Marguerite Dunlap
Marguerite Dunlap | |
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Born | 20 July 1887 ![]() Camden ![]() |
Died | 7 January 1959 ![]() Upper Montclair ![]() |
Resting place | Bloomfield Cemetery ![]() |
Occupation | Concert singer ![]() |
Employer |
Marguerite Dunlap (July 20, 1887 – January 7, 1959) was an American contralto opera singer. She is mainly remembered for her recordings for Victor Records from 1904–1928. She recorded a wide range of music from operas to Broadway musicals to sacred music, popular music, and songs from the classical concert repertoire.
Personal life[]
Dunlap was born on July 20, 1887, in Camden, South Carolina[1][2] to Margaret Cunningham Dunlap and Charles J. Dunlap, a former Confederate Army surgeon. Her family subsequently moved to Atlanta.[1]
She married Joseph E. Garabrant,[1] a marine engineer,[3] and kept singing under her maiden name.[4] She had a daughter, Margaret G. Derr, and a son, Joseph E. Garabrant Jr. She moved to Montclair in 1920, and retired in the 1920s. Her last address was at 217 Montclair Avenue, Upper Montclair.[1] She was a member of St John's Episcopal Church in Montclair and the Upper Montclair Country Club.[4]
After an operation, she was ill for a long time, and she died at her home on January 7, 1959,[1] aged 71.[4] She had three grandchildren at the time of her death. She was buried in Bloomfield Cemetery,[1] after a service at the Van Tassel Funeral Home.[4]
Career[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/78_record_of_Beautiful_Ohio_ballad-macdonald-mary-earl-olive-kline-marguerite-dunlap_gbia0000598a_itemimage.jpg/220px-78_record_of_Beautiful_Ohio_ballad-macdonald-mary-earl-olive-kline-marguerite-dunlap_gbia0000598a_itemimage.jpg)
Dunlap began to show singing talent early in life, becoming an expert pianist by the age of 16.[1] She sang alto with the First Baptist choir in Atlanta.[6] When she was 18 she went to New York City and in a competitive audition won a scholarship to the Metropolitan Opera school.[1] She studied with Madam Florence Manchester.[6] She made professional recordings as part of the Trinity Choir (at Trinity Church)[3] for Victor Talking Machine Co.[7][8] She would go on to record 360 records for Victor Records,[7] including being a contralto soloist.[9][1] In October 1913 she recorded a duet with the Canadian singer (and Victor Records manager) Harry MacDonough of "When It's Apple Blossom Time in Normandy".[10]
Dunlap had her debut at the Metropolitan Opera on January 18, 1907, in the first production of Manon Lescaut, composed by Puccini, with Enrico Caruso as the lead singer;[11] her last portrayal of this role was on March 2, 1907.[12] In 1911, she was one of the performers in the sextet for Lucia di Lammermoor in New York,[9] and also recorded "Mighty Lak' a Rose" ("Mighty Like a Rose") by Ethelbert Nevin in 1911.[13] In 1914, she was involved in a production of "Sextet from Lucia" for a record.[14] She performed in Arkansas in 1915, including songs such as "Mammy Song" by Harriet Ware, and "Mighty Lak' a Rose".[15] She and Olive Kline made one of the early recordings of "Beautiful Ohio" in 1919.[5][13] This song would became the official state song of Ohio.[16] Dunlap sang in the first radio broadcast of the AM radio station WEAF (later called WNBC) in New York in 1922.[1] Dunlap made recordings up to 1928.[7]
References[]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Former Concert Singer Dies at 71". The Montclair Times. 8 January 1959. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Sullivan, Steve (17 May 2017). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781442254497.
- ^ a b "Memorial Obituary". The New York Times. 8 January 1959.
- ^ a b c d "Ex-Singer, 71, Of Montclair". Newark Evening News. 8 January 1959.
- ^ a b "Victor matrix B-22474. Beautiful Ohio / Marguerite Dunlap ; Olive Kline". Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ^ a b "Talented Atlanta Girl Returns to New York". The Atlanta Constitution. 29 August 1909. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Dunlap, Marguerite – Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
- ^ "Marguerite Dunlap". Discogs. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
- ^ a b Hoffmann, Frank; Cooper, B. Lee; Gracyk, Tim (12 November 2012). Popular American Recording Pioneers: 1895–1925. Routledge. ISBN 9781136592294.
- ^ Marguerite Dunlap; Harry Macdonough; Mellor; Gifford; Trevor (27 October 1913), When It's Apple Blossom Time in Normandy, Internet Archive, Victor, retrieved 17 October 2021
- ^ "Metropolitan Opera Premiere". archives.metoperafamily.org. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ^ "BiblioTech PRO V3.2b". archives.metoperafamily.org. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890–1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 549. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- ^ "Memoirs of my Recording and Traveling Experiences for the Victor Talking Machine Company". www.davidsarnoff.org. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ^ "Musical Artists For Next Season". Arkansas Daily Traveler. 18 May 1915. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Ohio State Song". Retrieved 18 October 2021.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Marguerite Dunlap. |
- 1887 births
- 1959 deaths
- American operatic contraltos
- 20th-century American women opera singers
- People from Camden, South Carolina
- People from Montclair, New Jersey
- Singers from South Carolina
- Victor Records artists
- 20th-century American Episcopalians
- Episcopalians from South Carolina