Alice Delysia
Alice Henriette Lapize (3 March 1889 – 10 February 1979), better known by her stage name, Alice Delysia and sometimes Elise Delisia, was a French actress and singer who made her career in English musical theatre. After performing in the chorus at the Moulin Rouge and other theatres in Paris from the age of 14, she became a chorus girl in Edwardian musical comedies, briefly on Broadway in 1905, then in London for several years and back in Paris in 1912. She got her big break in 1913, when she was offered a leading role in a revue presented by the impresario C B Cochran. The show was a hit and established Delysia as a star. During World War I, she starred in a string of West End revues and an operetta, all of which consolidated her success. In the star vehicle Afgar, from 1919 to 1921, first in London, then New York and on tour in the U.S., Delysia's fame was at its height, and her lively performance was celebrated by the critics. Returning to London in 1922, Delysia fell ill and was forced to withdraw temporarily from the stage. From 1924, she was again starring in revues, including the successful 1925 London show On With the Dance, which helped to establish Noël Coward's fame. Another highlight, in 1926, was Princess Charming. In the later 1920s and the 1930s she played in a range of musical theatre and, increasingly, in non-musical comic plays in London, earning further critical accolades. During the Second World War she abandoned the West End and devoted herself to entertaining British and allied troops, marrying a naval officer in the Free French Forces. After the war, she retired completely, accompanying her diplomat husband on various overseas postings. She returned to England in her last years. |
Birth and Death Data: Born March 3, 1889 (11th arrondissement of Paris), Died February 10, 1979 (Brighton)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1918 - 1920
Roles Represented in DAHR: soprano vocal
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Columbia | 76249 | 12-in. | approximately September 1918 | If you could care | Alice Delysia ; John Humphries ; London Pavilion Theatre Orchestra | Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Columbia | 76250 | 12-in. | approximately September 1918 | Live for all you're worth | Alice Delysia ; London Pavilion Theatre Orchestra | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Columbia | 76251 | 12-in. | approximately September 1918 | Ninon de l'Enclos | Alice Delysia ; London Pavilion Theatre Orchestra | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Columbia | 76253 | 12-in. | approximately September 1918 | The aeroplane walk | Alice Delysia ; London Pavilion Theatre Orchestra | Female vocal solo, with chorus and orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Columbia | 76254 | 12-in. | approximately September 1918 | Helen of Troy | Alice Delysia ; London Pavilion Theatre Orchestra | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Columbia | 76716 | 12-in. | approximately 11/25/1919 | Live for love | Alice Delysia ; London Pavilion Theatre Orchestra ; I. A. de Orellana | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Columbia | 76717 | 12-in. | approximately 11/25/1919 | No man's land | Alice Delysia ; London Pavilion Theatre Orchestra ; I. A. de Orellana | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Columbia | 76718 | 12-in. | approximately 11/25/1919 | A garden of make-believe | Alice Delysia ; London Pavilion Theatre Orchestra ; I. A. de Orellana | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Columbia | 76719 | 12-in. | approximately 11/25/1919 | Night was made for love | Alice Delysia ; London Pavilion Theatre Orchestra ; I. A. de Orellana ; Harry Welchman | Vocal duet, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Columbia | 76720 | 12-in. | approximately 11/25/1919 | Dear lonely lover | Alice Delysia ; London Pavilion Theatre Orchestra ; I. A. de Orellana | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Columbia | 76848 | 12-in. | approximately 4/10/1920 | You'd be surprised | Alice Delysia | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Columbia | 76849 | 12-in. | approximately 4/10/1920 | Dardanella | Alice Delysia | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Delysia, Alice," accessed September 3, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/356459.
Delysia, Alice. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved September 3, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/356459.
"Delysia, Alice." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 3 September 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Delysia, Alice, 1889-1979 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n80062652
Wikidata: Alice Delysia - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q4725814
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/2151431582956302644
MusicBrainz: Alice Delysia - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/fd2803f3-910a-4aa1-9be7-4709ec6f43e5
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