Amy Castles: Court Singer
Amy Castles, the Australian dramatic soprano once hailed as the “Australian nightingale”, left landmark gramophone sides from London and Australian sessions in the early twentieth century. This disc gathers eighteen restored arias, salon songs and ballads.
Giuseppe Verdi composer
Vincenzo Bellini composer
Benjamin Godard composer
Arthur Goring Thomas composer
Napoleone Zardo composer
Gaetano Braga composer
Charles Willeby composer
Thurlow Lieurance composer
Ethelbert Nevin composer
Charles Gounod composer
Antonín Dvořák composer
Pietro Mascagni composer
Johann Sebastian Bach composer
Frederic Weatherly songwriter
The programme opens with coloratura arias from Rossini, Verdi and Bellini, then turns to the salon songs and ballads she recorded in London and later in Australia.
The final four tracks feature her sister Eileen Castles, among them Gounod’s Ave Maria and Dvořák’s Songs My Mother Taught Me.
I belong to Australia and to the Australians, not only by right of birth, but also by a hundred other ties. Australians gave me the first helping hand. Australians first whispered to me of success. Australians were the first to assist me in the hard times at the beginning of my career. To Australia I belong, therefore, as long as the Australians care to claim me. And I hope that will be for always.
Reviews
Miss Castles of Melbourne held us under the charm of her exquisite voice - a voice of infinite purity and of marvellous flexibility. The English have styled Miss Castles the "Australian Nightingale". It will never again be said that the English are not gallant, as they were never more complimentary - to the nightingale! There is no greater flattery for a singer than to be compared to the King of singing birds, and yet the nightingale finds in his throat, no lighter trills, no sweeter sounds, than those which Miss Castles gave forth in profusion, and which in brilliance resembled glittering fireworks.
Artists
Amy Castles
Amy Eliza Castles (25 July 1880 – 19 November 1951), was an Australian dramatic soprano, the daughter of Joseph Castles (1849-1933), and Mary Ellen Castles (1855-1937). Her two sisters, Ethel Margaret "Dolly" Castles (1884–1971) and Eileen Anne Castles (1886–1970) were also highly regarded, talented sopranos.
Eileen Castles
Eileen Castles was a sister of Amy Castles. Also a singer, she performed in Melbourne and New York, mainly in opera and light opera.
Audio previews
Tracks
- Semiramide Bel raggio Gioachino Rossini 3:39
- I Vespri Siciliani Bolero Giuseppe Verdi 3:19
- I Puritani Qui la voce Vincenzo Bellini 4:09
- Rigoletto Caro nome Giuseppe Verdi 3:00
- Jocelyn Angels Guard Thee Benjamin Godard 2:50
- Winds in the Trees Arthur Goring Thomas 2:36
- To the Angels Napoleone Zardo 3:33
- The Angels Serenade Gaetano Braga 3:00
- The Perfect Way Charles Willeby 2:46
- My Little Violet Charles Willeby 2:21
- Four Leaf Clover Charles Willeby 2:12
- By the Waters of Minnetonka Thurlow Lieurance 2:08
- The Rosary Ethelbert Nevin 2:21
- Serenade Charles Gounod 3:00
- Ave Maria Charles Gounod Johann Sebastian Bach 3:01
- Danny Boy (Traditional) Frederic Weatherly 3:24
- Gypsy Songs Songs My Mother Taught Me Antonín Dvořák 2:17
- Cavalleria Rusticana Ave Maria – Intermezzo Pietro Mascagni 3:18
Performers
- Amy Castles · tracks 1–14
- Eileen Castles · tracks 15–18
Composers
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) was a German composer and organist of the late Baroque. His sacred and secular music for choir, orchestra, organ and solo instruments remains among the foundations of the Western concert and church repertory.
Antonín Dvořák
Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904) was a Czech composer whose music fused the folk rhythms and melodies of Bohemia and Moravia with the Romantic symphonic tradition, earning lasting international renown.
Charles Gounod
Charles-François Gounod was a French composer, conductor and organist of the Romantic era. His operas include the enduringly popular Faust, and his sacred and salon pieces remain staples of the repertoire.
Pietro Mascagni
Pietro Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana lives by melody that cuts straight to the heart. The Intermezzo and the aria Voi lo sapete carry the opera's heat in a few concentrated minutes of lyric drama.
Gioachino Rossini
Rossini's operas crackle with melodic invention and theatrical pace: comic peaks such as The Barber of Seville and La Cenerentola sit beside grand statements like Guillaume Tell, all driven by rhythmic snap and bright instrumental colour.
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi wrote the operas that still define the Italian stage: Rigoletto, La traviata, Aida, Otello. His music turns private passion and public fate into melody audiences know by heart and never tire of hearing.
Vincenzo Bellini
Bellini’s operas and songs are built on long, graceful bel canto melodies that balance florid embellishment with a deceptively simple lyric line. His writing still supplies Italianate colour for recital and instrumental programmes alike.
Benjamin Godard
Benjamin Godard wrote Romantic operas, songs and chamber music in a lyrical vein close to Mendelssohn and Schumann. The Berceuse from his opera Jocelyn remains his best-known piece, and his smaller works travel easily to flute, harp and the salon.
Frederic Weatherly
Frederic Weatherly (1848–1929) was an English lawyer, author and lyricist. He wrote the words to thousands of popular songs, among them the sentimental ballad Danny Boy.
Where to listen
Amy Castles: Court Singer is available for streaming through Spotify and Apple Music. It can also be purchased through the iTunes Music Store.
Amy Castles: Court Singer is available as a CD. It can be purchased online through Buywell Music or the Australian Music Centre which both offer online ordering.
Product details
- Catalogue number
- MCD 559
- List price
- $20.00 AUD
- Total playing time
- 52 minutes 54 seconds
- Mastering Engineer
- Martin Wright
- Release date
- 2017
- Musical work
copyright - © 2017 Move Records
- Sound recording
copyright - ℗ 2017 Move Records
- Genres
- Vocal & Opera, Romantic & Impressionist
- Barcode
- EAN 9314574055924