Gluck, Alma (1884–1938)

views updated

Gluck, Alma (1884–1938)

Rumanian soprano. Born Reba Fiersohn on May 11, 1884, in Bucharest, Rumania; died on October 27, 1938, in New York; studied with Arturo Buzzi-Peccia, Jean de Rezke, and Marcella Sembrich ; married Bernard Gluck, in 1902 (divorced 1912); married Efrem Zimbalist (the violinist), in 1914; children: (first marriage) Marcia Davenport (music critic and author); (second marriage) Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. (an actor).

Alma Gluck was the first performer to sell a million records, making RCA Victor Red Seal a household word. To achieve this commercial success, she sang "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny," a megahit which made her a very wealthy woman. She had begun as a performer at the Metropolitan Opera, though after 1918 she appeared there only in concert. Probably her main reason for venturing into recordings was a lack of the dramatic temperament which, along with an excellent voice, is a requirement for opera performers. She decided to devote her energies to recordings, a match for her talents and a well-paying enterprise.

Two years after her daughter Marcia Davenport 's birth (1903), Gluck began her operatic training in New York. When her teacher Arturo Buzzi-Peccia returned to Europe, Gluck packed up her four-year-old and followed him, intent on furthering her study. "I marvel," wrote Davenport, "at the self-discipline, the strong character of a young and beautiful woman who was working terribly hard at music and yet would let herself be encumbered by a small child and all the annoyances that go with it." In Switzerland, Gluck was discovered by Gatti-Casazza, then director of the Metropolitan Opera House, and was signed for a future engagement.

Alma Gluck was well known for her popular renditions of sentimental songs although she made some excellent recordings of operatic music. Ljuba's aria from Rimsky-Korsakov's The Tsar's Bride, for example, demonstrates her excellent musicianship. Her vocal abilities are demonstrated, however, even in songs like "Carry Me Back" which she performed with scrupulous musicianship. Until the 20th century, music lovers often had to create their own music at home. When singers like Alma Gluck offered large listening audiences the opportunity to hear songs they enjoyed, a new world of entertainment opened up. She was one of America's first important recording stars.