DAME CLARA BUTT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 20, 24 January 1936, Page 11

DAME CLARA BUTT.

DEATH IN LONDON. A Press Association cable message from London announces the death of Dame Clara Butt, the well-known English contralto. > f Clara Butt was born at Southwick, Sussex, in February, 1873, the daughter of a captain in the merchant service. She studied singing at Clifton with D. W. Rootliam, conductor of the Bristol Madrigal Society, then at the Royal College of Music, where she won an open scholarship worth 500 guineas, and later with Bouhy in Paris and Etelka Gerster in Berlin. She first appeared in public at a students' performance of Gluck's "Orfeo" in the name part in December, 1892, and in the same month made her professional debut with Albani, Edward Lloyd and Santley at the Albert Hall, taking the part of Ursula in Sullivan's "Golden Legend." In her earlier years elie was a favourite singer at musical festivals and in oratorio, but later she was heard mostly at ballad concerts. In 1899 she made her first tour in the United States. Next year she married the baritone, R. H. Kennerley Rumford, and they had three children. After an important Continental round in 1912 she revisited the United States in 1913 and then undertook a world toHr with her husband, which lasted until 1914. She had sung by command before Queen Victoria, King Edward and King George. Several works were written specially for her, notably "Sea Pictures" by Elgar, "Romeo and Juliet" by H. Bedford and "The Triumph, -of Alcestis" by F. Cliff. Possessed of a magnificent voice, she was the most popular contralto in England, for after her earlier years on the concert platform she cliose songs likely to appeal to the simplest musical tastes. Sho was made a Dame of the British Empire (D.8.E.) in 1920. In September, "1927, she opened a shop in London for the sale of sports costumes which was to be run by her niece and daughter.) In 1930-1 she made a year's tour in the Far East, visiting India, Ceylon and Japan, where she had most enthusiastic audiences. She sang to them in Japanese. On her return she said she had been struck by the fact that the Japanese men were a race of tenors, while the woihen had beautiful soprano voices. From a year's tour in Australia she returned to London in June, 1934, on a stretcher and had to be treated for spinal trouble. While she was in hospital her son Victor, who had been farming in Rhodesia, died there of influenza. Her elder son had died in 1923 of meningitis at the age of 20. In September, 1934, she had again to undergo treatment. During her lifetime Dame Clara Butt made several tours to New Zealand, where she was enthusiastically received.