Eileen Farrell
Eileen Farrell (February 13, 1920 – March 23, 2002) was an American soprano who had a nearly 60-year-long career performing both classical and popular music in concerts, theatres, on radio and television, and on disc. NPR noted, "She possessed one of the largest and most radiant operatic voices of the 20th century." While she was active as an opera singer, her concert engagements far outnumbered her theatrical appearances. Her career was mainly based in the United States, although she did perform internationally. The Daily Telegraph stated that she "was one of the finest American sopranos of the 20th century; she had a voice of magnificent proportions which she used with both acumen and artistry in a wide variety of roles." And described as having a voice "like some unparalleled phenomenon of nature. She is to singers what Niagara is to waterfalls." Farrell began her career in 1940 as a member of the CBS Chorus on CBS Radio. In 1941 CBS Radio offered Farrell her own program, Eileen Farrell Sings, on which she performed both classical and popular music for 5 years. In 1947 she launched her career as a concert soprano and nine years later began performing on the opera stage. The pinnacle of her opera career was five seasons performing at the Metropolitan Opera from 1960 to 1966. She continued to perform and record both classical and popular music throughout her career, and is credited for releasing the first successful crossover album: I've Got a Right to Sing the Blues (1960). After announcing her retirement from performance in 1986, she still continued to perform and record music periodically up into the late 1990s. She was also active as a voice teacher, both privately and for nine years at Indiana University. |
Birth and Death Data: Born February 13, 1920 (Willimantic), Died March 23, 2002 (Park Ridge)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1944 - 1947
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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | D7VB-1928 | 10-in. | 10/27/1947 | The merry widow waltz | Al Goodman Orchestra ; Eileen Farrell ; Charles Fredericks | Female-male vocal duet, with instrumental ensemble | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Victor | D7VB-1929 | 10-in. | 10/27/1947 | Vilia | Al Goodman Orchestra ; Eileen Farrell | Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Victor | D7VB-1931 | 10-in. | 10/27/1947 | Are you going to dance? | Al Goodman Orchestra ; Eileen Farrell ; Charles Fredericks | Female-male vocal duet, with instrumental ensemble | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Victor | D7VB-1942 | 10-in. | 10/28/1947 | Say not love is a dream | Al Goodman Orchestra ; Eileen Farrell ; Charles Fredericks | Female-male vocal duet, with instrumental ensemble | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Victor | D7VB-1943 | 10-in. | 10/28/1947 | Love is a pilgrim | Al Goodman Orchestra ; Eileen Farrell ; Charles Fredericks | Female-male vocal duet, with instrumental ensemble | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Decca | 72139 | 10-in. | 5/18/1944 | Kiss me again | Eileen Farrell | vocalist, soprano vocal | ||
Decca | 72140 | 10-in. | 5/18/1944 | A kiss in the dark | Eileen Farrell | vocalist, soprano vocal | ||
Decca | 72331 | 10-in. | 6/30/1944 | A kiss in the dark | Eileen Farrell | vocalist, soprano vocal | ||
Decca | 72332 | 10-in. | 6/30/1944 | Kiss me again | Eileen Farrell | vocalist, soprano vocal | ||
Decca | 72429 | 10-in. | 10/13/1944 | Always | Eileen Farrell | vocalist, soprano vocal | ||
Decca | 72760 | 10-in. | 3/6/1945 | It doesn't cost you anything to dream | Wilbur Evans ; Eileen Farrell | vocalist, soprano vocal | ||
Decca | 72761 | 10-in. | 3/6/1945 | Carousel in the park | Eileen Farrell | vocalist, soprano vocal | ||
Decca | 72769 | 10-in. | 3/9/1945 | April snow | Eileen Farrell | vocalist, soprano vocal | ||
Decca | 73085 | 10-in. | 10/9/1945 | Bless this house | Eileen Farrell | vocalist, soprano vocal | ||
Decca | 73086 | 10-in. | 10/9/1945 | Let my song fill your heart | Eileen Farrell | vocalist, soprano vocal | ||
Decca | 73153 | 10-in. | 11/23/1945 | Moonbeams | Eileen Farrell | vocalist, soprano vocal | ||
Decca | 73154 | 10-in. | 11/23/1945 | Because you're you | Eileen Farrell ; Felix Knight | vocalist, soprano vocal | ||
Decca | 73155 | 10-in. | 11/23/1945 | In the isle of our dreams | Eileen Farrell ; Felix Knight | vocalist, soprano vocal |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Farrell, Eileen," accessed November 10, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/104485.
Farrell, Eileen. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 10, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/104485.
"Farrell, Eileen." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 10 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Eileen Farrell
Discogs: Eileen Farrell
Allmusic: Eileen Farrell
Grove: Eileen Farrell
IMDb: Eileen Farrell
Britannica: Eileen Farrell
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Farrell, Eileen, 1920-2002 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n84017171
Wikidata: Eileen Farrell - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q453827
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/46946256
MusicBrainz: Eileen Farrell - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/359450ca-572a-4ca3-950d-208ca966993f
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