WIDE-RANGE SOPRANO

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 May 1936, Page 5

WIDE-RANGE SOPRANO

FORMER SYDNEY SALESGIRL. SYDNEY, April 29. Miss Nellie Sheridan, formerly a Sydney salesgirl, possesses a phenomenal vocal range, higher than any soprano mentioned in musical history. Her voice has been cultivated fiv Mr Roland Foster Lor five years Miss Sheridan is only 19. Her vocal power is amazing. She can a range of three octaves and a-hal*, her top note being the D, which is an octave and one note above the C alt She can descend to the G below the middle C. Her topmost register on the so’prano scale is one tone abor c that of the Italian soprano, Lucrezia Agujara, who in Mozart’s time sang brilliantly up to C_. and was the rage of the local stage nearly 200 years ago. Musical history has always claimed for her the distinction of having been the highest note singer ever known. Miss Sheridan reached tour notes abovo the French soprano, Miss Lily Pons, and five notes higher than the late Dame Nellie Melba. She is two tones above the topmost, note of the vocal compass of the Sydney soprano, Miss Ethel Osborne, now singing with success in England. In the presence of a Sydney throat specialist and vocal experts, Miss Shefidan gdve a private recital at Mr Foster’s rooms. She sang two songs, the highest notes of which were A flat and F above C in alt. She then engaged in scale singing, -and reached the world’s record note for a vocalist. Her lower register was also tested and found to be of excellent timbre. Her voice is well placed, and of delightful quality and clarity, and the ease vMth which she used it. was most, marked. The anatomical side of Miss Sheridan’s vocal apparatus is remarkably developed. Her resonating chambers are particularly well formed, and her vocal cords strong. Htn breath control is extraordinaily good, Definitely the top notes are not falsetto.

The discovery that Miss Sheridan ha'd a voice' of remarkable range was made five years ago at the Canterbury Dcmpstic Science School by one of tile ‘.t'dacfiers, Mrs Daisy Tremayne. “tyiiSs Sheridah lias before her fully three years of earnest study,” said Mr Foster, "before any definite move can be made .towards world recognition of, her remarkable vocal powers.”