Harry Lambert Murphy (1 April 15, 1885 – July 25, 1954) was an American operatic tenor.

Biography

He was born as Harry Lambert Murphy in

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...

on 15 April 1885. While pursuing an academic course at Harvard University, he studied singing under T. L. Cushman in Boston from 1904 to 1908. He graduated from Harvard in 1908 with his younger brother, Ray D. Murphy (1887–1964) (future chairman of the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States 19xx-1952), where they were both in the Harvard Glee Club, Harvard Quartet and the Pi Eta Society. Having filled positions in several important churches in Boston,

Brookline Brookline may refer to: Places in the United States * Brookline, Massachusetts, a town near Boston * Brookline, Missouri * Brookline, New Hampshire * Brookline (Pittsburgh), a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania * Brookline, Vermont See ...

, and Fairhaven, he went to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

in 1910 as soloist of

St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church (Manhattan) St. Bartholomew's Church, commonly called St. Bart's, is a historic Episcopal parish founded in January 1835, and located on the east side of Park Avenue between 50th and 51st Street in Midtown Manhattan, in New York City. In 2018, the church c ...

. After further study under Isidore Luckstone, he was engaged (1911) as a member of the Metropolitan Opera. Murphy made his reputation chiefly as a concert singer, appearing at many of the great festivals. He was a popular recording artist for the Victor Talking Machine Company. One well-known recorded hit was "Smiles" from '' The Passing Show of 1918'' and was popular during World War I. Lambert performed and recorded many duets with baritone Reinald Werrenrath. Mr. Murphy premiered in the tenor solo role in the quartets in

Verdi's 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 ...

Requiem A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...

in Boston (year?). After retiring from active concert work, he gave private voice instruction. During World War II he was a product inspector for the Western Electric Company. Lambert married Margaret Fraser. They had no children. They resided in Keene and

Munsonville, New Hampshire Munsonville is an unincorporated community in the town of Nelson in Cheshire County, New Hampshire. It is located in the northwestern corner of Nelson, around the outlet of Granite Lake. New Hampshire Route 9, a major east–west highway in the ...

, enjoying the outdoors, in particular, hunting and fishing. Lambert died of throat cancer on July 25, 1954 in Hancock, New Hampshire.

References

External links

Lambert Murphy recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Lambert Musicians from Springfield, Massachusetts American operatic tenors 1885 births 1954 deaths Harvard University alumni Deaths from throat cancer People from Keene, New Hampshire People from Nelson, New Hampshire 20th-century American male opera singers Classical musicians from Massachusetts