During The Great war, everyone needed lighter
music, especially lively ditties from popular musicals. The talented English soprano
Violet Essex, known as "Vera Desmond", recorded mostly lighter music.
Under her own name Violet recorded Arditi's "Il bacio" and Musetta's
Waltz from La Boheme and
dazzled in Gilbert and Sullivan operas that HMV would begin to record late in
the war. As “Vera” she recorded current tunes such as Dorothy Forster's
"Take me to flowerland with you" as well as English songs of the ages
"Where the bee sucks" by Arne and "Orpheus with his lute"
by Sullivan.
RECORDINGS
FOR SALE
Columbia, London 1912?
Il bacio (Arditi) 28197
HMV, London 1915-02-26
Bohème (Puccini): Musetta's waltz song 2-3075 Ho1214b
HMV, London 1915-02-26
Bohème (Puccini): Musetta's waltz song 2-3075 Ho1214b
Violet Essex was married to a friend of mine's uncle - Charles Levenson (known in Vaudeville as "Tucker, The Singing Violinist"). He was also an early theatrical manager of Julie Andrews.
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