Mattiwilda Dobbs
Mattiwilda Dobbs | |
---|---|
Born | July 11, 1925 Atlanta, Georgia |
Died | December 8, 2015 (aged 90) Atlanta |
Education | Music and Spanish degree, Spelman College, 1946 |
Occupation | Opera singer |
Years active | 1951–1974 |
Known for | First successful African-American woman at the Metropolitan Opera |
Spouse | Spaniard Luis Rodriguez (1954–1955) Bengt Janzon (1957–1997) |
Parent |
|
Mattiwilda Dobbs (July 11, 1925 – December 8, 2015) was an American
Biography
Dobbs was born in
Education
Dobbs attended Spelman College where she studied home economics and considered becoming a fashion designer. Her teachers encouraged her to study music, however, and she began to study voice, graduating with a degree in Spanish and music in 1946.[1][2] Following her graduation, she moved to New York City and studied with German soprano Lotte Leonard[3] while completing a Master's degree in Spanish at Columbia University.[4]
Dobbs won a number of scholarships,[2] including the Marian Anderson Award in 1947,[5] and a John Hay Whitney Fellowship. The funds from these awards enabled her to move to Europe in 1950[6] and pursue her studies there, notably with Pierre Bernac.[1]
Performance career in Europe
Dobbs initially performed in Europe as a concert recitalist;
Her La Scala debut in 1953 was at the invitation of conductor Herbert von Karajan.[5] Dobbs performed the role of Elvira in L'italiana in Algeri, which also marked the first time a black artist sang in that opera house.[1] In a review of her performance, the British magazine Opera called her "the outstanding coloratura of her generation".[7]
She made her debut at the
In the 1960s Dobbs continued to perform in Europe, particularly in Sweden, where she lived with her husband.[4] Her successful, high-profile European career is considered significant in setting an example to younger black female singers such as Leontyne Price, Shirley Verrett, Jessye Norman and Kathleen Battle.[2]
Performance career in the United States
Her American debut was a recital with the Little Orchestra Society, in New York City, in 1954. She made her Metropolitan Opera debut, as Gilda in Rigoletto, on November 9, 1956, becoming the first African American singer to perform in a romantic role.[10] In a review of her performance, Carl Van Vechten wrote that Dobbs' was "glorious ... a warm and brilliant coloratura, and the best Gilda in my experience."[11] Although African-American singer Marian Anderson had performed at the Met the previous year, Dobbs was the first African-American to be offered a long-term contract by the Met.[4] In eight seasons, she performed 29 times,[2] including Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Olympia in The Tales of Hoffmann, Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor, and Oscar in Un ballo in maschera. She also appeared at the San Francisco Opera in 1955, where she was the first African-American to play a lead role.[8][12]
Following the example set by other African-American performers, Dobbs refused to perform for segregated audiences. She later stated that this hurt her career as she declined offers of work in the southern states. When the Atlanta Municipal Auditorium was desegregated in 1961, Dobbs was the first person to sing to an integrated audience in the city.[1][4][5][13] After de-segregation, she performed in Atlanta in a series of operas produced by Blanche Thebom.[14]
Retirement
Dobbs retired from performing in 1974, and began teaching at the
In 1989 Dobbs was elected to the board of directors of the Metropolitan Opera.[15]
Recordings
Dobbs's coloratura soprano was praised for its freshness and agility, as well as tonal beauty, and was considered an ideal voice for sound recording.[16] However, she can be heard in relatively few recordings, as she spent her early career in Europe. When she returned to the United States in 1954 Roberta Peters had become a top soprano recording artist.[16]
Dobbs's notable recordings include
Recognition
In 1954, the King and Queen of Sweden awarded Dobbs the
In 1979, Dobbs received an honorary doctorate of fine arts from Spelman College.[8]
In 1980, the Library of Congress held an exhibition on her life.[19]
In 1983, Dobbs received the
Personal life
Martin Luther King Sr. wanted his son, Martin Luther King Jr., to marry Dobbs, as her father was an active civil rights activist and a friend of his.[4][20]
Dobbs was married twice. Her first husband, Spaniard Luis Rodriguez, died of a liver ailment in June 1954, fourteen months after their wedding.[4] In late 1957, she married Bengt Janzon, a Swedish newspaperman and public relations executive. Janzon died in 1997.[1] Dobbs was the aunt of the first black Mayor of Atlanta, Maynard Jackson, and sang at his inauguration in January 1978.[1]
Dobbs died from cancer on December 8, 2015, at her home in Atlanta at the age of 90.[21]
References
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-12-13.
- ^ ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2015-12-14.
- ^ "Lotte Leonard (Soprano) - Short Biography". www.bach-cantatas.com. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Mattiwilda Dobbs, opera singer - obituary". Telegraph.co.uk. 10 December 2015. Retrieved 2015-12-13.
- ^ a b c d e Appiah, Anthony, ed. (2005). Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African-American Experience. Oxford University Press. p. 413.
- ^ a b "Mattiwilda Dobbs Facts, information, pictures". encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2015-12-15.
- ^ Jet, 8 October 1953, Vol. 4 No. 22, p. 61.
- ^ a b c "Mattiwilda Dobbs, 90: Singer paved way for other black opera..." www.myajc.com. Retrieved 2015-12-13.
- ^ "Festival in Edinburgh". National Library of Scotland Moving Image Archive. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
- ^ "Extravagant Crowd | Mattiwilda Dobbs". brbl-archive.library.yale.edu. Retrieved 2015-12-15.
- ^ [link.gale.com/apps/doc/A437464725/PPPM?u=tel_a_uots&sid=bookmark-PPPM&xid=43c34eb9. "Mattiwilda Dobbs"]. 15 December 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
{{cite web}}
: Check|url=
value (help) - ^ "Mattiwilda Dobbs profile". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2015-12-14.
- ^ "Mattiwilda Dobbs". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2015-12-14.
- ISBN 0865545049.
- ^ ISBN 0786419520.
- ^ "Mattiwilda Dobbs - Arias & Songs". arkivmusic.com. Archived from the original on 2015-12-22. Retrieved 2015-12-13.
- ^ Shengold, David. Obituary for Mattiwilda Dobbs. Opera, Vol 67 No 2, February 2016, p176-7.
- ^ a b "Mattiwilda Dobbs Facts, information, pictures". encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2015-12-13.
- ^ Bayne, Bijan C. (2013-01-17). "8 Surprising Things You Didn't Know About Dr. Martin Luther King Jr". AlterNet. Retrieved 2015-12-13.
- ^ Langer, Emily. "Mattiwilda Dobbs, pathbreaking operatic soprano, dies at 90". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
Further reading
- The Metropolitan Opera Encyclopedia, edited by David Hamilton, (Simon and Schuster, New York 1987). ISBN 0-671-61732-X
- Elizabeth Forbes: "Mattiwilda Dobbs ", Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy; accessed November 13, 2008.(subscription required)
External links
- Bruce Duffie, Interview with Mattiwilda Dobbs, March 28, 1994
- Mattiwilda Dobbs sings Caro nome, recorded late 1950s