Clara Butt
Dame Clara Ellen Butt (1 February 1872 – 23 January 1936) was an English dramatic contralto and one of the most popular singers from the 1890s through to the 1920s. She had an exceptionally fine contralto voice and an agile singing technique, and impressed contemporary composers such as Saint-Saëns and Elgar; the latter composed his Sea Pictures, Op. 37 with her voice in mind. Her main career was as a recitalist and concert singer. She appeared in only two operatic productions, both of Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice. Later in her career she frequently appeared in recitals together with her husband, the baritone Kennerley Rumford. She made numerous recordings for the gramophone. |
Birth and Death Data: Born February 1, 1872 (Brighton), Died January 23, 1936 (Oxfordshire)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1910 - 1933
Roles Represented in DAHR: contralto
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 109 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia | 6540 | 12-in. | approximately 1915 | The lover's curse | Clara Butt | Female vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, contralto | |
| Columbia | 6541 | 12-in. | approximately 1915 | Husheen | Clara Butt | Female vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, contralto | |
| Columbia | 6542 | 12-in. | approximately 1915 | The promise of life | Clara Butt | Female vocal solo, with organ and piano | vocalist, contralto | |
| Columbia | 6543 | 12-in. | approximately 1915 | Abide with me | Clara Butt | Contralto vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, contralto | |
| Columbia | 6544 | 12-in. | approximately 1915 | The lost chord | Clara Butt | Female vocal solo, with organ and piano | vocalist, contralto | |
| Columbia | 6555 | 12-in. | approximately 1915 | God shall wipe away all tears | Clara Butt | Female vocal solo, with organ and piano | vocalist, contralto | |
| Columbia | 6557 | 12-in. | approximately 1915 | O don fatale | Clara Butt | Contralto vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
| Columbia | 6574 | 12-in. | approximately 1915 | The keys of heaven | Clara Butt ; Kennerley Rumford | Female-male vocal duet, with piano | vocalist, contralto | |
| Columbia | 6605 | 12-in. | approximately 1915 | When all was young | Clara Butt ; C. Warwick Evans ; Henry J. Wood | Contralto vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
| Columbia | 6606 | 12-in. | approximately 1915 | O mio Fernando | Clara Butt ; Henry J. Wood | Contralto vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
| Columbia | 6607 | 12-in. | approximately 1915 | O rest in the Lord | Clara Butt ; Henry J. Wood | Contralto vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
| Columbia | 6655 | 12-in. | approximately 1915 | Ombra mai fu | Clara Butt | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
| Columbia | 6656 | 12-in. | approximately 1915 | Mon cœur s'ouvre a ta voix | Clara Butt ; Henry J. Wood | Contralto vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
| Columbia | 6657 | 12-in. | approximately 1915 | The enchantress | Clara Butt | Contralto vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
| Columbia | 6662 | 12-in. | approximately 1915 | Birth of the flowers | Clara Butt ; Ethel Hook ; Hazel Hook ; Pauline Hook | Female vocal quartet, with piano | vocalist, contralto | |
| Columbia | 6668 | 12-in. | approximately 1915 | The three fishers | Clara Butt | Contralto vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
| Columbia | 6690 | 12-in. | 7/2/1925 | The keys of heaven | Clara Butt ; Kennerley Rumford | Female-male vocal duet, with piano | vocalist, contralto | |
| Columbia | 6767 | 12-in. | approximately 1916 | Che faro | Clara Butt ; Henry J. Wood | Contralto vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
| Columbia | 6768 | 12-in. | approximately 1916 | O divine redeemer | Clara Butt ; Henry J. Wood | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
| Columbia | 6771 | 12-in. | 1916 | The dream of Gerontius | Clara Butt ; Maurice D'Oisly ; Henry J. Wood | Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
| Columbia | 6772 | 12-in. | 1916 | The dream of Gerontius | Clara Butt ; Maurice D'Oisly ; Henry J. Wood | Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
| Columbia | 6773 | 12-in. | 1916 | The dream of Gerontius | Clara Butt ; Maurice D'Oisly ; Henry J. Wood | Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
| Columbia | 6774 | 12-in. | 1916 | The dream of Gerontius | Clara Butt ; Maurice D'Oisly ; Henry J. Wood | Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
| Columbia | 6775 | 12-in. | approximately 1916 | Rend' il sereno | Clara Butt | Contralto vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
| Columbia | 6887 | 12-in. | approximately 1916 | A summer night | Clara Butt ; W. H. Squire | Female vocal solo, with piano and 'cello obbligato | vocalist, contralto |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Butt, Clara," accessed April 24, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103657.
Butt, Clara. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 24, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103657.
"Butt, Clara." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 24 April 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Clara Butt
Discogs: Clara Butt
Grove: Clara Butt
IMSLP: Clara Butt
Britannica: Clara Butt
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Butt, Clara, Dame, 1872-1936 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82075457
Wikidata: Clara Butt - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q461921
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/27262985
MusicBrainz: Clara Butt - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/3bb546ca-6c58-4c16-be68-7fd311ce2923
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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