Ada Crossley
Ada Jemima Crossley (3 March 1871 – 17 October 1929) was an Australian contralto notable as the first Red Seal recording artist engaged in the US by the Victor Talking Machine Company in 1903. Born at Tarraville, Gippsland, Victoria, she was the daughter of Edwards Wallis Crossley (died 11 April 1902), an ironmonger, and Harriette, née Morris, both from Northamptonshire, England. Ada was the sixth surviving child in a family of twelve children. She was the principal contralto in the choir of Charles Strong's Australian Church. She made her début performance in Sydney in January 1892, and also became well known there. On 27 February 1923 she appeared in concert at Wigmore Hall in support of her friend and protégée, the South Australian contralto Clara Serena. The London newspapers gave positive reviews, also praising Serena's accompanist (and husband) Roy Mellish. |
Birth and Death Data: Born (Victoria (state of Australia) ), Died October 17, 1929 (London (capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1903
Roles Represented in DAHR: contralto
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]2186 | 10-in. | 4/30/1903 | Caro mio ben | Ada Crossley | Contralto vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, contralto | |
| Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]2187 | 10-in. | 4/30/1903 | Oh, that we two were maying | Ada Crossley | Contralto vocal solo, with chimes | vocalist, contralto | |
| Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]2188 | 10-in. | 4/30/1903 | Der Tod und das Mädchen | Ada Crossley | Contralto vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, contralto | |
| Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]2189 | 10-in. | 4/30/1903 | Four-leaf clover | Ada Crossley | Contralto vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, contralto | |
| Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]2190 | 10-in. | 4/30/1903 | Paysage | Ada Crossley | Contralto vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, contralto | |
| Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]2191 | 10-in. | 4/30/1903 | New Year's song | Ada Crossley | Contralto vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, contralto |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Crossley, Ada," accessed December 25, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107542.
Crossley, Ada. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 25, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107542.
"Crossley, Ada." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 25 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Ada Crossley
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Crossley, Ada, 1874-1929 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n97066693
Wikidata: Ada Crossley - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q4678238
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/53436637
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/1953149 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/1953149
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