2022 article

Respectability, Prestige, and the Whiteness of Opera in American Popular Entertainment from 1890 to 1937

Bombola, G., & Turner, K. M. (2022, June 10). MUSICAL QUARTERLY.

By: G. Bombola & K. Turner*

UN Sustainable Development Goal Categories
5. Gender Equality (Web of Science)
Source: Web Of Science
Added: June 27, 2022

On 30 August 1902, The Capital, a Los Angeles magazine, informed its readers about the appearance of the Grand Opera Trio on the vaudeville bill at the Orpheum Theater. The author singled out one act: In presenting to Orpheum patrons this week the Prison Scene from “Faust,” the management of this popular playhouse has gone far beyond the top-notch mark of vaudeville and afforded Los Angeles an opportunity to hear one of the finest soprano voices on the coast today. Edith Decker is absolutely an ideal Marguerite, combining the facial and physical requirements of the character with a voice superbly rich and fresh, and her singing of the prison scene is something to remember. This is not superlative praise, but a well-deserved tribute to a singer of rare attainments. Abramoff is no longer the fine Mephisto of former years, but he shines with a reflected glory in having been the teacher of Edith Decker. Victor Claudio sings the tenor part.1