benefit Concert". Brooklyn Life. August 6, 1921. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Prize Singer Makes Debut". New York Herald. July 23, 1921. p. 7. Retrieved February 6, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Here and There". The Musical Leader. January 12, 1922. p. 37.
- ^ "Recital by Berthe Erza; Algerian Soprano, Who Made Debut at Stadium Concerts, Reappears". The New York Times. February 18, 1931. p. 14. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
- ^ "(Untitled music news item)". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. January 4, 1931. p. 31 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Berthe Erza". Discography of American Historical Recordings. University of California, Santa Barbara Library. Retrieved July 6, 2024..
- ^ Randy B. Kohlenberg (1997). Harrison Kerr: Portrait of a Twentieth-Century American Composer. Scarecrow Press. p. 26. ISBN 9780810832589.
