Ernest Pike standing by a Sheraton gramophone

Ernest George Pike (1871 – 4 March 1936) was an English

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors i ...

of the early 20th century who made numerous recordings in the first decades of the 20th century. After studying at the

Guildhall School of Music The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and j ...

in London, he worked as a bank clerk and sang as a church tenor before making his first recording "Take a Pair of Sparkling Eyes" for the Gramophone & Typewriter Company in 1904. He became the house tenor for HMV and made several hundred records in a career that spanned over twenty years. Pike has been called "England's most recorded tenor", and his "silver voice" became a favourite in thousands of homes – remaining so until well into the 1920s. For a time his popularity was as great as that of the singer Peter Dawson. His repertoire was varied and included

grand opera Grand opera is a genre of 19th-century opera generally in four or five acts, characterized by large-scale casts and orchestras, and (in their original productions) lavish and spectacular design and stage effects, normally with plots based on o ...

light opera Comic opera, sometimes known as light opera, is a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending and often including spoken dialogue. Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a ne ...

oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is mus ...

, and

ballads A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or '' ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

and popular songs of the

Edwardian era The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victori ...

, the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

and the 1920s. He toured the British Isles giving concerts and was a favourite of royalty. He recorded under a number of pseudonyms – most commonly Herbert Payne.

Early career

Ernest Pike was born in

Pimlico Pimlico () is an area of Central London in the City of Westminster, built as a southern extension to neighbouring Belgravia. It is known for its garden squares and distinctive Regency architecture. Pimlico is demarcated to the north by Victor ...

, London, England in 1871 the son of Richard Pike, a builder. As a young tenor he sang in several choirs. In 1887 at the age of 16 and using the pseudonym Herbert Payne, he toured with the

D'Oyly Carte Opera Company The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company is a professional British light opera company that, from the 1870s until 1982, staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere. T ...

's "B" Company playing one of the ghosts of the ancestors in

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which '' H.M.S. ...

's ''

Ruddigore ''Ruddigore; or, The Witch's Curse'', originally called ''Ruddygore'', is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy Operas and the tenth of fourteen comic operas written t ...

''. He went on to study at the

in London for two years before continuing his musical studies privately. After completing his studies in the early 1890s, Pike worked as a clerk for a bank in

Victoria, London Victoria is an area of Central London in the City of Westminster. It is named after Victoria Station, which is a major transport hub. The station was named after the nearby Victoria Street. The name is used to describe streets adjoining or n ...

; he became a

shorthand Shorthand is an abbreviated symbolic writing method that increases speed and brevity of writing as compared to longhand, a more common method of writing a language. The process of writing in shorthand is called stenography, from the Greek ''st ...

writing expert and taught his skill to other employees. Sometime during the 1890s he was appointed principal tenor at

Holy Trinity Church, Sloane Street The Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity with Saint Jude, Upper Chelsea, commonly called Holy Trinity Sloane Street or Holy Trinity Sloane Square, is a Church of England parish church in London, England. It was built in 1888–90 at the ...

, London – a post that he still held in 1903. He also sang at The Spanish Church (St. James), Spanish Place,

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropolitan borough, it m ...

, London. The church singing was done in his free time while he worked at the bank during the day. His profession was still that of a commercial clerk when he married May Stevens in 1900. They had a daughter Maud who was born in 1901. He soon began to receive invitations to sing at the London Ballad Concerts which were held at the

Queen's Hall The Queen's Hall was a concert hall in Langham Place, London, Langham Place, London, opened in 1893. Designed by the architect Thomas Knightley, it had room for an audience of about 2,500 people. It became London's principal concert venue. Fro ...

and

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

in London. He also started to receive many offers of provincial engagements. With a now busy concert schedule and the start of his recording career in 1904, he was able to resign his post at Holy Trinity Sloane Square (in c. 1904). In January 1905 he performed for

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second chil ...

Chatsworth House Chatsworth House is a stately home in the Derbyshire Dales, north-east of Bakewell and west of Chesterfield, England. The seat of the Duke of Devonshire, it has belonged to the Cavendish family since 1549. It stands on the east bank of the ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the no ...

for three nights in succession when the King was in residence for a visit to the Devonshire Hospital in

Buxton Buxton is a spa town in the High Peak, Derbyshire, Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level. During the Edwardian era he toured the country singing in many leading cities and towns. In 1909 he sang in

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his train ...

's '' Acis and Galatea'' at a

Henry Wood Sir Henry Joseph Wood (3 March 186919 August 1944) was an English conductor best known for his association with London's annual series of promenade concerts, known as the Proms. He conducted them for nearly half a century, introducing hun ...

Promenade concert Promenade concerts were musical performances in the 18th and 19th century pleasure gardens of London, where the audience would stroll about while listening to the music. The term derives from the French ''se promener'', "to walk". Today, the te ...

in London. By the 1911 census the family was living in

Balham Balham () is an area in south London, England, mostly within the London Borough of Wandsworth with small parts within the neighbouring London Borough of Lambeth. The area has been settled since Saxon times and appears in the Domesday Book as ...

, South London and his profession was given as that of a singer.

Recording career

In April 1904 Pike made his first recording: "Take a Pair of Sparkling Eyes" (from

's ''

The Gondoliers ''The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria'' is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 December 1889 and ran for a very successful 554 performances (at that time the ...

'') for the Gramophone & Typewriter Company (G&T); it was released as a

gramophone record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts near ...

(disc) in August of that year. From 1906 many of his recordings were released on the

Gramophone Company The Gramophone Company Limited (The Gramophone Co. Ltd.), based in the United Kingdom and founded by Emil Berliner, was one of the early recording companies, the parent organisation for the '' His Master's Voice (HMV)'' label, and the Europe ...

Zonophone Zonophone (early on also rendered as Zon-O-Phone) was a record label founded in 1899 in Camden, New Jersey, by Frank Seaman. The Zonophone name was not that of the company but was applied to records and machines sold by Seaman's Universal Talki ...

label but he also released on

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...

, Ariel and Duophone. In addition, he recorded 2-minute

Edison cylinder Phonograph cylinders are the earliest commercial medium for recording and reproducing sound. Commonly known simply as "records" in their era of greatest popularity (c. 1896–1916), these hollow cylindrical objects have an audio recording engra ...

s in 1907 starting with "When the Berry's on the Holly", 4-minute Edison cylinders 1908–1910 starting with "Always", Sterling cylinders c. 1907 and Pathé discs in 1908 starting with "I'll Sing Thee Songs of Araby". After 1922 he ceased to record for HMV and recorded only for Columbia's budget

Regal Regal may refer to: Companies * Regal Beloit, usually referred to as Regal, an American manufacturer of electric motors * Regal Cinema (disambiguation), several cinemas of that name * Regal Cinemas, a major American theater chain * Regal Cinemas ...

label. Between the early 1900s and the mid-1920s Pike recorded more than 2,400 matrixes (takes) for HMV. Assuming an average of three takes per song, this would equate to approximately 400 double-sided 78rpm gramophone records for HMV alone. An estimate of the total count of all his recordings (discs and cylinders) has put the figure at well over 500. He has been called "England's most recorded tenor" with his records of popular ballads becoming favourites in thousands of homes. For a time his popularity was as great as that of Peter Dawson. By the First World War he had become the house tenor for HMV. Pike used many different pseudonyms the greatest number being for his Zonophone recordings. These are listed as follows with associated record companies in brackets if used for companies other than HMV. Any variations in pseudonym are also shown in brackets: Herbert Payne (Zonophone, G&T and some Edisons), Harold Payne, David Boyd (shared with Harold Wilde), Arthur Brett, Eric Courtland (Columbia), Arthur Gray (or Arthur Grey), Alan Dale (or Allan Dale), Richard Pembroke, Jack Henty, Sam Hovey, Arthur Adams, Arthur Edwards (or Arthur Edwardes), Edgar Froome (Ariel), Charles Nelson, Billy Murray and J. Saunders. He was the Murray of "Murray & Denton", "Murray & Fay" and "Strong & Murray" and Cobbett in "Cobbett & Walker" (with

Stanley Kirkby Stanley Kirkby (born James Baker; 1878 – 30 October 1949) was an English baritone singer and Variety Show, variety artist of the early 20th century. He sang ballads and popular songs of the Edwardian era, the World War I, First World War and th ...

). He was Bernard Moss in some duets with Peter Dawson.

Operatic recordings

Pike sang in the earliest and often incomplete recordings of Gilbert and Sullivan (G&S) and other light operas of the era. In December 1906 he shared the role of Nanki-Poo in the first recording of ''

The Mikado ''The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen operatic collaborations. It opened on 14 March 1885, in London, where it ran at the Sa ...

''. This was released on single-sided gramophone records by G&T then re-released on double-sided discs by HMV in 1912. He shared the role of Sir Joseph Porter on the first recording of the G&S opera ''

H.M.S. Pinafore ''H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, whi ...

'' which was recorded by the

Russell Hunting Russell Dinsmore Hunting (May 8, 1864 – February 20, 1943) was an American comic entertainment, entertainer, pioneer Sound recording, sound recordist, and an influential figure in the early years of the recorded music, music industry. He was ...

company on eleven Edison cylinders in 1907. In 1999 these early cylinders were re-discovered after they had been thought lost. He probably sang Marco in ''The Gondoliers'' (1907 for G&T) – credit being given to the "Sullivan Operatic Party" and not to individual artists for this recording. He sang both Colonel Fairfax and Leonard Meryll in ''

The Yeomen of the Guard ''The Yeomen of the Guard; or, The Merryman and His Maid'', is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 3 October 1888 and ran for 423 performances. This was the eleventh ...

'' (1907 for G&T) and Ralph Rackstraw in the 1908 (Gramophone Company) recording of ''H.M.S. Pinafore''. George W Byng 1920 Pirates

Between 1908 and 1910 Pike sang on a small series of

recordings which were released on the Zonophone white label, for example he recorded "Miserere" from ''

Il Trovatore ''Il trovatore'' ('The Troubadour') is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto largely written by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play ''El trovador'' (1836) by Antonio García Gutiérrez. It was García Gutiérrez's mo ...

'' in 1908 and "La Donna è Mobile" from ''

Rigoletto ''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play ''Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had cont ...

'' in 1910, both by

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

and both recorded with Eleanor Jones-Hudson as Alveena Yarrow. In 1909 he recorded "Solenne in Quest'ora" (in English) from Verdi's ''

The Force of Destiny ' (; ''The Power of Fate'', often translated ''The Force of Destiny'') is an Italian opera by Giuseppe Verdi. The libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on a Spanish drama, ' (1835), by Ángel de Saavedra, 3rd Duke of Rivas, w ...

'' with Peter Dawson. In 1917 after lengthy negotiations with

Rupert D'Oyly Carte Rupert D'Oyly Carte (3 November 1876 – 12 September 1948) was an English hotelier, theatre owner and impresario, best known as proprietor of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and Savoy Hotel from 1913 to 1948. Son of the impresario and hotelier R ...

, HMV was granted permission to do a series of complete recordings of G&S operas. To retain the authenticity of the stage performances, these recordings were to be directly overseen by Rupert D'Oyly Carte.Shepherd, Marc
"The First D'Oyly Carte Recordings"
''Gilbert and Sullivan Discography'', 18 November 2001, retrieved 18 October 2012 Pike was one of the chosen singers along with Peter Dawson,

Derek Oldham Derek Oldham (29 March 1887 – 20 March 1968) was an English singer and actor, best known for his performances in the tenor roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. After performing in concerts as a boy soprano and workin ...

, George Baker, Stanley Kirkby,

Robert Radford Robert Radford (13 May 1874, Nottingham3 March 1933, London) was a British bass singer who made his career entirely in the United Kingdom, participating in concerts and becoming one of the foremost performers of oratorios and other sacred musi ...

, Edna Thornton, Violet Essex, Sarah Jones and Bessie Jones. Pike shared the singing of both Nanki-Poo and Pish Tush in ''The Mikado'' (1917); sang Luiz, Francesco and parts of Marco in ''The Gondoliers'' (1919), and Leonard Meryll and the First Yeoman in ''The Yeomen of the Guard'' (1920). He sang the Duke of Dunstable in ''

Patience (or forbearance) is the ability to endure difficult circumstances. Patience may involve perseverance in the face of delay; tolerance of provocation without responding in disrespect/anger; or forbearance when under strain, especially when face ...

'' (1921). In 1918 he sang Silas Simkins in HMV's complete recording of '' Merrie England'' by

Edward German Sir Edward German (17 February 1862 – 11 November 1936) was an English musician and composer of Welsh descent, best remembered for his extensive output of incidental music for the stage and as a successor to Arthur Sullivan in the field of En ...

. In the acoustic recording era it was accepted practice for recordings to be made by "studio singers" (in this case provided by HMV) rather than by the singers who would have performed the same roles in stage productions. By 1922 Carte was insisting that his company's own singers be allowed to perform in the recordings, a move that prevented Pike and several others from singing further solo parts. In ''

Iolanthe ''Iolanthe; or, The Peer and the Peri'' () is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, first performed in 1882. It is one of the Savoy operas and is the seventh of fourteen operatic collaborations by Gilbert ...

'' (1922), Pike was relegated to the chorus. After this he did not participate in any further recordings of G&S operas made by HMV.

Popular recordings

Pike is probably best remembered for his prolific output of the popular songs of his day. He became well known for his recordings of

songs, for example the American song "There's a Long Long Trail" in 1916 and "Take me Back to Dear Old Blighty" (as Eric Courtland) in a duet with George Baker (as Walter Jeffries) in 1917; he also made one of the earliest recordings of the famous ballad "

Roses of Picardy "Roses of Picardy" is a popular British song with lyrics by Frederick Weatherly and music by Haydn Wood. Published in London in 1916 by Chappell & Co, it was one of the most famous songs of the First World War and has been recorded frequently ...

" in 1918 shortly after it had been written. He collaborated with other well-known artists, for example with Peter Dawson in Dawson's recording of "

The Lost Chord "The Lost Chord" is a song composed by Arthur Sullivan in 1877 at the bedside of his brother Fred during Fred's last illness. The manuscript is dated 13 January 1877; Fred Sullivan died five days later. The lyric was written as a poem by Adela ...

" made in 1907 and with

in "When You Wore a Tulip" in 1916 (as Cobbett and Walker) and "She Sells Sea Shells on the Seashore" in 1908 (as Herbert Payne with Fred Cooper). Occasionally he would form part of a backing group or chorus in the recording studio known as "The Minster Singers" along with some or all of the following: Stanley Kirkby, Eleanor Jones-Hudson, Peter Dawson and Thorpe Bates; sometimes there were additional singers in this group. The Minster Singers also recorded songs in its own right, for example "In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree" in 1906. Below is a selection of some of Pike's solo songs which typify the popular repertoire that he recorded for HMV. The year of recording and any pseudonyms used are also given: * "Take a Pair of Sparkling Eyes", 1904 * "When the Sunset Turns the Ocean's Blue to Gold", 1906 (as Arthur Brett) * "In My Aeroplane for Two", 1907 (as Herbert Payne) * "Killarney", 1908 (as Pike). 1907 and 1912 (as Herbert Payne) * "When You Know You're Not Forgotten (by the Girl You Can't Forget)", 1907 (as Herbert Payne) * "Ayesha, My Sweet Egyptian", 1909 (as Herbert Payne) * "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine", 1913 (as Herbert Payne) * "The Sunshine of Your Smile", 1914 (as Herbert Payne) * "When the War Is Over Mother Dear", 1915 (as Herbert Payne) * "There's a Long Long Trail", 1915 * "Roses of Picardy", 1918 * "Hello New York", 1918

Singing voice

Pike was a

lyric tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wid ...

but had difficulty beginning with the top A and, although he could go higher, he tended to avoid the higher tenor notes. In his memoirs the producer and recording engineer

Fred Gaisberg Frederick William Gaisberg (1 January 1873 – 2 September 1951) was an American musician, recording engineer and one of the earliest classical music producers for the gramophone. He himself did not use the term 'producer', and was not an impresari ...

remembered Pike as a "silver-voiced tenor". The singer George Baker said of Pike: "He had a smooth tenor voice that was easy to record because of its even quality". However, Baker also thought Pike's style to be "unemotional".

Death

He died of a cerebral haemorrhage on 4 March 1936, aged 64 in Streatham, South London.

References and notes

External links

Website with details about historical G&S recordings

Website with details about who was who in the D'Oyly Carte

Listen to Ernest Pike recordings
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pike English opera singers English tenors Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama 1871 births 1936 deaths