Robert Henry Kennerley Rumford (2 September 1870 – 9 March 1957) was anEnglishbaritone singer of the 20th century. He was first known for his performances oforatorios, but following his marriage to the well-knowncontralto singerClara Butt, he toured with her throughout the English-speaking world singing repertoire of a more popular type. He was twice mentioned in dispatches while serving on the Western Front during theFirst World War.
Kennerley Rumford | |
|---|---|
 Kennerley Rumford, c. 1905. | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Robert Henry Kennerley Rumford |
| Born | (1870-09-02)2 September 1870 Hampstead, London, England |
| Died | 9 March 1957(1957-03-09) (aged 86) North Stoke, Oxfordshire, England |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 1896–1957 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
Early and personal life
editKennerley Rumford was born inHampstead,London,England in 1870[1] the son of Joseph Kennerley Rumford who was related toCount Rumford the celebrated scientist.[2] He was educated at King's SchoolCanterbury and also inFrankfurt andParis.[2] He studied singing in Paris underGiovanni Sbriglia (in 1894) andJacques Bouhy, and in London underGeorge Henschel.[2][3][4] He also studied under Blume, Lierhammer andJean de Reszke.[3] On 26 June 1900 he married the contralto singerClara Butt – they had one daughter and two sons before Clara died in 1936.[1][2][5] In 1941 he married Dorothy Jane Elwin.[5]
Career
editRumford made his first appearance in 1896 atSt James's Hall in London.[2] He went on to sing at theBirmingham andHandel festivals and at nearly all the principal London and provincial concerts and festivals.[2] He made his reputation with works of a serious kind such asBach'sSt. Matthew Passion (Bach Festival atQueen's Hall 6 April 1897) andBrahms'sErnste Gesänge (St. James's Hall Popular Concert 31 January 1898).[4] He appeared before bothQueen Victoria and KingEdward VII.[2]
After his marriage to Clara Butt he performed with her in concerts of a more popular kind – they performed "Grand Concerts" at theRoyal Albert Hall in London and in tours all over the English-speaking world.[4] During the First World War (1914–1917) Rumford served in France where he was twice mentioned in dispatches; later (from 1917) he worked in the Special Intelligence Department of the War Office.[4][5]
Recordings
editRumford's earliest recording dates from 1899, when he recorded "Night Hymn at Sea" (Goring Thomas) with Clara Butt on a 7-inch Berliner disc.[6] Between 1909 and the mid-1920s he made a number of recordings forHis Master's Voice and (from 1915) the Columbia Graphophone Company, some solo but many with Clara, for example "The Yeomen of England" fromMerrie England (Edward German) in 1909 (solo), "Abide with Me" (Liddle) in 1909 (with Clara) and "O That We Two were Maying" in 1925 (with Clara).[6]
Death
editHe died inNorth Stoke, Oxfordshire, England on 9 March 1957 aged 86.[1] He is buried in St Mary churchyard, North Stoke, Oxfordshire.
References
edit- ^abcBritish General Register OfficeArchived 15 April 2012 at theWayback Machine – Birth certificate: 1870 Vol 1A page 577. Marriage certificate: 1900 Vol. 6A page 1A. Death certificate: 1957 Vol 6B page 881. Payment required.
- ^abcdefgWho's who in Music, Saxe Wyndham, Boston, 1913, p. 180
- ^abA Dictionary of Modern Music and Musicians, J.M.Dent and Sons Ltd, London 1924, p. 427
- ^abcdGrove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Third Edition, Macmillan and Co., London, 1928, Vol. IV, p. 487
- ^abcWho Was Who, Vol. V, Adam & Charles Black, London, Fourth Edition, 1984, p. 954.ISBN 0-7136-2598-8
- ^abThe AHRC Research Centre for the History and Analysis of Recorded Music. Retrieved 30 April 2013
External links
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