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Stella Power

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Stella Power, c.1934
Her signature

Tertia Stella Power (27 June 1896 – 16 January 1977) was an Australian coloratura soprano, a protégée of Nellie Melba. She has been referred to as the "Little Melba".

Early life and education

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Power was born in Camperdown, Victoria, to customs officer Edward John Power and Annie Elizabeth Power, née O'Brien. (died 9 September 1904).[1] Her sisters include (Dorothy Veronica) Ita Power, who married John T. Hassett on 8 June 1918,[2] and Ergoule Mary Josephine Power, who married John's brother Michael J. Hassett on 24 March 1923. The family was closely identified with the Catholic faith.

She was educated at a convent, where her vocal talents were recognised, and she won a scholarship to Nellie Melba's Conservatorium singing school in Albert Street, East Melbourne, where she became a favorite of Melba,[3] and according to one account, was dubbed "the Little Melba" by Melba herself.[4] Another has her given that cognomen while appearing at The Auditorium, Melbourne under the management of the Tait brothers, for her light soprano voice and wide range (B below middle-C to F and G in alt).[5]

Career

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In 1917 she received an invitation from Melba, who was in America, to join her there. Her farewell concert at the Melbourne Town Hall on 26 November was well-attended and enthusiastic,[6] and she arrived in San Francisco accompanied by her teacher Mary Campbell, a month later. Melba was there to meet them.[5] She made her American debut in Philadelphia, then sang with the Boston Symphony Orchestra,[3] followed by a tour with violinists Eugène Ysaÿe and Mischa Elman.[5] Her tour ended in Los Angeles, to sing with Melba.[3] While in America, she was recorded by Thomas A. Edison, Inc., and on a later tour of England she was recorded by His Master's Voice.[4]

Melba returned to Melbourne in June 1918, shortly after Power, who with fellow-protégée Beryl Fanning was among the first to welcome her.[7] Power was the chief attraction of a concert at The Auditorium, applauded by public and critics alike.[8] In August 1918 she had a second farewell concert at The Auditorium, again rapturously applauded, but critics found more interest in John Amadio's flute and the vocal contributions of Norman Bradshaw, Dorothy Murdoch and Frederick Mewton than Power's "birdlike top notes and dainty trills".[9] Though it was billed as a farewell concert, she did not leave Melbourne for another year. She married William O'Rourke on 17 December 1918 and the couple left for a honeymoon in Cremorne, Sydney.[10] She gave a series of Sydney concerts before taking a holiday in the Northern Rivers region.[11] She had another farewell concert, at the Melbourne Town Hall—another triumph, again aided by Amadio, and with soloists Joseph Foster and Ivy Phillips, with accompanist Waldemar Seidel,[12] then left for London via New York.

Her London debut was on 23 November 1919, when she appeared at the Royal Albert Hall with Landon Ronald's orchestra.[13] Australian newspapers were given an anodyne report of her success,[14] when The Times said her refined voice was lost in the vastness of the Hall.[15] Melba felt betrayed by her protégée, in whom she had invested so much, but then she gave birth to a son, and Melba was mollified.[16] Power remained in England for three years, touring provincial cities, at times sharing the stage with Jean Gerardy, Lauri Kennedy, John McCormack, Wilhelm Backhaus, and Jan Kubelík.[4] She appeared at the Queen's Hall 24 times for Henry Wood, and the Albert Hall 49 times. She sang for Georg Schnéevoigt and the Society Konsert Föreningen in Stockholm,[17] and the Christiania Philharmonic Orchestra and Bergen Philharmonic Society in Norway. She also sang with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the US.[18] She returned to Melbourne in April 1923 by the SS Osterley, accompanied by her son, her accompanist William G. James, and his wife Saffo Arnav.[19]

In 1926 she returned to America on a ten-year contract to Paramount Pictures to sing in picture theatres, touring for 45 weeks a year and performing four or five shows every day.[20][21] Hard work and highly lucrative[22] but no articles discuss the cost of living in New York with a son and no partner. This was a period of dramatic change in the theatre — silent movies gave way to talkies and jazz began to dominate entertainment venues, and finally the Great Depression was starting to eat into the household economy.[23] Power returned to Melbourne in August 1934, ostensibly for a six-month break.[24] Others assumed the ten-year contract was ended.[25] She made many appearances for the Australian Broadcasting Commission, many accompanied by the flautist C. Richard Chugg.[26]

In 1937 she gave live concerts on ABC radio 3AR with fellow-Melburnian Frederick Collier.[27] Radio work for the ABC continued — light operas with Dino Borgioli, produced in Sydney: Flotow's Martha, Don Giovanni, The Barber of Seville, Don Pasquale in 1938,[28] With the outbreak of war she retired, "to take care of her family" said one biographer.[5] Power did however take part in one of the series of eight operas in eight weeks for the ABC in 1940: Lucia di Lammermoor with the tenor Lawrence Power. She sang a radio concert with Browning Mummery shortly after.

In 1946–1947 she took the singing parts of the mature Melba, with a full orchestra conducted by Hector Crawford, in the radio serial Melba, first broadcast on radio station 3DB.[29]

Personal

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Power married William O'Rourke at St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne on 17 December 1918.[30][31] O'Rourke, an amateur vocalist, was a representative of the Sydney firm Petersen, Boesen and Co.[11] Power received a monogrammed suitcase as a wedding gift from Melba.[32]

They had one son, William Hugh Edward "Billy" O'Rourke,[a] born in London[38] on 29 May 1920.[39]

Power died at a private hospital on Charmain Road, Cheltenham, Victoria.[40] She was buried at the Cheltenham Memorial Cemetery.[4]

Notes

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  1. ^ Billy lived with his mother until 1923, when he was given into the care of his aunt Ita and uncle John Hassett.[33] When Power accepted the Paramount contract, she took Billy to New York, where he was educated, passing the New York State Graduation Certificate on 4 June 1934, and returned to Melbourne age 14 (with his mother?), initially living with his aunt Ita. He found work as a junior clerk with Hoyts Theatres Ltd, later with Aurora Packing Company, Ilrymple while living with aunt Ergoule, (during which time he joined the RAAF militia at Mildura), and Myer Emporium, before on 16 July 1940 enlisting with the rank of airman with the RAAF. His father was named as next of kin but it was his mother's signature on his attestation papers.[34] He changed his name by declaration from William Hugh Edward O'Rourke to William Power on 21 August 1940,[35] In 1941 he married Kathleen Mary Johnson of Moonee Ponds.[36] After the war he was employed as a salesman.[37] It is recorded that he survived his mother.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Family Notices". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 18, 153. Victoria, Australia. 19 September 1904. p. 1. Retrieved 25 December 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ^ "Family Notices". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 22, 442. Victoria, Australia. 4 July 1918. p. 1. Retrieved 25 December 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ a b c "At the Threshold of Fame". Graphic of Australia. No. 127. Victoria, Australia. 21 June 1918. p. 13. Retrieved 29 June 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ a b c d e Dunbar-Hall, Peter, "Power, Stella (1896–1977)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 29 June 2021
  5. ^ a b c d Barbara Mackenzie; Findlay Mackenzie (1967). Singers of Australia. Lansdowne.
  6. ^ "Amusements". The Age. No. 19, 557. Victoria, Australia. 27 November 1917. p. 8. Retrieved 25 December 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^ "Dame Melba Returns". Healesville and Yarra Glen Guardian. Victoria, Australia. 22 June 1918. p. 2. Retrieved 25 December 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. ^ "Miss Stella Power's Concert". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 22, 437. Victoria, Australia. 28 June 1918. p. 4. Retrieved 25 December 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ "Auditorium Concert". The Age. No. 19, 884. Victoria, Australia. 16 December 1918. p. 8. Retrieved 25 December 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ "Young Singer Married". The Herald (Melburne). No. 13, 375. Victoria, Australia. 17 December 1918. p. 3. Retrieved 25 December 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. ^ a b "Madame Stella Power". The Northern Star. Vol. 43. New South Wales, Australia. 7 April 1919. p. 4. Retrieved 25 December 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ^ "Stella Power's Farewell Concert". The Age. No. 20, 080. Victoria, Australia. 6 August 1919. p. 10. Retrieved 25 December 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. ^ "Our London Letter". Advocate. Vol. LII, no. 2468. Victoria, Australia. 10 January 1920. p. 23. Retrieved 30 June 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. ^ "Personal". Northern Star. Vol. 44. New South Wales, Australia. 1 December 1919. p. 2. Retrieved 25 December 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  15. ^ "Musical Notes". The Critic (Adelaide). Vol. XIX, no. 1149. South Australia. 3 March 1920. p. 23. Retrieved 25 December 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  16. ^ "The World of Women". The Sun (Sydney). No. 899. New South Wales, Australia. 20 June 1920. p. 17. Retrieved 25 December 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  17. ^ "Miss Stella Power". The Express (Adelaide). Vol. LX, no. 17, 909. South Australia. 10 April 1923. p. 4. Retrieved 27 December 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  18. ^ "Miss Stella Power". The Advertiser (Adelaide). South Australia. 10 April 1923. p. 12. Retrieved 26 December 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  19. ^ "Noted Arrivals by Osterley". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 23, 925. Victoria, Australia. 12 April 1923. p. 7. Retrieved 26 December 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  20. ^ "Personal". The Herald. No. 15, 271. Victoria, Australia. 30 April 1926. p. 5. Retrieved 30 June 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  21. ^ Australasian Radio Relay League (1 March 1935), "Stella Power in America (1 March 1935)", The Wireless Weekly, 25 (9), Wireless Press, retrieved 30 June 2021
  22. ^ "Highly Paid in New York". The Herald. No. 17, 258. Victoria, Australia. 6 September 1932. p. 12. Retrieved 27 December 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  23. ^ Australasian Radio Relay League (1 March 1935), "Stella Power in America (1 March 1935)", The Wireless Weekly, 25 (9), Wireless Press, retrieved 30 June 2021
  24. ^ "Arrivals by Monterey". The Age. No. 24, 757. Victoria, Australia. 18 August 1934. p. 17. Retrieved 27 December 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  25. ^ "To Tour in A.B.C. Concerts". The Labor Daily. No. 3425. New South Wales, Australia. 26 November 1934. p. 8. Retrieved 27 December 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  26. ^ "An Australian Soprano". The Leader (Melbourne). No. 4095. Victoria, Australia. 2 February 1935. p. 35. Retrieved 27 December 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  27. ^ "Ballad Recital". The Camperdown Chronicle. Vol. LIX, no. 7003. Victoria, Australia. 9 December 1937. p. 3. Retrieved 8 April 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  28. ^ "Music in Australia". The West Australian. Vol. 54, no. 16, 165. Western Australia. 21 April 1938. p. 15. Retrieved 27 December 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  29. ^ "It Strikes Me. . ". The Herald (Melbourne). No. 21, 404. Victoria, Australia. 24 December 1945. p. 5. Retrieved 22 December 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  30. ^ "Family Notices". Table Talk. No. 1743. Victoria, Australia. 19 December 1918. p. 29. Retrieved 29 June 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  31. ^ "Australian Song Bird Takes a Mate". Table Talk. No. 1744. Victoria, Australia. 26 December 1918. p. 15. Retrieved 29 June 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  32. ^ "Young Singer Married". The Herald. No. 13, 375. Victoria, Australia. 17 December 1918. p. 3. Retrieved 29 June 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  33. ^ "Melbourne Chatter". The Critic (Adelaide). Vol. XXXIV, no. 1343. South Australia. 21 November 1923. p. 25. Retrieved 26 December 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  34. ^ "Certificate of Parent or Guardian". Royal Australian Air Force. Retrieved 27 December 2023 – via National Archives of Australia.
  35. ^ "Declaration". State of Victoria. Retrieved 26 December 2023 – via National Archives of Australia.
  36. ^ "Family Notices". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 29, 651. Victoria, Australia. 4 September 1941. p. 6. Retrieved 26 December 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  37. ^ "Correspondence". Royal Australian Air Force. 17 July 1950. Retrieved 27 December 2023 – via National Archives of Australia.
  38. ^ "Tea-Table Gossip". The Sunday Times (Sydney). No. 1794. New South Wales, Australia. 13 June 1920. p. 13. Retrieved 25 December 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  39. ^ "Certificate of Service and Discharge". Royal Australian Air Force. Retrieved 27 December 2023 – via National Archives of Australia.
  40. ^ "Deaths". The Age (Melbourne). 19 January 1977.
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