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AUSTRALIAN EPHEMERA COLLECTION FINDING AID DAME NELLIE MELBA (1861–1931) PERFORMING ARTS PROGRAMS AND EPHEMERA (PROMPT) PRINTED AUSTRALIANA FEBRUARY 2017 Dame Nellie Melba GBE (19 May 1861 – 23 February 1931), born Helen Porter Mitchell, was an Australian operatic soprano. She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era and the early 20th century. She was the first Australian to achieve international recognition as a classical musician. She took the pseudonym "Melba" from Melbourne, her home town. During the First World War, Melba raised large sums for war charities. She was active in the teaching of singing at the Melbourne Conservatorium, and made a legendary number of "farewell" appearances. Between 1904 and 1926 Melba made some 150 records. Her final performance at Covent Garden was in June 1926, with her last Australian performances in Sydney and Melbourne in 1927. The Nellie Melba files in the Library’s PROMPT collection contain primarily theatre programs with some ephemera and newspaper cuttings which document the opera singer’s Australian and overseas careers from 1891 to 1931. Printed materials in the PROMPT collection include programs and printed ephemera such as brochures, leaflets, tickets, etc. Theatre programs are taken as the prime documentary evidence of a performance. The list is based on imperfect holdings, and is updated as gaps in the Library’s holdings are filled. Unless otherwise stated, all entries are based on published programs in the PROMPT collection. The Melba PROMPT files may be accessed through the Library’s Special Collections Reading Room by eCallslip request: http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn3000975 Programs are listed and arranged in a single chronological sequence and incorporate Melba’s Australian and overseas careers. Programs are listed chronologically by year and then month. All dating is based on evidence in the programs or ephemera. At the end of the listing are several memorial events. Entries for each program are arranged as follows: Year, day/s and month; Venue/Theatre (City, Country) Company name Name of opera (Creator), concert or recital. Nellie Melba’s role (if any) and any other comments. The Melba-JC Williamson Co. programs covering her Australian tours will be found in the JC Williamson Opera files. A holdings list of this series is available on the Library’s website at http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn3666467 This is in chronological order and reflects the arrangement of series. Readers will need to fill in a call slip for JC Williamson Opera and then specify the year(s) required. Anything from one to several boxes may be retrieved. Additional Melba programs some covering her early Australian appearances will be found in the PROMPT Scrapbooks collection particularly nos. 1, 6 and 8. Due to their fragility readers are requested to use the microform copy. Both versions are catalogued individually and are available on the Library’s catalogue through the Special Collections Reading Room. An index to performances, role and other events is provided at the end of this document. There are other sequences in this file which are not included in this aid but which researchers may find useful. These are as follows: Press and magazine clippings (Australian and overseas) Biography Ephemera The National Library’s collection also includes: Oral History recordings and interviews, Scrapbooks, personal papers in Manuscripts (NB: these manuscript collections may include additional programs) Pictures Published works Australian Ephemera Collection Finding Aid (PROMPT): Dame Nellie Melba 2 28 June; Buckingham Palace (London, England) Recital. Program on paper doily 25 June; Buckingham Palace (London, England) Recital. Program on paper doily. 1891 8 July; Covent Garden (London, England) Royal Italian Opera Command performance for German Emperor & Empress Roméo et Juliette (Gounod), Act 4 and others. Nellie Melba as Juliette. Souvenir program. 1895 12 June; Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (London, England) The Royal Opera Faust (Gounod). Nellie Melba as Marguerite. 1899 11 January; Metropolitan Opera House (New York, New York USA) Royal Opera Faust (Gounod). Nellie Melba as Marguerite. 1899? 3 June; Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (London, England) Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti). Nellie Melba as Lucia. Fragment of program only, date uncertain, could also be for a performance in 1905 See also Digitised Australian newspaper coverage from the 1900s of Nellie Melba (including promotions and reviews). 1902 11 June, Royal Albert Hall, London Special Sunday Concerts Grand Coronation Concert for King Edward’s Hospital Fund NM with others including Clara Butt. Australian Ephemera Collection Finding Aid (PROMPT): Dame Nellie Melba 3 1902 [no dates or location] Australian concert tour Under the direction of Mr George Musgrove. 1902 27 September. Melbourne; Town Hall First Concert NM with others 1902 27 September. Town Hall. Melbourne First Concert (silk program) NM with others 1902 30 September . Town Hall, Melbourne Second Concert NM with others 1902 11 October Town Hall, Sydney First Concert NM with others 1902 23 October . Town Hall, Sydney Fourth Concert NM with others 1902 5 November. Town Hall, Melbourne Madame Melba’s Concert NM recital 1902 26 November Princess Theatre, Melbourne Lucia di Lammermoor (mad scene) (Donizetti) - NM Lucia La Traviata (Verdi) - NM Violetta Grand Opera Season Souvenir program and two tickets 1903 31 January. Town Hall?, Melbourne Concert d’Adieu (of E.A. Beaumont) NM with others 1904 5 May. Queen’s Hall. London Concert in aid of Queen Charlotte’s Hospital NM with others (+ handbill) 1904 9 June. Buckingham Palace, London Program includes: Monsieur Gilbert, Signor Caruso. Madam Melba, Master Vecsey and Director, Paolo Tosti. (Programme attached to card) 1906 April edition of The Burr McIntosh Monthly (New York: The Burr Publishing Co., 1906) featuring a portrait and bio of Nellie Melba as Marguerite, probably from Gounod ’s Faust. Australian Ephemera Collection Finding Aid (PROMPT): Dame Nellie Melba 4 1907 23 November. Town Hall. Melbourne First Concert NM with others 1907 30 November. Town Hall, Melbourne Second Concert NM with others 1907 10 December; Sydney; Town Hall First Concert NM with others 1907 14 December. Sydney; Town Hall Second Concert Nm with others 1907 17 December. Town Hall, Sydney; Matinee Concert NM with others (Includes newspaper review, undated) 1907 26 December. Exhibition Building, Melbourne Concert NM with others 1908 30 January; Ballarat, Vic. Concert NM with others 1908 25 February. Jubilee Exhibition Building, Adelaide Concert NM with others 1908 21 July. Royal Opera Covent Garden, London The Grand Opera Syndicate Otello (Verdi) NM as Desdemona 1909 9 March. Town Hall, Melbourne Concert NM with others 1909 13 March. Town Hall, Melbourne Concert NM with others Australian Ephemera Collection Finding Aid (PROMPT): Dame Nellie Melba 5 1909 27 March. Town Hall, Melbourne Second Concert NM with others 1909 1 June. Town Hall, Sydney First Concert NM with others 1909 15 November. Exhibition Building, Melbourne Madame Melba’s Charity Concert NM recital 1909 No date or venue Melba Tour, 1909 NM with others Sydney advertisement on back cover 1909 No date or venue Melba Tour, 1909 NM with others 1909 9 & 13 March. Town Hall, Melbourne Australasian Tour, 1909 Melba: In her own Land with her own People. Publicity brochure. 1910 16 July. Pleasure Gardens Theatre, Folkestone, England Grand Melba Matinee in aid of the Military Charities and Institutions of Shorncliffe Camp. NM with others. 1911 July 1911 – Anniversary of …….. Postcard with NM’s port. by Johnston-Ayres Co. Postmarked 29 June 1911. 1911 1 July. Royal Opera Covent Garden, London. La Boheme NM as Mimi 1911 Melba Grand Opera Season – season brochure (booklet of plots and descriptions of all operas to be performed) 1911 23 October . Her Majesty’s Theatre, Sydney The Melba Grand Opera Season Romeo and Juliet (Gounod) NM Juliet 2 copies. Australian Ephemera Collection Finding Aid (PROMPT): Dame Nellie Melba 6 1911 28 October. Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne The Melba Grand Opera Season La Traviata (Verdi) NM Violetta Facsimile of program centrefold 1911 24 November. Her Majesty’s, Melbourne The Melba Grand Opera Season Romeo et Juliette (Gounod) NM Juliette 1911 5 December. Her Majesty’s, Melbourne. The Melba Grand Opera Season Rigoletto (Verdi) NM Gilda Facsimile of program centrefold 1911 7 December. Her Majesty’s, Melbourne The Melba Grand Opera Season Faust (Gounod) NM Marguerite Facsimile of program centrefold. 1911 9 December. Her Majesty’s, Melbourne. The Melba Grand Opera Season La Boheme Act. 1 NM Mimi 1912 1 March. Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne. Charity Concert (for University Conservatorium of Music) Hamlet (Thomas) Act 3 - NM Ophelia with others Otello (Verdi) Act 4 - NM Desdemona with others 1913 4 May. Royal Albert Hall, London. Melba and Kubelik Concert 1913 1 June. Royal Albert Hall, London. Mme. Melba Jubilee Concert In Commemoration of 25th Anniversary of First Appearance in London. Percy Grainger was accompanist. 1913 12 July. Royal Opera Covent Garden, London. Rigoletto NM as Gilda See PROMPT file for Royal Opera (UK) under ‘Rigoletto’ Australian Ephemera Collection Finding Aid (PROMPT): Dame Nellie Melba 7 1913 22 July. Royal Opera Covent Garden, London. Rigoletto NM as Gilda See PROMPT file for Royal Opera (UK) under ‘Rigoletto’ 1913 5 October– 6 December. Melba Tour (of U.K.) Melba Concert NM with others 1914 21 November. Exhibition Building, Adelaide. Patriotic Concert NM with others 1914 20 April – 27 July. Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London Grand Opera Season 1914 NM with others 1915 3 June. Town Hall, Sydney Melba Special Concert in aid of the Polish Relief Fund 1916 3 August. Her Majesty’s Theatre, Sydney. Melba Russian Appeal Matinee 4 Acts – The Belle of New York, The Boomerang, Grand Opera, The Last Act of Otello, Grand Opera – The Last Act of Faust. Note dated 22 February 1954, from donor, F.T. Riley, Secretary of the Manufacturing Grocers’ Employees’ Federation explaining how he got the program with signature.
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