Louise Beatty Homer (April , â€" May , ) was an American operatic
contralto who had an active international career in concert halls and
opera houses from until her retirement in .After a brief stint as a
vaudeville entertainer in New England, she made her professional opera
debut in France in . She then became a member of the Metropolitan
Opera from to and again from to . She was also active as an opera
singer in Boston, Chicago, and California. She recorded extensively
for Victor Records and Columbia Records in the early decades of the th
century. She was married to composer Sidney Homer for years. The
composer Samuel Barber was her nephew.Homer sang a broad repertoire
which encompassed works from the French, German, and Italian
repertoires. She enjoyed particular success in the operas of Giuseppe
Verdi and Richard Wagner. She often stated in interviews that her
favorite role to perform was Amneris in Verdi's Aida. At the Met she
sang in several United States premieres and created roles in two world
premieres: the witch in Engelbert Humperdinck's Königskinder and the
title role in Horatio Parker's Mona. Soprano Nellie Melba once hailed
her as "the world's most beautiful voice". In and she was listed as
one of the greatest living women by the National League of Women
Voters.Homer was born Louise Dilworth Beatty in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania on April , . Her father, Reverend William Trimble Beatty,
was a Presbyterian minister who founded Pennsylvania Female College
(now Chatham University). Her father initially expressed concerns over
his daughter's desired singing career for religious reasons, believing
that such gifts were meant solely for worship within the church.
However, Louise was eventually able to convince her father that she
could employ her vocal gifts outside of the church without being in
sin, at which point she was given permission to pursue a musical
education. She began her vocal training in Philadelphia, but
ultimately ended up in Boston.
contralto who had an active international career in concert halls and
opera houses from until her retirement in .After a brief stint as a
vaudeville entertainer in New England, she made her professional opera
debut in France in . She then became a member of the Metropolitan
Opera from to and again from to . She was also active as an opera
singer in Boston, Chicago, and California. She recorded extensively
for Victor Records and Columbia Records in the early decades of the th
century. She was married to composer Sidney Homer for years. The
composer Samuel Barber was her nephew.Homer sang a broad repertoire
which encompassed works from the French, German, and Italian
repertoires. She enjoyed particular success in the operas of Giuseppe
Verdi and Richard Wagner. She often stated in interviews that her
favorite role to perform was Amneris in Verdi's Aida. At the Met she
sang in several United States premieres and created roles in two world
premieres: the witch in Engelbert Humperdinck's Königskinder and the
title role in Horatio Parker's Mona. Soprano Nellie Melba once hailed
her as "the world's most beautiful voice". In and she was listed as
one of the greatest living women by the National League of Women
Voters.Homer was born Louise Dilworth Beatty in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania on April , . Her father, Reverend William Trimble Beatty,
was a Presbyterian minister who founded Pennsylvania Female College
(now Chatham University). Her father initially expressed concerns over
his daughter's desired singing career for religious reasons, believing
that such gifts were meant solely for worship within the church.
However, Louise was eventually able to convince her father that she
could employ her vocal gifts outside of the church without being in
sin, at which point she was given permission to pursue a musical
education. She began her vocal training in Philadelphia, but
ultimately ended up in Boston.
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