Norman Walker (bass)
Norman Walker (24 November 1907 – 5 November 1963) was an English
Early development
Walker was born into a musical family in
light opera
.
College, Guildhall and film roles
He won a scholarship to the
Mozart
).
Concert, broadcast, and Covent Garden
Norman Walker's first appearance with the
King Mark in Tristan und Isolde, Gurnemanz in Parsifal and the Commendatore in Don Giovanni.[2] He also took the role of the King in Verdi's Aida in a cast including Beniamino Gigli
. He married the New Zealand-born mezzo-soprano and pianist Merle Miller in October 1938. They had four children: Malcolm (born 1940), Nigel (1941-1947), Douglas (1944-2019) and Elspeth (born 1948).
The War and after
In 1941 he was commissioned in the
lieder
. In 1952 he toured Australia and New Zealand.
Walker suffered a stroke in 1955 and retired from singing on the stage but continued to broadcast. He taught at the Guildhall School of Music from 1951 until his death, his students including Ian Partridge, Elizabeth Bainbridge, Janet Coster, John Dobson, Anne Pashley, John Heddle Nash, Paschal Allen and Lawrence Richard.
His son is the recording historian, magazine editor and discographer Malcolm Walker (born 16 May 1940).[3]
He died in London[2] on 5 November 1963.
Notes
Sources
- D. Brook, Singers of Today (Revised Edition – Rockliff, London 1958), 195–197.
- New Grove Dictionary of Opera, vol 4, p. 1090
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