For your enjoyment, here are some opera recordings from yesteryear!  This section pays homage to some of the great opera forebears.  Some of the files have been professionally transferred, while some were digitized directly from the original records with no processing whatsoever.  
Take a journey into opera's past!

Heinrich Knote (1870-1953) was a tenor from Bavaria. He performed at the NY Metropolitan Opera from 1904 to 1908. The remainder of his career was spent in Munich, where he was known as one of the great Heldentenors.

Risë Stevens' (1913 - ) career spanned from 1936 to 1961.  This mezzo-soprano was a mainstay of the NY Metropolitan Opera for many years.  She was especially noted for her Carmen, of which she performs here.

Galli-Curci was regarded as one of the best operatic coloratura sopranos of the early 20th century.  She made her opera debut in 1908 and retired in 1930, convinced that opera's popularity was waning.  

Schipa made his opera debut in 1910 at Vercelli, Italy; performing there until traveling to the USA. He performed in Chicago until 1932, when he began performing at the NY Metropolitan Opera. He was there from 1932-1935, and again in 1941. He eventually became a conductor.

Claudia Muzio (1889-1936)  was one of the most successful  Italian operatic sopranos of the early 20th century.  She made her operatic debut at Arezzo in 1910. Three years later she debuted at La Scala. In 1916 she began a six-year run at The Met. She was a fixture in Chicago from 1922 to 1932.  Claudia died of heart failure at the age of 47.ul of the early 20th century.

Florencio Constantino was born in Spain. He began his operatic career at the age of 20 in Montevideo. After spending some years in South America he returned to Europe in 1896. His career took him from Spain, to South America, Italy, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, the USA, and even Csarist Russia. After much worldwide success, his career began a serious decline that culminated with his death in a Mexico City street - destitute and alone.

Tauber was born in Linz, Austria on 16 May 1891. As a child, his voice failed to impress his vocal instructors. But he persevered and performed publicly for the first time at Freiburg in 1912.  He was a renowned quick-study; learning the role of Bacchus in Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos in a mere afternoon for instance!  In 1947 he developed lung cancer; one lung was useless, and the other nearly so. Despite this he sang the role of Don Ottavio from Don Giovanni on 27 September 1947. Recordings exist of this performance, and it is one of undiminished "focus and steadiness". 

Vera Schwarz was born on 10 July 1891in what is now Zagreb, Croatia and died on 4 December 1964 in Vienna.

John Charles Thomas, an American baritone, was born in Meyersdale, PA. He studied music at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. Thomas began his career in musical comedy, but transitioned to opera in 1924. He later sang with the Royal Opera, Brussels. He debuted at the NY Metropolitan Opera House in 1934 in Verdi’s La Traviata.

Lily was born in France, where she entertained troops in hospitals during WWI.  She made her operatic debut there in Lakmé. She was eventually discovered and relocated to New York, where she began a 30-year run as a principal soprano at The Met. Her career took her around the world. She became a naturalized US citizen in 1940.  Pons was known for her soaring high notes; effortlessly reaching the high E in Delibes' Lakmé.

The Spanish-born Bori began her opera career in 1908.  She studied under Vidal in Milan. She was known for her performances as Manon in Massenet's opera, Mimì in La bohème, Fiora in L' amore dei trè rè, Mélisande in Pelléas et Mélisande and Violetta in La traviata.  Lucrezia concluded her operatic career on 29 March 1936 to much fanfare at New York's Metropolitan Opera House after 654 performances. After retirement, she became chairman of the Metropolitan Opera Guild.

These early recordings were cut acoustically as opposed to later "electrical" recordings. The performers stood in front of large horns which focused the sound waves onto the cutting stylus.

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