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John Gurney (bass-baritone)

January 01, 1970

John R. Gurney (June 13, 1902[1] — August 6, 1997[2]) was an American bass-baritone who had an active career as an opera, concert, vaudeville, and musical theatre performer from the 1920s through the 1940s. He was a principal artist at the Metropolitan Opera from 1936 through 1945 where he performed a total of 331 times.[3] On the international stage he performed in operas at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and the Theatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro. He is best remembered for creating roles in the world premieres of Walter Damrosch's The Man Without a Country (1937, Colonel Morgan) and Douglas Moore's The Devil and Daniel Webster (1939, Jabez Stone). He recorded the role of Don Basilio in Rossini's The Barber of Seville which was released by RCA Camden in 1957.[4] Gurney's son is racecar driver Dan Gurney.

John Gurney
Born(1902-06-13)June 13, 1902
Jamestown, New York, U.S.
DiedAugust 6, 1997(1997-08-06) (aged 95)
Newport Beach, California, U.S.
Education
Occupation
Organizations

Biography and career edit

Born in Jamestown, New York, Gurney was the son of F. W. Gurney; the founder and industrialist of the Gurney Elevator Company.[5][6] He graduated from Oberlin College’s Conservatory of Music in 1924 and then earned an M.A. from the Harvard Business School before pursuing music studies in Paris with Jean Mauran in the 1920s.[2][1][7] At Oberlin he performed in the Oberlin College Quartet, and at Harvard University he was a member of the Harvard Glee Club (HGC).[5] He was mentored by the HGC's director, Archibald Thompson Davison, who encouraged him to pursue a career in opera.[8]

Gurney first performed in the United States with the touring American Opera Company in productions of Puccini's Madama Butterfly and Gounod's Faust in 1928.[9] In 1930 he starred in the musical revue Aladdin and Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore at the Roxy Theatre.[10][11] He made his Broadway debut as a member of the ensemble in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1931.[12] That same year he became a member of the National Music League.[8] In 1932 he toured in vaudeville in concerts with pianist Mike Bernard,[6] and also toured the United States in the Roxy Theatre's "Roxy Gang".[5]

Gurney made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera (Met) in New York City on May 13, 1936, as Sparafucile in Verdi's Rigoletto with Carlo Morelli in the title role and Gennaro Papi conducting.[13] At the Met he portrayed the roles of Pietro and Giotto in the United States premiere of Richard Hageman's Caponsacchi on February 4, 1937; and in 1937 he created the role of Colonel Morgan in the world premiere of Damrosch's The Man Without a Country.[8] Other roles he performed on the Met stage included Abimélech in Saint-Saëns's Samson and Delilah (1936, 1937), Ahmad in Henri Rabaud's Mârouf (1937), Antonio and Jarno in Thomas's Mignon (1938—1945), Cappadocian in Strauss's Salome (1938), Ferrando in Verdi's Il trovatore (1937—1943), King Heinrich in Wagner's Lohengrin (1938), Nikitich in Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov (1939), Pinellino in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi (1938), the Ragpicker in Charpentier's Louise, Ramfis in Verdi's Aida (1936—1945), Schwarz in Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (1937—1945), and Tobias in Smetana's The Bartered Bride (1936–1942).[13][14][8]

In 1939 Gurney created the Faust-like role of Jabez Stone in the world premiere of Moore's The Devil and Daniel Webster at Broadway's Martin Beck Theatre on May 18, 1939.[15] Directed by John Houseman and conducted by Fritz Reiner, it was the first opera presented by the American Lyric Theatre.[16] In 1940 he was the soloist in Bach's Mass in B minor with the Oratorio Society of New York and conductor Albert Stoessel at Carnegie Hall.[17] In 1942 he was committed to the Teatro Colón in Argentina and the Theatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro performing many of the roles he sang at the Met.[18][19] In 1944 he performed the title role in Mendelssohn's Elijah at The Town Hall.[20]

By 1940, Gurney was living in Douglaston, Queens – and he soon thereafter purchased a property in nearby Flower Hill, New York.[21]

Gurney portrayed Captain Dick Warrington in Herbert's Naughty Marietta at the Grand Rapids Municipal Opera in 1944 with Marita Farell portraying the title role.[22] That same year he performed the role of the Sheriff of Nottingham in De Koven's Robin Hood with the Civic Light Opera Association of Detroit.[23] He starred in Herbert's The Fortune Teller and Rudolf Friml's The Three Musketeers with Patricia Bowman at The Municipal Opera Association of St. Louis in the summer of 1945.[24] That same year Gurney performed the title role in Verdi's Rigoletto with the Charles Wagner Opera Company which began its national tour in November 1945 at the Birmingham Municipal Auditorium.[25]

In 1946 Gurney toured with Fortune Gallo's San Carlo Opera Company; performing in Rigoletto, Aida, La bohème, and Faust. He portrayed Devilshoof in Balfe's The Bohemian Girl in 1946 and the De Koven's Sheriff of Nottingham in 1947 with the Memphis Open Air Theatre.[26][27]

Later life and death edit

Gurney retired from the stage in 1947 and then moved to California where he resided first in Riverside and then Corona del Mar, Newport Beach.[2] In 1961 he came out of retirement briefly to portray Pimen in Boris Godunov with the Phoenix Grand Opera.[28] In the latter part of his life he worked as a furniture designer and builder, and as a portrait artist.[2] He was married to Roma Gurney (née Sexton), with whom he had two children. They are the parents of Dan Gurney, the famous racing driver and builder of race cars.[29] On several occasions Gurney sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" for the opening of major racing events in his son's career.[29]

Gurney died at the age of 95 on August 6, 1997, in Newport Beach, California.[2]

References edit

  1. ^ a b Victoria Etnier Villamil (2004). "Gurney, John". From Johnson's Kids to Lemonade Opera: The American Classical Singer Comes of Age. Northeastern University Press. p. 261. ISBN 9781555536350.
  2. ^ a b c d e "John R. Gurney; Metropolitan Opera Baritone". Los Angeles Times. August 13, 1997.
  3. ^ "A list of every performer (singer, dancer, or conductor) with one hundred performances or more". New York City: Metropolitan Opera. May 2014. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
  4. ^ "Music-Radio: Camden Fall Album Issue Accents Pop". Billboard. Vol. 69, no. 40. September 30, 1957. p. 16.
  5. ^ a b c W.B.C. (March 16, 1932). "John Gurney Reappears". The New York Times. p. 16.
  6. ^ a b "Vaudeville: MIKE BERNARD'S BARITONE". Variety. 106 (1): 33. March 15, 1932.
  7. ^ "Class of 1924". Oberlin Alumni Magazine. 41 (6): 7. 1945.
  8. ^ a b c d Karl-Josef Kutsch, Leo Riemens (2003). "Gurney, John". Großes Sängerlexikon, volume 4. Munich: K. G. Saur Verlag. p. 1900. ISBN 9783598440885.
  9. ^ Izetta May McHenry (October 13, 1928). "American Concert Field: American Opera Co. Opens Second Season". Billboard. Vol. 40, no. 41. p. 29.
  10. ^ H D S. (December 27, 1930). "STAGE SHOWS: Roxy, New York". Billboard. Vol. 42, no. 52. p. 13.
  11. ^ S. H. (June 28, 1930). "STAGE SHOWS: Roxy, New York". Billboard. Vol. 42, no. 26. p. 25.
  12. ^ Eugene Burr (July 11, 1931). "Legitimate: THE NEW PLAYS ON BROADWAY – ZIEGFELD FOLLIES OF 1931". Billboard. Vol. 43, no. 28. p. 15.
  13. ^ a b "Gurney, John [Bass]". Metropolitan Opera Performance Archives. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  14. ^ Olin Downes (December 26, 1936). "BARTERED BRIDE' IS WELL RECEIVED; Smetana Opera in English Is Debut for Muriel Dickson at the Metropolitan". The New York Times.
  15. ^ Olin Downes (May 19, 1939). "World Premiere for Benet Opera; American Lyric Theatre, for Its Bow, Gives The Devil and Daniel Webster New England Folk Tale Music Is by Douglas Moore – Text in English Idiom of Time and Place". The New York Times.
  16. ^ Brooks Atkinson (May 21, 1939). "Cheating the Devil to Music". The New York Times.
  17. ^ Howard Taubman (February 15, 1940). "RATORIO SOCIETY GIVES BACH MASS; Albert Stoessel Directs the B Minor Work Presented at Carnegie Hall Concert 300 MEMBERS IN CHORUS Dorothy Baker, Viola Silva, Hardesty Johnson and John Gurney Are Soloists". The New York Times.
  18. ^ Ray Josephs (September 9, 1942). "Concerts-Opera: Inadequate Publicity Held Factor In Failure of U. S. Concert-Opera Performers to Get Across m S. A". Variety. 148 (1): 30.
  19. ^ "Americans Save Rio, B. A. Opera, Concert Seasons". Variety. 149 (4): 180. January 6, 1943.
  20. ^ Noel Straus (June 1, 1944). "ELIJAH' PRESENTED BY HARMS CHORUS; John Gurney Sings the Name Part in Town Hall Benefit for Junior Nurse Group". The New York Times.
  21. ^ "NEWSDAY Jottings". Newsday. November 22, 1940. p. 19 – via ProQuest.
  22. ^ "Legitimate: 'Marietta' to Open Grand Rapids Season". Variety. 155 (1): 45. June 14, 1944.
  23. ^ "General News: Light Opera Heavy B.O. In Motor City". Billboard. Vol. 56, no. 10. March 4, 1944. p. 4.
  24. ^ "Legitimate: 'Pink Lady's' 40G Gross In St. L Alfresco Week". Variety. 159 (9): 48. August 8, 1945.
  25. ^ "General News: Wagner Troupe Sock Starts Birm'ham Longhair Season". Billboard. Vol. 57, no. 45. November 10, 1945. p. 4.
  26. ^ "Legitimate: 'Bohemian Girl's' 15G Puts Memphis in Black". Variety. 163 (6): 53. July 17, 1946.
  27. ^ "Legitimate: Open Air Theater At Memphis Draws 60G in Two Weeks". Billboard. Vol. 59, no. 29. July 26, 1947. p. 44.
  28. ^ Thomas E. O'Haffey (March 15, 1961). "Legitimate: Smallscale Phoenix Grand Opera For Culture-Starved Longhairs". Variety. 222 (3): 72.
  29. ^ a b Frank Litsky (January 15, 2018). "Dan Gurney, Driver and Builder of Racecars, Is Dead at 86". The New York Times.

External links edit

  • John Gurney at IBDB

January 01, 1970
john, gurney, bass, baritone, john, gurney, june, 1902, august, 1997, american, bass, baritone, active, career, opera, concert, vaudeville, musical, theatre, performer, from, 1920s, through, 1940s, principal, artist, metropolitan, opera, from, 1936, through, 1. John R Gurney June 13 1902 1 August 6 1997 2 was an American bass baritone who had an active career as an opera concert vaudeville and musical theatre performer from the 1920s through the 1940s He was a principal artist at the Metropolitan Opera from 1936 through 1945 where he performed a total of 331 times 3 On the international stage he performed in operas at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires and the Theatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro He is best remembered for creating roles in the world premieres of Walter Damrosch s The Man Without a Country 1937 Colonel Morgan and Douglas Moore s The Devil and Daniel Webster 1939 Jabez Stone He recorded the role of Don Basilio in Rossini s The Barber of Seville which was released by RCA Camden in 1957 4 Gurney s son is racecar driver Dan Gurney John GurneyBorn 1902 06 13 June 13 1902Jamestown New York U S DiedAugust 6 1997 1997 08 06 aged 95 Newport Beach California U S EducationOberlin Conservatory of Music Harvard Business SchoolOccupationOperatic bass baritoneOrganizationsMetropolitan Opera Contents 1 Biography and career 1 1 Later life and death 2 References 3 External linksBiography and career editBorn in Jamestown New York Gurney was the son of F W Gurney the founder and industrialist of the Gurney Elevator Company 5 6 He graduated from Oberlin College s Conservatory of Music in 1924 and then earned an M A from the Harvard Business School before pursuing music studies in Paris with Jean Mauran in the 1920s 2 1 7 At Oberlin he performed in the Oberlin College Quartet and at Harvard University he was a member of the Harvard Glee Club HGC 5 He was mentored by the HGC s director Archibald Thompson Davison who encouraged him to pursue a career in opera 8 Gurney first performed in the United States with the touring American Opera Company in productions of Puccini s Madama Butterfly and Gounod s Faust in 1928 9 In 1930 he starred in the musical revue Aladdin and Gilbert and Sullivan s H M S Pinafore at the Roxy Theatre 10 11 He made his Broadway debut as a member of the ensemble in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1931 12 That same year he became a member of the National Music League 8 In 1932 he toured in vaudeville in concerts with pianist Mike Bernard 6 and also toured the United States in the Roxy Theatre s Roxy Gang 5 Gurney made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera Met in New York City on May 13 1936 as Sparafucile in Verdi s Rigoletto with Carlo Morelli in the title role and Gennaro Papi conducting 13 At the Met he portrayed the roles of Pietro and Giotto in the United States premiere of Richard Hageman s Caponsacchi on February 4 1937 and in 1937 he created the role of Colonel Morgan in the world premiere of Damrosch s The Man Without a Country 8 Other roles he performed on the Met stage included Abimelech in Saint Saens s Samson and Delilah 1936 1937 Ahmad in Henri Rabaud s Marouf 1937 Antonio and Jarno in Thomas s Mignon 1938 1945 Cappadocian in Strauss s Salome 1938 Ferrando in Verdi s Il trovatore 1937 1943 King Heinrich in Wagner s Lohengrin 1938 Nikitich in Mussorgsky s Boris Godunov 1939 Pinellino in Puccini s Gianni Schicchi 1938 the Ragpicker in Charpentier s Louise Ramfis in Verdi s Aida 1936 1945 Schwarz in Wagner s Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg 1937 1945 and Tobias in Smetana s The Bartered Bride 1936 1942 13 14 8 In 1939 Gurney created the Faust like role of Jabez Stone in the world premiere of Moore s The Devil and Daniel Webster at Broadway s Martin Beck Theatre on May 18 1939 15 Directed by John Houseman and conducted by Fritz Reiner it was the first opera presented by the American Lyric Theatre 16 In 1940 he was the soloist in Bach s Mass in B minor with the Oratorio Society of New York and conductor Albert Stoessel at Carnegie Hall 17 In 1942 he was committed to the Teatro Colon in Argentina and the Theatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro performing many of the roles he sang at the Met 18 19 In 1944 he performed the title role in Mendelssohn s Elijah at The Town Hall 20 By 1940 Gurney was living in Douglaston Queens and he soon thereafter purchased a property in nearby Flower Hill New York 21 Gurney portrayed Captain Dick Warrington in Herbert s Naughty Marietta at the Grand Rapids Municipal Opera in 1944 with Marita Farell portraying the title role 22 That same year he performed the role of the Sheriff of Nottingham in De Koven s Robin Hood with the Civic Light Opera Association of Detroit 23 He starred in Herbert s The Fortune Teller and Rudolf Friml s The Three Musketeers with Patricia Bowman at The Municipal Opera Association of St Louis in the summer of 1945 24 That same year Gurney performed the title role in Verdi s Rigoletto with the Charles Wagner Opera Company which began its national tour in November 1945 at the Birmingham Municipal Auditorium 25 In 1946 Gurney toured with Fortune Gallo s San Carlo Opera Company performing in Rigoletto Aida La boheme and Faust He portrayed Devilshoof in Balfe s The Bohemian Girl in 1946 and the De Koven s Sheriff of Nottingham in 1947 with the Memphis Open Air Theatre 26 27 Later life and death edit Gurney retired from the stage in 1947 and then moved to California where he resided first in Riverside and then Corona del Mar Newport Beach 2 In 1961 he came out of retirement briefly to portray Pimen in Boris Godunov with the Phoenix Grand Opera 28 In the latter part of his life he worked as a furniture designer and builder and as a portrait artist 2 He was married to Roma Gurney nee Sexton with whom he had two children They are the parents of Dan Gurney the famous racing driver and builder of race cars 29 On several occasions Gurney sang The Star Spangled Banner for the opening of major racing events in his son s career 29 Gurney died at the age of 95 on August 6 1997 in Newport Beach California 2 References edit a b Victoria Etnier Villamil 2004 Gurney John From Johnson s Kids to Lemonade Opera The American Classical Singer Comes of Age Northeastern University Press p 261 ISBN 9781555536350 a b c d e John R Gurney Metropolitan Opera Baritone Los Angeles Times August 13 1997 A list of every performer singer dancer or conductor with one hundred performances or more New York City Metropolitan Opera May 2014 Retrieved August 15 2014 Music Radio Camden Fall Album Issue Accents Pop Billboard Vol 69 no 40 September 30 1957 p 16 a b c W B C March 16 1932 John Gurney Reappears The New York Times p 16 a b Vaudeville MIKE BERNARD S BARITONE Variety 106 1 33 March 15 1932 Class of 1924 Oberlin Alumni Magazine 41 6 7 1945 a b c d Karl Josef Kutsch Leo Riemens 2003 Gurney John Grosses Sangerlexikon volume 4 Munich K G Saur Verlag p 1900 ISBN 9783598440885 Izetta May McHenry October 13 1928 American Concert Field American Opera Co Opens Second Season Billboard Vol 40 no 41 p 29 H D S December 27 1930 STAGE SHOWS Roxy New York Billboard Vol 42 no 52 p 13 S H June 28 1930 STAGE SHOWS Roxy New York Billboard Vol 42 no 26 p 25 Eugene Burr July 11 1931 Legitimate THE NEW PLAYS ON BROADWAY ZIEGFELD FOLLIES OF 1931 Billboard Vol 43 no 28 p 15 a b Gurney John Bass Metropolitan Opera Performance Archives Retrieved October 25 2021 Olin Downes December 26 1936 BARTERED BRIDE IS WELL RECEIVED Smetana Opera in English Is Debut for Muriel Dickson at the Metropolitan The New York Times Olin Downes May 19 1939 World Premiere for Benet Opera American Lyric Theatre for Its Bow Gives The Devil and Daniel Webster New England Folk Tale Music Is by Douglas Moore Text in English Idiom of Time and Place The New York Times Brooks Atkinson May 21 1939 Cheating the Devil to Music The New York Times Howard Taubman February 15 1940 RATORIO SOCIETY GIVES BACH MASS Albert Stoessel Directs the B Minor Work Presented at Carnegie Hall Concert 300 MEMBERS IN CHORUS Dorothy Baker Viola Silva Hardesty Johnson and John Gurney Are Soloists The New York Times Ray Josephs September 9 1942 Concerts Opera Inadequate Publicity Held Factor In Failure of U S Concert Opera Performers to Get Across m S A Variety 148 1 30 Americans Save Rio B A Opera Concert Seasons Variety 149 4 180 January 6 1943 Noel Straus June 1 1944 ELIJAH PRESENTED BY HARMS CHORUS John Gurney Sings the Name Part in Town Hall Benefit for Junior Nurse Group The New York Times NEWSDAY Jottings Newsday November 22 1940 p 19 via ProQuest Legitimate Marietta to Open Grand Rapids Season Variety 155 1 45 June 14 1944 General News Light Opera Heavy B O In Motor City Billboard Vol 56 no 10 March 4 1944 p 4 Legitimate Pink Lady s 40G Gross In St L Alfresco Week Variety 159 9 48 August 8 1945 General News Wagner Troupe Sock Starts Birm ham Longhair Season Billboard Vol 57 no 45 November 10 1945 p 4 Legitimate Bohemian Girl s 15G Puts Memphis in Black Variety 163 6 53 July 17 1946 Legitimate Open Air Theater At Memphis Draws 60G in Two Weeks Billboard Vol 59 no 29 July 26 1947 p 44 Thomas E O Haffey March 15 1961 Legitimate Smallscale Phoenix Grand Opera For Culture Starved Longhairs Variety 222 3 72 a b Frank Litsky January 15 2018 Dan Gurney Driver and Builder of Racecars Is Dead at 86 The New York Times External links editJohn Gurney at IBDB Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title John Gurney bass baritone amp oldid 1222936610, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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