Florence Wickham

Florence Pauline Wickham Lueder (1880 – October 20, 1962) was an American contralto who made an international career at major opera houses such as the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. After retiring from the stage, she composed several ballets and operettas.

Florence Wickham
Born
Florence Pauline Wickham

1880 (1880)
Beaver, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedOctober 20, 1962 (aged 81–82)
EducationBeaver College
Occupation

Life and career

Florence Pauline Wickham was born in 1880 in Beaver, Pennsylvania.[1][2] She was the daughter of a superior court judge. She studied music at Beaver College, graduating with a gold medal for excellence in music. An uncle financed her education after her father's death.[1] She studied further with Alice Groff in Philadelphia,[3] and in Berlin, with Lilli Lehmann, Mathilde Mallinger and Franz Emmerich. She made her stage debut as Fides in Meyerbeer's Le Prophete at the Royal Court Theater in Wiesbaden at age 20, followed by Amneris in Verdi's Aida at the Royal Theater in Munich.[1] Henry Wilson Savage engaged her as Kundry in an American tour of Wagner's Parsifal.[1][4] She performed at the Royal Opera House in London for three seasons. From 1909, she performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City in 22 roles in 169 performances, including several world premieres. In 1910, she was awarded a Medal for Arts and Sciences and the title of Court Singer at a concert in Berlin.[1]

Wickham married Eberhard L. Lueder in 1911, but first continued performing and later composed under her birth name Wickham. In 1913 she shared the male role of Alan-a-Dale with actress Louise Le Baron in the comic opera Robin Hood by Reginald De Koven and Harry B. Smith. She then retired from performing and became a composer.  She wrote the music and lyrics for the opera Rosalind, based on the story of Shakespeare’s As You Like It which premiered at the open air Rockridge Theater in Carmel, New York, in August 1938.[1] The premiere was sponsored by her friend Eleanor Roosevelt.[1] Rosalind was first performed in Europe at the Volkstheater in Dresden during the winter season.[5][6] Wickham wrote a second opera, The Legend of Hex Mountain, in 1957[7] based on the Amish of Pennsylvania. It was premiered at the Memorial Hall in Plymouth, Massachusetts.[1]

Wickham also wrote several ballets. In 1954, three of her ballets were presented at the Chautauqua Institute in New York, Indian Summer, an early American fantasy; Musicians of Murano about a carnival in an Italian town; and Gift of Laughter, an Irish fairy tale.[1]

Wickham received the Women's Achievement Award of the National Conference of Christians and Jews in 1950.[1] She died on October 20, 1962, aged 82, in New York City.[1][2] Her music scores and correspondence are archived at the Music Division[8] of the New York Public Library.[9]

Works

Wickham's published works include choral pieces, songs and works for the stage:

Ballet
  • Gift of Laughter
  • Indian Summer
  • Musicians of Murano

Operetta
  • Ancestor Maker
  • Legend of Hex Mountain
  • Look and Long (music by Florence Wickham and Marvin Schwartz; text by Gertrude Stein)[10]
  • Rosalind

References
  1. Carosi, Paul. "Florence Wickham". Pittsburgh Music History. Retrieved 2020-08-28.
  2. "Dolmetsch Online - Composers Biography W". www.dolmetsch.com. Retrieved 2020-08-28.
  3. Cohen, Aaron I. International encyclopedia of women composers (Second edition, revised and enlarged ed.). New York. p. 754. ISBN 0-9617485-2-4. OCLC 16714846.
  4. Hempel, Frieda (1998). My Golden Age of Singing. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 46. ISBN 978-1-57467-036-3.
  5. Shakespeare, William (2008-05-08). The Oxford Shakespeare: As You Like It. OUP Oxford. p. 80. ISBN 978-0-19-953615-3.
  6. The New International Year Book: A Compendium of the World's Progress... Dodd, Mead. 1940. p. 513.
  7. "Opera Composers: W". opera.stanford.edu. Retrieved 2020-08-28.
  8. Jackson, Richard, 1936- (1976). United States music : sources of bibliography and collective biography (With corrections and additions ed.). Brooklyn: Institute for Studies in American Music, Dept. of Music, Brooklyn College of the City University of New York. p. 57. ISBN 0-914678-00-0. OCLC 4950628.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. "archives.nypl.org". archives.nypl.org. Retrieved 2020-08-28.
  10. "After Dinner Opera Company | Past Productions". www.afterdinneropera.org. Retrieved 2020-08-28.
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