Marilyn Horne | |
|---|---|
 Horne in 1961 | |
| Born | (1934-01-16)January 16, 1934 (age 91) Bradford, Pennsylvania |
| Other names | Jackie Peanut[1] |
| Occupation | Opera singer |
| Years active | 1954–1999 |
| Known for | Bel canto and opera seria roles |
| Spouse | Henry Lewis (1960–1979; divorced) |
| Children | 1 |
Marilyn Berneice Horne (born January 16, 1934)[2] is an Americanmezzo-sopranoopera singer. She specialized in roles requiring beauty of tone, excellent breath support, and the ability to execute difficultcoloratura passages. She is a recipient of theNational Medal of Arts and theKennedy Center Honors, and has won fourGrammy Awards.
Marilyn Berneice Horne was born inBradford, Pennsylvania, one of the four children of Bentz and Berneice Horne.[1][3][4] Her parents were both politicians, with her mother serving as city assessor of the Fifth Ward and her father appointed as McKean County assessor.[5] Bentz was also a semi-professional singer and, noticing Marilyn's talent, sought to move the family to a place where she could have access to professional vocal training and more opportunities to perform.[4] Along with her older brother Richard and sister Gloria, the family moved toLong Beach, California when Marilyn was 11. Her younger brother, Jay, was born after the move to Long Beach, in 1949.[4]
At age 13, Horne became part of the newly formedRoger Wagner Chorale. She is analumna ofLong Beach Polytechnic High School.[6] As a high school student, she was part of the St. Luke's Episcopal Church Choir of Long Beach under the direction of William Ripley Dorr.[7] The choir often worked for the movie studios[7] and recorded withCapitol Records.[8] Marilyn and her sister Gloria were part of the St. Luke's Episcopal Church Quartet.[9]
Horne won a scholarship for theUniversity of Southern California[11] where she was a member ofPi Beta Phi sorority.[12] She studied voice underWilliam Vennard andGwendolyn Koldofsky[13] at the University of Southern CaliforniaSchool of Music and participated inLotte Lehmann's vocal master classes atMusic Academy of the West.[14][15]
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Horne's first major professional engagement was in 1954, when she dubbed the singing voice ofDorothy Dandridge in the filmCarmen Jones.[3] Until that point, she had worked as a background singer for several TV sitcoms, as well as recorded covers of popular songs of the early 1950s, which were sold in dimestores around the country for $1.98. She made an appearance onThe Odd Couple as a character named "Jackie", her own nickname, a meek and nervous would-be singer who develops a crush on character Oscar Madison (Jack Klugman) and into a full-blown diva as well, playing the role ofCarmen in Felix Unger's (Tony Randall) opera group production. She also sang onThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson andThe Carol Burnett Show. She made her Los Angeles debut the same year when she performed the role of Hata inThe Bartered Bride with the Los Angeles Guild Opera.
Her first major breakthrough came when her singing ability was recognized byIgor Stravinsky; her operatic career began when he invited her to perform in the 1956 Venice festival. She remained in Europe for three seasons singing for theGelsenkirchen Opera.[3] She was highly acclaimed for her performance as Marie inAlban Berg'sWozzeck at the inauguration ofGelsenkirchen's new opera house on May 22, 1960. In 1960, she returned to the United States to appear inWozzeck at theSan Francisco Opera.[3] She debuted in 1961 atLyric Opera of Chicago where she created the role of Lora inVittorio Giannini'sThe Harvest.[16]
For many years, Horne was associated with the Australian soprano DameJoan Sutherland in their performances of thebel canto repertoire.[3] They first performed together in a concert version ofVincenzo Bellini'sBeatrice di Tenda atThe Town Hall in Manhattan in February 1961. This performance was so successful it was repeated twice at Carnegie Hall. In 1965, they were paired again in a performance of Rossini'sSemiramide with theOpera Company of Boston, and sang in a joint concert on October 15, 1979, which was telecast as "Live from Lincoln Center".
Horne made her debut at theRoyal Opera House in October 1964 as Marie inWozzeck.[3] HerLa Scala debut was as Jocasta in Stravinsky's opéra-oratorioŒdipus rex on March 13, 1969. Another of Horne's breakthroughs occurred that same year during a performance of Rossini'sLe siège de Corinthe at La Scala, when Horne received a remarkable mid-act seven-minute ovation.[17] Horne made her debut at theMetropolitan Opera in 1970 as Adalgisa in Bellini'sNorma with Sutherland in the title role.[3] She thereafter appeared regularly at the Met, opening the 1972/1973 season as Carmen. A great success there was in Meyerbeer'sLe prophète, inJohn Dexter's production. In 1984, she sang the title role of Handel'sopera seriaRinaldo (directed byFrank Corsaro), the first Handel opera ever performed at the Met.
Although best known for her bel canto andopera seria roles, Horne also sang much American music, bothcontemporary music by composers such asWilliam Bolcom, and traditional popular songs. She can be heard on the soundtrack of the 1961 filmFlower Drum Song singing "Love, Look Away" and she sang the role of Lady Thiang on the Philips recording ofThe King and I starringJulie Andrews andBen Kingsley. She had previously sung in the women's chorus for the 1956 film version ofThe King and I.
In 1983, she published (with co-writerJane Scovell) a candid autobiography,My Life, and a continuation volume,Marilyn Horne: The Song Continues, appeared in 2004.
On July 5, 1986, she performed on theNew York Philharmonic's tribute to the 100th anniversary of theStatue of Liberty, which was televised live onABC Television.[18] The orchestra, conducted byZubin Mehta, performed inCentral Park. She sang an aria fromCarmen byGeorges Bizet.
In January 1993, Horne sang "Make A Rainbow" by American singer and songwriterPortia Nelson, and theShaker hymn "Simple Gifts" at the inauguration of PresidentBill Clinton.
Horne retired from the concert stage in 1999 with a recital at the ChicagoSymphony Center. She still occasionally performs at pop concerts (especially with late Broadway starBarbara Cook). Horne has also established the Marilyn Horne Foundation to help preserve the art of vocal recitals. She teaches a series of annual Master Classes at theOberlin Conservatory of Music; theUniversity of Maryland, College Park; theManhattan School of Music; and theUniversity of Oklahoma.
From 1997 to 2018 Horne directed the Voice Program at theMusic Academy of the West inSanta Barbara, California. Since 2018 she holds the position of Honorary Voice Program Director.[19] She was scheduled to teach and remain the head of the jury for theMarilyn Horne Song Competition through 2020.[20]
In 2013, Horne donated her personal archives to theUniversity of Pittsburgh.[21] The creation of the Marilyn Horne Museum and Exhibit Center in thePitt Bradford campus’ Seneca Building (now Marilyn Horne Hall) was partially made possible through a $3 million grant the McKean County Industrial Development Authority received from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program in 2013.[22]
Since opening on May 6, 2017, the museum publicly displays a rotating portion of the collection at the regional campus in Bradford, from which she received an honorary degree in 2004.[23][24] The museum is open seven days a week and admission is free.[25]
Horne was married from 1960 to 1979 (separated 1974)[26] to theconductorHenry Lewis whom she met in college at the University of Southern California.[27] Her mother initially had misgivings that theinterracial marriage would have a negative impact on Horne's career, saying, "Be his mistress, for God's sake, not his wife," but soon reconciled with them.[28] They maintained a home in theEcho Park neighborhood of Los Angeles for many years.[29] In 1965 the couple welcomed a daughter named Angela.[30] After Horne's breakup with Lewis, she began a long-term relationship with Greek bassNicola Zaccaria.[31]
In December 2005, shortly before Horne's 72nd birthday, she was diagnosed with localized pancreatic cancer.[32] In January 2007, she appeared at a public function for her Foundation.[33] Interviewed byNorman Lebrecht onBBC Radio 3 on July 26, 2010, she spoke briefly about her cancer and cheerfully said, "I'm still here!"[34]
| External audio | |
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 You may hear Marilyn Horne withHenry Jay Lewis conducting the Vienna Cantata Orchestra in music by Bach and Handel in 1969Here on archive.org |
Horne received many honors during her career. ANew York Times article byHarold C. Schonberg, in celebration of the Met's 100th anniversary in 1983, listed the greatest singers who had ever performed at the house and included Horne, the only one still actively singing at the time.[35] She was awardedYale University'sSanford Medal.[36]
In 1969 Marilyn Horne made her debut at La Scala, again as Jocasta in Oedipus rex. She then sang Néocles in Rossini's Le siège du Corinthe with Beverly Sills, where she received an unprecedented seven-minute ovation in mid-act.
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