Emma Cecilia Thursby
Emma Cecilia Thursby | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | February 21, 1845 Williamsburg, Brooklyn, United States |
| Died | July 4, 1931 (aged 86) New York City, United States |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, professor |
| Years active | 1874–1884 |
Emma Cecilia Thursby (February 21, 1845 – July 4, 1931) was an American singer popular in Europe and the United States.
Biography
Thursby was born to John Barnes Thursby, a rope manufacturer, and Jane Ann (Bennett) Thursby. She grew up in
In the late 1860s and early 1870s, Thursby sang with performers including
Her voice was notable for its clarity, power, and range (from middle C to E-flat above the staff).
In 1875, she performed in concert with Hans von Bülow at Chickering Hall, and in the following year, appeared with Mark Twain in a series of programs for the Redpath Lyceum. She signed a $100,000 contract with Maurice Strakosch to tour throughout North America, and later performed in London, France, and Germany. Thursby was the first American awarded the medal of the Société des Concerts of the Paris Conservatory in 1881.[3]
After 1884, after the death of her mother and sister and as she wearied of traveling for concerts, she performed less frequently. She later became a teacher, and taught as professor of music at the Institute of Musical Art (now Juilliard School) in New York from 1905–11. Her pupils included Geraldine Farrar.[3] Later in life, she traveled extensively and promoted the lectures of Swami Vivekananda, a Hindu monk.[1]
Thursby died at her home in Gramercy Park, New York City, in 1931. Her papers are held at the New-York Historical Society.
Mynah bird
Thursby also became well known for her
After the bird died in 1899, medical societies from New York City requested permission to make an autopsy on the bird, and Thursby agreed. The autopsy was conducted by physician Henry Holbrook Curtis and veterinarian Frank H. Miller. They discovered that the bird had an extraordinarily large brain and this was responsible for the bird's great abilities.[4]
References
- ^ a b c Viola L. Scott (1971). "THURSBY, Emma Cecilia". In Edward T. James; et al. (eds.). Notable American Women, A Biographical Dictionary: 1607-1950 (Vol.1-3). Belknap Press. pp. 459–461.
- ^ Grove, Sir George (1908). Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Macmillan.
- ^ a b "Thursby, Emma Cecilia". Britannica Biographies. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2013.
- ^ Rinn, Joseph. (1950). Sixty Years of Psychical Research: Houdini and I Among the Spiritualists. Truth Seeker Company. pp. 171-172
Further reading
- Emma Thursby Papers, 1706-1940 (Bulk 1880-1920) - MS 2530, held at the New-York Historical Society
- Geraldine Farrar, The Story of an American Singer (1916)
- J. A. Fowler. A Remarkable Singer and Her Talented Bird Mynah. The Phrenological Journal. (1899)
- Richard McC. Gipson, The Life of Emma Thursby (1940)
- George C. D. Odell, Annals of the N.Y. Stage, vols. VII-XV (1931–49)
- Walter Damrosch, My Musical Life (1926)
External links
- Guide to the Emma Thursby Papers, 1706-1940, The New York Historical Society
- Emma Thursby(North American Theatre Online; AlexanderStreet.com)
- portrait and short bio Archived January 16, 2017, at the Wayback Machine(Period Paper)
