Florence Easton
Florence Easton (25 October 1882 – 13 August 1955) was an English dramatic soprano of the early 20th century. She was one of the most versatile singers of all time, appearing in more than 100 roles, covering a wide range of styles and periods, from Mozart, Meyerbeer, Gounod, Verdi, Wagner, Puccini, Strauss, Schreker and Krenek. She sang virtually every Wagnerian soprano part, large and small, from Senta in Der Fliegende Holländer onwards, including Brünnhilde in Götterdämmerung. Easton described herself as a "lyric dramatic soprano", which seems barely adequate in relation to the range and types of roles in which she excelled. Her international reputation, founded mainly in North America and Germany, was almost unique for a British singer of her time. She could move easily through all stages from the light coloratura to the Hochdramatische, from girlish romanticism to the powerful drama of Wagner and Strauss. The voice could be light and airy, gently melancholic or intensely passionate. The involvement in the character of the role was total. John Steane has suggested that "This great strength of hers was also, in a strange way, a source of weakness. She sang so many roles very well that she never quite became identified with any of these". Despite some minor difficulty with Italian diction, she was chosen by Puccini to create Lauretta in his 1917 opera Gianni Schicchi. |
Birth and Death Data: Born October 25, 1882 (Middlesbrough), Died August 13, 1955 (Montreal)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1921 - 1934
Roles Represented in DAHR: soprano vocal, vocalist
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 72 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brunswick | X5545 | 12-in. | approximately May 1921 | Ave Maria | Florence Easton ; Max Rosen | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra and violin obbligato | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Brunswick | 5547 | 10-in. | approximately May 1921 | Air des bijoux | Florence Easton | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Brunswick | 7432 | 10-in. | approximately Feb. 1922 | Song of the shepherd Lehl | Florence Easton | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Brunswick | 8825 | 10-in. | approximately Oct. 1922 | Connais-tu le pays? | Florence Easton | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Brunswick | 8827 | 10-in. | approximately Oct. 1922 | Le roi du Thulé | Florence Easton | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Brunswick | 8830 | 10-in. | approximately Oct. 1922 | Still wie die Nacht | Florence Easton | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Brunswick | 9367 | 10-in. | approximately Dec. 1922 | Preguntales a las estrellas | Florence Easton | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Brunswick | 9369 | 10-in. | approximately Dec. 1922 | El cefiro | Florence Easton | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Brunswick | 5502-5503 | 10-in. | approximately May 1921 | My laddie | Florence Easton | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Brunswick | X5504-X5505 | 12-in. | approximately May 1921 | Un bel di vedremo | Florence Easton | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Brunswick | 5506-5507 | 10-in. | May 1921 | Vissi d'arte | Florence Easton | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Brunswick | 6422-6424 | 10-in. | approximately Sept. 1921 | Silent night | Florence Easton | Soprano vocal solo and male vocal trio, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Brunswick | 6949-6950 | 10-in. | approximately Dec. 1921 | Addio | Florence Easton | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Brunswick | 7273-7274 | 10-in. | approximately Jan. 1922 | Habanera | Florence Easton | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Brunswick | X7275-X7276 | 12-in. | approximately Jan. 1922 | Je dis que rien ne m'epouvante | Florence Easton | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Brunswick | 7466-7467 | 10-in. | approximately Feb. 1922 | Chanson indoue | Florence Easton | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Brunswick | X7651-X7652 | 12-in. | approximately Mar. 1922 | Che volo d'augelli | Florence Easton | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Brunswick | X10344-X10346 | 12-in. | 4/11/1923 | O divine redeemer | Florence Easton | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Brunswick | 10347-10348 | 10-in. | 4/11/1923 | Treue Liebe | Florence Easton | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Brunswick | 10379-10381 | 10-in. | 4/13/1923 | Ancora un passo | Florence Easton | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Brunswick | 10713-10715 | 10-in. | 5/22/1923 | Treue liebe | Florence Easton | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Brunswick | 10716-10718 | 10-in. | 5/22/1923 | Sai cos’ ebbe cuore | Florence Easton | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Brunswick | X10788-X10789 | 12-in. | 6/1/1923 | Ave Maria | Florence Easton | Female vocal solo, with violin, organ, and harp | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Brunswick | X10819-X10821 | 12-in. | 6/8/1923 | Ave Maria | Florence Easton ; Fredric Fradkin | Soprano vocal solo, with violin, organ, and harp | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Brunswick | 11498-11500 | 10-in. | 10/1/1923 | Holy night | Florence Easton | Soprano vocal solo and male vocal trio, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Easton, Florence," accessed November 25, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/103628.
Easton, Florence. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 25, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/103628.
"Easton, Florence." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 25 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Easton, Florence - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82063640
Wikidata: Florence Easton - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q5460606
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/10036256
MusicBrainz: Florence Easton - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/695f37e5-683b-48b3-af9c-beba94cae5c5
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