Maybelle Zenobia Berretta Marston (May 14, 1895 – February 22, 1983) was an American contralto singer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Maybelle Marston | |
|---|---|
 Maybelle Zenobia Berretta, from a 1916 publication. | |
| Born | Mabel Zenobia Berretta May 14, 1895 Philadelphia |
| Died | February 22, 1983 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Opera singer |
Early life
editMabel Zenobia Berretta[1] was from Philadelphia. She won a "cutest baby" contest at the New Jersey shore in 1896.[2][citation needed]
Career
editMaybelle Beretta Marston sang with the Philadelphia Civic Opera Company, at the Philadelphia Academy of Music and other large venues. In 1925 Marston sang Gilbert and Sullivan roles in H.M.S. Pinafore (1925) The Mikado (1926 and 1941), and Iolanthe (1927). She also sang parts in Feuersnot (1927, its U.S. premiere), Die Walküre (1928 and 1929), I gioielli della Madonna (1928), Ariadne auf Naxos (1928, its U.S. premiere), Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (1928 and 1930), Cavalleria rusticana (1928), Le Chemineau (1929), Carmen (1929), Prince Igor (1929), Roméo et Juliette (1929), Das Rheingold (1929), Götterdämmerung (1930), Die Zauberflöte (1930), Le nozze di Figaro (1930), Robin Hood (1932), Hänsel und Gretel (1935), Rigoletto (1938), all in Philadelphia.[3] She and other Philadelphia Civic Opera singers appeared in Marc Blitzstein's Triple Sec (1929) in a show for the Society for Contemporary Music.[4] In 1932 she sang as a soloist in a performance of Henry Kimball Hadley's A New Earth.[5]
Other appearances by Marston included The Pirates of Penzance (1923),[6] a 1927 concert with the Reading Choral Society, where she shared soloist billing with Nelson Eddy,[7] and a 1930 production of The Chimes of Normandy with the Community Music Club of Collingswood, New Jersey.[8]
Marston was in demand as an oratorio and cantata soloist,[9][10] gave recitals,[11][12] sang on radio broadcasts,[13] and taught music later in her career;[14] she also directed the chorus of the Women's Club of Ardmore, Pennsylvania,[15] and the Alumnae Choral Club of William Penn High School for Girls.[16]
Personal life
editMaybelle Berretta married a Philadelphia attorney named M. Randall Marston in 1917.[17] She had a son, M. Randall Marston Jr., born in 1918. In 1934 she had another son, after an affair with singer Nelson Eddy; the child was raised by adoptive parents to protect Marston's and Eddy's reputations.[18][19][20] Maybelle Berretta Marston died in 1983, aged 87 years.[21]
References
edit- ^ "Sing the Mikado". The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 17, 1916. p. 7. Retrieved May 5, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Untitled news item". The Times. August 16, 1896. p. 14. Retrieved May 5, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.[dead link]
- ^ Hamilton, Frank. Opera in Philadelphia: Performance Chronology, 1925–1949 Archived 2012-02-06 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Pollack, Howard (October 1, 2012). Marc Blitzstein: His Life, His Work, His World. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199977086.
- ^ "Strawbridge & Clothier Chorus". The Philadelphia Inquirer. May 1, 1932. p. 87. Retrieved May 5, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Pirates of Penzance Longwood Saturday". The News Journal. May 30, 1923. p. 11. Retrieved May 5, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Britton, William Wood (December 6, 1927). "Few Seats Left for Strand Concert". Reading Times. p. 22. Retrieved May 5, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Ramsay, John P. (January 29, 1930). "Collingswood Club Scores with Chimes". Courier-Post. p. 3. Retrieved May 5, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Protestant Episcopal". The Philadelphia Inquirer. February 28, 1920. p. 9. Retrieved May 5, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Notes of Music, Musicians". The Philadelphia Inquirer. February 22, 1948. p. 64. Retrieved May 5, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Opera Singer to Appear Here". Standard-Speaker. December 18, 1930. p. 11. Retrieved May 5, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Maybelle Marston in Contralto Recital". The Philadelphia Inquirer. June 2, 1937. p. 2. Retrieved May 5, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Memorial Park Orchestra and Vocalists". The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 30, 1930. p. 66. Retrieved May 5, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Voice Study Popular at Granoff School". The Philadelphia Inquirer. December 27, 1953. p. 70. Retrieved May 5, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Music Notes". The Philadelphia Inquirer. December 18, 1938. p. 60. Retrieved May 5, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "William Penn Grads to Dine on Saturday". The Philadelphia Inquirer. April 19, 1942. p. 45. Retrieved May 5, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Marriage Licenses Issued". The Philadelphia Inquirer. April 13, 1917. p. 6. Retrieved May 5, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Lacher, Irene (March 1, 1995). "MacDonald-Eddy: Stoking the Passions of New Fans". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
- ^ Fleming, E. J. (November 17, 2004). The Fixers: Eddie Mannix, Howard Strickling and the MGM Publicity Machine. McFarland. p. 168. ISBN 9780786420278.
- ^ Rich, Sharon (September 1, 1994). Sweethearts: the timeless love affair--on-screen and off--between Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy. Donald I. Fine. pp. 23, 40. ISBN 9781556114076.
- ^ "Death notices". The Philadelphia Inquirer. February 25, 1983. p. 34. Retrieved May 5, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
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