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Lambert Murphy - Kashmiri Song (Victor, 1916)



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Lambert Murphy (1885-1954) was a popular American tenor who enjoyed a lengthy career in opera, oratorio, concerts and radio. Born Harry Lambert Murphy in Springfield, MA, he was raised in a comfortable suburban home by parents who ensured a fine education for their son. Murphy sang alto with a boys’ choir from the age of 9 and began vocal training when his voice changed to tenor at 16. He entered Harvard in 1904, intending to pursue a medical degree. He soon abandoned his medical studies, however, and immersed himself in music, becoming president of the Glee Club. Following his 1908 graduation, Murphy began pursuing a career as a tenor. He had already made his public debut in Parker’s oratorio The Holy Child on Christmas Day, 1904, and was engaged as soloist at the Unitarian Memorial Church in Fairhaven in 1908. A year later, Murphy found himself at Boston’s South Church, and was soon gaining a reputation as an outstanding vocalist. He crisscrossed the continent, soloing with major music festivals, symphonies and choral societies. As lucrative as this was for the busy singer, Murphy felt that he could cultivate a bigger career in New York.

Murphy relocated to New York, succeeding Dan Beddoe as tenor soloist with St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in the fall of 1910. Famed tenor Riccardo Martin heard Murphy in a recital and encouraged him to audition for the Metropolitan Opera. The management were impressed and offered the 26 year old tenor a contract. Murphy’s Met debut was as Joe in La Fanciulla del West on November 16, 1911. He went on to sing 127 performances of 18 roles (as well as 10 concerts) in such works as Tristan und Isolde, Parsifal, Das Rheingold, Die Meistersinger, Die Zauberflöte, Les Huguenots, Boris Godunov, and Julien, as well as the world premieres of Alfano’s Cyrano and Horatio Parker’s Mona, and the U.S. premieres of Thuille’s Lobetanz and Wolf Ferrari’s Le Donne Curiose. Unfortunately, Murphy’s Met roles were pretty much limited to the smallest of comprimario parts. After an Atlanta performance of Der Rosenkavalier (as Faninal’s majordomo) on April 29, 1914, Murphy called it quits at the Met.

Although he parted ways with the Met, Murphy remained remarkably busy elsewhere. He avoided opera (“Opera life is hell”, he was once quoted as saying), but appreciated the boost his career received due to his Met pedigree, nonetheless. Murphy was in demand from coast to coast as a recitalist, often delighting audiences by spontaneously changing his program to suit their taste. In 1920, he sailed for England as part of the “American Invasion” for a series of well received recitals. Murphy was a prolific recording artist, enjoying a long association with the Victor Company and was also a popular guest on The Maxwell House Coffee Radio Hour. On those rare occasions when he wasn’t performing, Murphy and his wife Jessie loved getting away to one of their country homes in New Hampshire. There, the tenor would lose himself in two of his favorite pastimes, hunting and fishing.

Murphy’s performance schedule began to relax a bit during the 1930s and he launched a second career as a voice teacher at Boston’s Malkin Conservatory. In late 1943, however, Murphy underwent an emergency operation for a serious throat ailment. Although he survived the surgery, part of his larynx had to be removed. Both his singing and teaching careers were over, leaving Murphy with no means of support. He and his wife were forced to sell much of their beloved acreage in New Hampshire and found themselves much less comfortable than they had been only a few short years before. To secure an income, Murphy took a job as an inspector for Westinghouse. Eventually, he found work as a clerk with the Fire & Marine Insurance Company, where he remained until his retirement in 1951. Sadly, the aging tenor was diagnosed with prostate cancer a short time later. After a three year struggle with the disease, Murphy died at his home in Hancock, NH on September 24, 1954.

Lambert Murphy was a fine (and sadly underrated) artist. His oratorio and cantata repertoire was impressive, with appearances in Messiah, The Creation, The Coffee Cantata, Elijah, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, Rossini’s Stabat Mater, Gounod’s Redemption, and Stainer’s Crucifixion. His recordings for the Victor label reveal a man who seemed to think of himself as more of a commodity than a singing star. His legacy of over 500 records (sometimes made under the pseudonym “Raymond Dixon”) encompasses many musical styles, including anonymous appearances with vocal ensembles and backing groups. These recordings showcase a well produced lyric instrument, at times reminding the listener of John McCormack. Murphy’s singing, although straight forward, is not without nuance, and is always satisfying. Here, Murphy sings “Kashmiri Song” from Amy Woodforde-Finden’s Four Indian Love Lyrics. This was recorded for the Victor label in Camden, NJ on November 24, 1916.
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