Sara Charles-Cahier or Madame Charles Cahier (born Sara Layton Walker; 8 January 187015 April 1951) was an American-born Swedish

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A bel ...

contralto A contralto () is a classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range is the lowest of their voice type, voice types. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare, similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to ...

singer in

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

and

lied In the Western classical music tradition, ( , ; , ; ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German and Dutch, but among English and French speakers, is often used interchangea ...

er, singing primarily in Europe. The American-born Cahier later acquired Swedish citizenship. She was associated with

Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic music, Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and ...

, and was one of the soloists in the posthumous premiere of his ''

Das Lied von der Erde ''Das Lied von der Erde'' (The song of the Earth) is an orchestral work for two voices and orchestra written by Gustav Mahler between 1908 and 1909. Described as a symphony when published, it comprises six movements for a large orchestra and tw ...

'' in 1911. She sang at the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...

in New York, and was a teacher at the

Curtis Institute of Music The Curtis Institute of Music is a private conservatory in Philadelphia. It offers a performance diploma, a Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in opera, and a Professional Studies Certificate in opera. All students attend on a full scholarshi ...

in Philadelphia. Her students included

Marian Anderson Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897April 8, 1993) was an American contralto. She performed a wide range of music, from opera to spirituals. Anderson performed with renowned orchestras in major concert and recital venues throughout the United S ...

Career

She was born as Sara Layton Walker in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

."Mme. Sara Cahier"
''

Toledo Blade ''The Blade'', also known as the ''Toledo Blade'', is a newspaper in Toledo, Ohio, published daily online and printed Thursday and Sunday by Block Communications. The newspaper was first published on December 19, 1835. Overview The first issu ...

'', 16 April 1951. Retrieved 1 August 2014 She studied in Indianapolis and in Paris under

Jean de Reszke Jean de Reszke (born Jan Mieczysław Reszke; 14 January 18503 April 1925) was a Polish dramatic tenor and opera star. Reszke came from a wealthy Polish family with classical and operatic musical traditions. His mother gave him his first singing ...

, and in 1904 she made her debut as the character Orpheus in ''

Orpheus and Eurydice In Greek mythology, the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice () concerns the pitiful love of Orpheus of Thrace, located in northeastern Greece, for the beautiful Eurydice. Orpheus was the son of Oeagrus and the Muse Calliope. It may be a late addition ...

'' in

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionGustav Walter,Google groups
Retrieved 1 August 2014.

Victor Capoul Joseph Victor Amédée Capoul (27 February 1839 – 18 February 1924) was a French operatic lyric tenor renowned for his graceful singing style as well as his wonderful acting skills. Forbes E., Steane J.B., "Victor Capoul". In: ''The New Grov ...

and Amalie Joachim. Her second husband was Swedish impresario Charles Cahier, in 1905. After this, she was generally billed as "Madame Charles Cahier", or "Sara Charles-Cahier".Encyclopedia.com
Retrieved 1 August 2014. She was active in Vienna, joining the Hofoper in 1907, and Munich, often singing under

's directorship in roles such as

Amneris ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is a tragic opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 Dec ...

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 ...

Delilah Delilah ( ; , meaning "delicate";Gesenius's ''Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon'' ; ) is a woman mentioned in the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible. She is loved by Samson, a Nazirite who possesses great strength and serves as t ...

, Fidès, Ortrud, and Santuzza. Cahier and fellow American William Miller, a tenor, were chosen by

Bruno Walter Bruno Walter (born Bruno Schlesinger, September 15, 1876February 17, 1962) was a Germany, German-born Conducting, conductor, pianist, and composer. Born in Berlin, he escaped Nazi Germany in 1933, was naturalised as a French people, French cit ...

to premiere Mahler's ''

'' in Munich posthumously in November 1911. She also sang in the New York premiere of the work in 1922, with tenor

Orville Harrold Orville Harrold (17 November 1877 – 23 October 1933) was an American operatic tenor and musical theatre actor. He began his career in 1906 as a performer in operettas in New York City, and was also seen during his early career in cabaret, ...

, under conductor

Artur Bodanzky Artur Bodanzky (also written as Artur Bodzansky) (16 December 1877 – 23 November 1939) was an Austrian-American conductor particularly associated with the operas of Wagner. He conducted Enrico Caruso's last performance at the Metropolitan Ope ...

. She sang in France, Italy, England and Germany. Other noted conductors under whom she sang included

Edvard Grieg Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the leading Romantic music, Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwid ...

and

Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; ; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer and conductor best known for his Tone poems (Strauss), tone poems and List of operas by Richard Strauss, operas. Considered a leading composer of the late Roman ...

. She sang at the

in New York from 1912 to 1914, making her debut there as Azucena in '' Il trovatore''. Other appearances there included Fricka in ''

Die Walküre (; ''The Valkyrie''), Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis, WWV 86B, is the second of the four epic poetry, epic music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's Literary cycle, cycle ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). It was ...

'', alongside

Olive Fremstad Olive Fremstad (14 March 1871 – 21 April 1951) was the stage name of Anna Olivia Rundquist, a celebrated Swedish-American dramatic soprano who sang in both the mezzo-soprano and soprano ranges.Rosenthal and Warrack (1979) p. 180 Background Bo ...

and

Margaret Matzenauer Margaret Matzenauer (sometimes spelled Margarete Matzenauer or Margarethe Matzenaur) (1 June 1881 – 19 May 1963) was an Austria-Hungary-born, later resident in the United States, mezzo-soprano. She had an opulent timbre and wide range. S ...

. She enjoyed great success in Stockholm from 1915 to 1917, during which time she acquired Swedish citizenship. After retirement, she became a teacher and vocal coach, at the

in Philadelphia. Her students, there and elsewhere, included

Göta Ljungberg Göta Ljungberg (4 October 1893 – 28 June 1955) was a major Swedish Wagnerian dramatic soprano of the 1920s who sang throughout American and Europe and left an important recorded legacy. Biography Born in Sundsvall, she studied at the Stockhol ...

and

Rosette Anday Piroska Anday (12 December 1899, in Budapest – 22 December 1977, in Vienna) known as Rosette Anday, was a leading Hungarian mezzo-soprano. Life On 23 September 1921, Bizet's opera ''Carmen'' was performed at the Vienna State Opera and a hith ...

. It was on her advice that

Lauritz Melchior Lauritz Melchior (20 March 1890 – 18 March 1973) was a Danish-American opera singer. He was the preeminent Wagnerian heldentenor of the 1920s through the 1940s and has come to be considered the quintessence of his voice type. Late in his car ...

changed from

baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

heldentenor A heldentenor (; English: ''heroic tenor''), earlier called tenorbariton, is an operatic tenor voice, most often associated with Wagnerian repertoire. It is distinct from other tenor '' fächer'' by its endurance, volume, and dark timbre, whic ...

. Sara Cahier died in

Manhattan Beach, California Manhattan Beach is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, on the Coastal California, Pacific coast south of El Segundo, California, El Segundo, west of Hawthorne, California, Hawthorne and Redondo Beach, and north ...

, in April 1951, aged 81.

Recordings

Her recordings were few, but include: * "Urlicht", from Mahler's Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection" and "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen", from his ''

Rückert-Lieder The ''Rückert-Lieder'' (Songs after Rückert) is a collection of five Lieder for Singing, voice and orchestra or piano by Gustav Mahler, setting poems by Friedrich Rückert to music. Four of the songs ("Blicke mir nicht in die Lieder!", "Ich at ...

'' * Excerpts from ''

''Vienna: The Mahler Years 1897–1907, CD Universe
Retrieved 1 August 2014

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cahier, Sara 1870 births 1951 deaths Singers from Nashville, Tennessee American operatic mezzo-sopranos American operatic contraltos Swedish operatic mezzo-sopranos Swedish contraltos 19th-century Swedish women opera singers Curtis Institute of Music faculty American music educators Swedish music educators American women music educators Swedish women music educators 19th-century American women opera singers American emigrants to Sweden