Bernice de Pasquali

Bernice de Pasquali (December 7, 1873 – April 3, 1925), born Bernice James, was an American coloratura soprano singer and pianist. She sang with the Metropolitan Opera from 1908 to 1917, and was the first American woman elected to membership in the Accademia Filarmonica Romana.

A white woman with dark hair and a round face, wearing a white lace mantilla.
Bernice de Pasquali, from a 1921 publication.
Bernice de Pasquali
A white woman in a flowing gown, standing with one arm outstretched.
Bernice de Pasquali as Gilda in Rigoletto (1912)
Born
Bernice W. James

December 7, 1873
Hull, Massachusetts
DiedApril 3, 1925
Omaha, Nebraska
NationalityAmerican, Italian by marriage
Other namesBernice de Pasquale, Berenice de Pasquali, Bernice Pasquali
Occupationcoloratura soprano singer
Years active1900-1925

Early life

Bernice W. James was born in Hull, Massachusetts, the daughter of William W. James, a sea captain. Her uncle was Joshua James, a noted sea captain and commander of civilian life-saving crews.[1] She played piano, and studied voice with Oscar Saenger in New York.[2][3]

Career

Bernice de Pasquali started on the opera stage in Milan in 1900.[4] She made her American opera debut in 1908, in La traviata with the Metropolitan Opera, and she sang with the company until 1917.[2][5] She toured the American west coast in 1910[6] and 1912–1913.[7][8] She sang in London in 1905,[9] Italy in 1906 and 1907, in Mexico City in 1908, in Havana in 1915, and at the Pan-American Exposition in San Diego in 1916.[10][11] In 1908, she was the soloist at ceremonies marking the anniversary of the founding of Quebec, with the Prince of Wales in attendance.[1]

She made many recordings, between 1911 and 1914, including several duets with German contralto Rosa Olitzka.[12] She wrote on singing, explaining that "From the very start the singer, particularly the one who aspires to become an operatic singer, should endeavor to discard fear entirely," adding "If the singer gives the audience the least suspicion that she is in fear of their verdict, the audience will detect it at once and the verdict will be bad."[13]

In 1924, De Pasquali became the first American woman elected to membership in the Accademia Filarmonica Romana.[4][14]

Personal life

Bernice James married Salvatore de Pasquali, an Italian tenor, in 1896. She was widowed in 1923, and she died in Omaha, Nebraska in 1925, aged 51 years, after weeks of pneumonia while touring on the vaudeville circuit.[14][15] Her grave is with her husband's, in her hometown in Massachusetts.[16]

References
  1. "Hull Girl Will Sing Before Prince". The Boston Globe. June 30, 1908. p. 5. Retrieved August 16, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. Lahee, Henry Charles (1912). The grand opera singers of to-day : an account of the leading operatic stars who have sung during recent years, together with a sketch of the chief operatic enterprises. Harold B. Lee Library. Boston : L. C. Page. pp. 310–312.
  3. Great Singers on the Art of Singing: Educational Conferences with Foremost Artists. Theo. Presser Company. 1921. pp. 216–217.
  4. "Characters and Cast | The Paoletta Opera Collection". Retrieved 2019-08-16.
  5. "Star Faints on Stage". The New York Times. December 14, 1909. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "The Scotti-De Pasquali Concerts". Town Talk. 19: 20. October 8, 1910.
  7. "Madame de Pasquali Here". The San Francisco Call. January 10, 1913. p. 2. Retrieved August 16, 2019 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  8. Walker, David H. (May 31, 1913). "The Bernice de Pasquali – Aldanita Wolfskill Concert". Pacific Coast Musical Review. 24: 3.
  9. "Mme. Pasquali Radiates Joy Over Her Role". The San Francisco Call. December 16, 1912. p. 19. Retrieved August 17, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. Arakelyan, Ashot (2012-04-01). "Bernice De Pasquali (Soprano)". Forgotten Opera Singers. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
  11. "Mme. Pasquali in 'Lucia'". The New York Times. June 29, 1909. p. 11 – via ProQuest.
  12. Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Bernice De Pasquali (vocalist : soprano vocal)" (accessed August 16, 2019).
  13. de Pasquali, Bernice (1921). "Secrets of Bel Canto". Great Singers on the Art of Singing: Educational Conferences with Foremost Artists. Theodore Presser Company. p. 220.
  14. "Bernice de Pasquali Dies". The New York Times. April 4, 1925. p. 17 – via ProQuest.
  15. "Opera Singer Dies of Pneumonia". The Cincinnati Enquirer. April 4, 1925. p. 6. Retrieved August 17, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. Seltz, Johanna (August 28, 2014). "Nearing Earthly Limits". The Boston Globe. p. Z1. Retrieved August 17, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
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