Frederick Ranalow (Baritone) ( Kingstown, County Dublin 1873 – London, England 1953)

At the age of eight he came to London and sang during four years as a choirboy in the cathedral of St Paul. He received his education in the Royal Academy of Music with Alberto Randegger and studied beside song also violoncello. Since the turn of the century he appeared in London in musical Comedies; thus he sang in 1903 together with Ruth Vincent in the musical ‘’The Medal and the maiden’’. In 1914 he took over at the Covent Garden in London the part of Papageno in "Zauberflöte". In 1919 he appeared there in the English première of Borodin’s ‘’Prince Igor’’. In 1915 he joined to the Beecham Opera Company, which appeared at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London. Here he sang on 14. 1. 1916 in the premiere of the opera ‘’The Critic’’ by Ch. Stanford, on 28. 1. 1916 in the premiere of  ‘’The Boatswain's Mate’’ of lady Ethel Smith. He sang there also the part of Figaro in ‘’Nozze di Figaro’’, the Marke in ‘’Tristan und Isolde’’, the father in Charpentier’s ‘’Louise’’, the Warlaam in ‘’Boris Godunov’’, the Falstaff in "Lustigen Weibern von Windsor" by Nicolai and the Colline in ‘’La Bohème’’. In 1920 he reached an unbelievable popularity, when he appeared in Frederic Austin’s opera ‘’The Beggar's Opera’’ as Captain Macheath at the Lyric Theatre in London. He sang the part more than a thousand times, among other things also with North America tours, and was identified, in the end, completely with this figure. Later he had a professorship for artistic diction at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London

Chronology of some appearances

1914 London Covent Garden

1915 London Shaftesbury Theatre

RECORDINGS FOR SALE

Columbia, London 1915?

Faust (Gounod): Holy angels in Heaven blest with Rosina Buckman and Maurice d'Oisly L1025 6683

Columbia
Complete Madame Butterfly (Puccini) with Rosina Buckman, Tudor Davies, Nellie Walker, Gladys Peel and Sydney Coltham