James Pease (9 January 1916, in

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

– 26 April 1967, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

)“Pease, James” in ''Baker's Biographical Dictionary of 20th Century Classical Musicians'', ed. Laura Kuhn. Schirmer Books, 1997. was an American

bass-baritone A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three ...

, notable for his

Wagnerian Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most ...

roles. He was also a distinguished Balstrode in

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, o ...

’s ''

Peter Grimes ''Peter Grimes'', Op. 33, is an opera in three acts by Benjamin Britten, with a libretto by Montagu Slater based on the section "Peter Grimes", in George Crabbe's long narrative poem '' The Borough''. The "borough" of the opera is a fictional ...

'', a role which he was the first to perform in the US in 1946, and later recorded under the composer's direction in 1958.

Life and career

A law graduate of

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

in 1939, Pease won a scholarship at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia and studied there rather than begin practice as a lawyer. He made his debut with the

Philadelphia Opera Company The Philadelphia Opera Company was the name of two different American opera companies active during the twentieth century in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The first company was founded by impresario Oscar Hammerstein I in 1908. That company disbande ...

as Mephistopheles in ''

Faust Faust ( , ) is the protagonist of a classic German folklore, German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust (). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a deal with the Devil at a ...

'', and sang many other roles with the company both in Philadelphia and in Boston. He also pursued concert,

oratorio An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble. Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...

and radio work on the East Coast of the United States ''The Lewiston Daily Sun'', May 5, 1947. He was praised by

Serge Koussevitzky Serge Koussevitzky (born Sergey Aleksandrovich Kusevitsky;Koussevitzky's original Russian forename is usually transliterated into English as either "Sergei" or "Sergey"; however, he himself adopted the French spelling "Serge", using it in his sig ...

as having "An exceptionally beautiful, powerful, expansive voice". In 1943 he was selected a winner of the

Metropolitan Opera Auditions of the Air The Metropolitan Opera Auditions of the Air was an annual singing competition sponsored by the Metropolitan Opera of New York City for more than two decades. The competition's purpose was to find, encourage, and promote developing young opera singe ...

, but was immediately called for service as an aviation cadet. He served three years as a pilot in the A.A.F. Training Command, flying some 15,000 miles. He also directed and performed in musical shows at his home base in Texas. On his discharge in 1945, he appeared at the Montreal Festivals and in a series of operas at the New York City Center Theatre, making his debut there as Sparafucile on 9 May 1946 (continuing to sing at that venue until 1953). Also in that year he sang in ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the O ...

'' at the

Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre and Urban park, public park in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in the United States by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018 and was listed on ...

in Los Angeles, conducted by

Leopold Stokowski Leopold Anthony Stokowski (18 April 1882 – 13 September 1977) was a British-born American conductor. One of the leading conductors of the early and mid-20th century, he is best known for his long association with the Philadelphia Orchestra. H ...

. He was also a soloist with the

National Symphony Orchestra The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1930 by cellist Hans Kindler, its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The NSO regularly ...

in Washington, D.C. and at the Berkshire Festival. In August 1946 Pease took part in the US premiere of ''Peter Grimes'', conducted by

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...

at the

Berkshire Music Center The Tanglewood Music Center is an annual summer music academy in Lenox, Massachusetts, United States, in which emerging professional musicians participate in performances, master classes and workshops. The center operates as a part of the Tanglew ...

, Tanglewood: Pease, singing the role of Balstrode, was singled out as giving " sily the most compelling performance on the stage ... ecarried himself well ... and also sang eloquently". Pease later sang in the US premiere of another Britten opera, ''

Albert Herring ''Albert Herring'', Op. 39, is a chamber opera in three acts by Benjamin Britten. Composed in the winter of 1946 and the spring of 1947, this comic opera was a successor to his serious opera '' The Rape of Lucretia''. The libretto, by Eric Cro ...

'', this time as the Vicar, Mr Gedge, in a production staged at Tanglewood on 8 August 1949, conducted by Boris Goldovsky. With the

Zurich Opera Zurich Opera (Opernhaus Zürich) is a Swiss opera company based in Zurich. The company gives performances in the Zurich Opera House. History The first performance at the current theatre occurred on 30 September 1891, with a production of Wagner's ...

in 1961 he sang the priest Grigoris in the world premiere of Martinů's '' The Greek Passion''. Pease sang a wide variety of roles including Leporello and the title role in ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; full title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanish legen ...

'', Don Alfonso (''

Così fan tutte (''Women are like that, or The School for Lovers''), Köchel catalogue, K. 588, is an opera buffa in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was first performed on 26 January 1790 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria. The libretto was written ...

''), the Music Master (Strauss: ''

Ariadne auf Naxos (''Ariadne on Naxos''), Op. 60, is a 1912 opera by Richard Strauss with a German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. The opera's unusual combination of elements of low commedia dell'arte with those of high opera seria points up one of the work's ...

''), Colline (''

La bohème ''La bohème'' ( , ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions '':wikt:quadro, quadri'', ''wikt:tableau, tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto b ...

''), Escamillo (''

'') and various Gilbert and Sullivan roles including the Pirate King and the Mikado of Japan. In London's

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...

he sang in various productions conducted by

Rafael Kubelík Rafael Jeroným Kubelík, KBE (29 June 1914 – 11 August 1996) was a Czech conductor and composer. The son of a distinguished violinist, Jan Kubelík, he was trained in Prague and made his debut with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra at the a ...

, including as Hans Sachs in Wagner's ''

Die Meistersinger Die, as a verb, refers to death, the cessation of life. Die may also refer to: Games * Die, singular of dice, small throwable objects used for producing random numbers Manufacturing * Die (integrated circuit), a rectangular piece of a semicondu ...

'' with

Geraint Evans Sir Geraint Llewellyn Evans CBE (16 February 1922 – 19 September 1992) was a Welsh bass-baritone noted for operatic roles including Figaro in ''Le nozze di Figaro'', Papageno in ''Die Zauberflöte'', and the title role in '' Wozzeck''. Evans ...

and

Joan Sutherland Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, (7 November 1926 – 10 October 2010) was an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano known for her contribution to the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s to the 1980s. She possessed a voice ...

in 1957, as King Mark in ''

Tristan und Isolde ''Tristan und Isolde'' (''Tristan and Isolde''), WWV 90, is a music drama in three acts by Richard Wagner set to a German libretto by the composer, loosely based on the medieval 12th-century romance ''Tristan and Iseult'' by Gottfried von Stras ...

'' with

Birgit Nilsson Märta Birgit Nilsson (17 May 1918 – 25 December 2005) was a Swedish dramatic soprano. Although she sang a wide repertoire of operatic and vocal works, Nilsson was best known for her performances in the operas of Richard Wagner and Richard St ...

in 1958, and in the same year as Balstrode in ''Peter Grimes'', later recording the role under the composer's direction for

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label * Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, musical theater record label * Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...

. He returned to the

New York City Opera The New York City Opera (NYCO) is an American opera company located in Manhattan in New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through its 2013 bankruptcy, and again since 2016 when it was revived. The opera company, dubbed "the peopl ...

in 1959–60, and again in 1967. Pease died of a heart attack at the Lincoln Square Motor Inn.

Personal life

He married twice, his second marriage after his first wife's death being with English soprano Adele Leigh; after Pease's death, Leigh in 1967 married Kurt Enderl, then Austrian Ambassador to Hungary, in a whirlwind romance.

Discography

James Pease recorded with several companies, notably Decca, RCA Victor, and Nonesuch Records. *Auber '' Fra Diavolo'': with

Wilma Lipp Wilma Lipp (; 26 April 1925 – 26 January 2019) was an Austrian operatic soprano and academic voice teacher. A long-time member of the Vienna State Opera, she was particularly associated with the role of the Queen of the Night in Mozart's ''Die Z ...

, Ursula Zollenkopf,

Rudolf Schock Rudolf Johann Schock (4 September 1915 – 13 November 1986) was a German tenor. Rudolf Schock was born in Duisburg, in the Prussian Rhine Province. He sang a wide repertoire from operetta to ''Lohengrin'', recording among others opera and lieder, ...

; conductor

Wilhelm Schüchter Wilhelm Schüchter (15 December 1911 – 27 May 1974) was a German conductor. Between 1959 and 1962, he was the music director of the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo and is credited for raising its standards to an international level. He was Gener ...

(Relief) *Beethoven Symphony No. 9 "Ode to Joy": with Frances Yeend, David Lloyd, Eunice Alberts; Boston Symphony Orchestra/Serge Koussevitzky (recorded 1947) (Dante Records Lys) *Bizet ''Carmen'': with Winifred Heidt, Ramon Vinay, Marina Koshetz; Choir & Orch Of The Hollywood Bowl Symphony/Leopold Stokowski (Eklipse) *Brahms ''A German Requiem'': with Eleanor Steber; Robert Shaw Chorale, RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra/Robert Shaw *Brahms ''A German Requiem'': with Carl Bamberger, Teresa Stich-Randall; Hamburg Chorus of the Singakademie; Symphony Orchestra and Chorus of the Norddeutscher Rundfunk/Carl Bamberger (Nonesuch) *Britten ''Peter Grimes'': with Peter Pears, Claire Watson, Jean Watson; Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden/Benjamin Britten (Decca) *Gilbert & Sullivan ''Mikado'': with Martyn Green, Barbara Troxell; North German Radio Orchestra/Richard Korn *Handel ''Samson'': with Joan Sutherland, Jon Vickers, Joan Carlyle, Joseph Rouleau; conductor Raymond Leppard; Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, 3 January 1959 (Andromeda) *Mascagni ''Cavalleria Rusticana'' and Leoncavallo ''Pagliacci'': with Hans Hopf, Astrid Varnay, Wilma Lipp, Hanns Braun, Alfred Pfeifle, Hanna Scholl, Hanne Münch; Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks/Wolfgang Sawallisch - 1954 (Myto) *''Joan Sutherland and Jon Vickers'' - includes James Pease as Hans Sachs; The Royal Opera Orchestra/Rafael Kubelík (Pearl) *Mozart Opera Arias with Barbara Troxell; Hamburg Philharmonia Orchestra; conductor Hans Jergens-Walther (Allegro 1698) *Music of the Pilgrims - Psalms from the Ainsworth Psalter with excerpts from Governor William Bradford's "Of Plimoth Plantation": with the New England Conservatory Alumni Chorus, Conducted by Lorna Cooke de Varon (Plimoth Plantation)album cover notes, "Music of the Pilgrims", PP 001

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pease, James American bass-baritones American operatic baritones 1916 births 1967 deaths 20th-century American male opera singers