George Rasely
Encyclopedia
George Rasely was an American tenor
who had an active career in opera
s, concerts, and musicals during the first half of the 20th century. He was also a frequent performer on American radio during 1920s through the 1940s. He won the National Music League
singing competition in 1927 and the Walter W. Naumburg Foundation
vocal competition in 1928.
Born in St. Louis, Missouri
, Rasely made his Broadway
debut in 1917 as Nur-Al-Huda in Frederic Norton
's Chu Chin Chow
. He was a part of The Greenwich Village Follies between 1922-1924. He returned to Broadway again in 1939 to portray Mr. Scratch in The Devil and Daniel Webster
. His other Broadway credits include La Vie Parisienne
(1941), Helen Goes to Troy (1944), and Hollywood Pinafore
(1945). In 1928 he was committed to the Philadelphia Civic Opera Company
where he notably portrayed the role of Schweiker von Gundelfingen in the United States premiere of Richard Strauss
's Feuersnot
on 2 December 1927 at Philadelphia's Metropolitan Opera House
under the baton of Alexander Smallens
.
In 1936 Rasely joined the roster of the Metropolitan Opera
in New York City, making his debut with the company as Vasek in Bedřich Smetana
's The Bartered Bride
on May 15, 1936 with Muriel Dickson
as Marenka, Mario Chamlee
as Jeník, and Wilfred Pelletier conducting. He remained at the Met for the next 8 year, notably creating the role of Blenner Hassett in the world premiere of Walter Damrosch's The Man Without a Country
on May 12, 1937 and portraying Gherardi in the United States premiere of Richard Hageman
's Caponsacchi on February 4, 1937. His other roles at the Met included Don Curzio in The Marriage of Figaro
, Fellah in Mârouf, Gherardo in Gianni Schicchi
, Nathanael in The Tales of Hoffman, Paolino in Il matrimonio segreto
, and the Poet in Louise
among others. His final performance at the Met was on March 22, 1944 as Bardolfo in Falstaff
with Leonard Warren
in the title role.
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
who had an active career in opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
s, concerts, and musicals during the first half of the 20th century. He was also a frequent performer on American radio during 1920s through the 1940s. He won the National Music League
National Music League
The National Music League was an American arts organization based in New York City that was active during the 1920s through the 1960s. Founded as a non-profit institution in June 1925, the organization was dedicated to supporting and furthering the careers of talented young American classical...
singing competition in 1927 and the Walter W. Naumburg Foundation
Walter W. Naumburg Foundation
The Walter W. Naumburg Foundation sponsors competitions and provides awards for young classical musicians in North America. It was founded in 1925 by Walter Wehle Naumburg, a wealthy amateur cellist and son of noted New York music patron and philanthropist Elkan Naumburg. Elkan Naumburg, owner of...
vocal competition in 1928.
Born in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Rasely made his Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut in 1917 as Nur-Al-Huda in Frederic Norton
Frederic Norton
Frederic Norton born George Frederic Norton on 11 October 1869 in Broughton, Salford, England. Died on 15 December 1946 in Holford, England. British composer, most associated with the record breaking Chu Chin Chow, which opened in 1916....
's Chu Chin Chow
Chu Chin Chow
Chu Chin Chow is a musical comedy written, produced and directed by Oscar Asche, with music by Frederic Norton, based on the story of Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves...
. He was a part of The Greenwich Village Follies between 1922-1924. He returned to Broadway again in 1939 to portray Mr. Scratch in The Devil and Daniel Webster
The Devil and Daniel Webster
"The Devil and Daniel Webster" is a short story by Stephen Vincent Benét. This retelling of the classic German Faust tale is based on the short story "The Devil and Tom Walker", written by Washington Irving...
. His other Broadway credits include La Vie Parisienne
La Vie Parisienne
La Vie Parisienne was a magazine in France founded in 1863 and popular at the turn-of-the-twentieth century. It was originally intended as a guide to upper class and artistic life in Paris , but it soon evolved into a mildly risqué erotic publication...
(1941), Helen Goes to Troy (1944), and Hollywood Pinafore
Hollywood Pinafore
Hollywood Pinafore, or The Lad Who Loved a Salary is a musical comedy in two acts by George S. Kaufman, with music by Arthur Sullivan, based on Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore. It opened on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre on May 31, 1945, and closed on July 14, 1945 after 52 performances...
(1945). In 1928 he was committed to the Philadelphia Civic Opera Company
Philadelphia Civic Opera Company
The Philadelphia Civic Opera Company was an American opera company located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that was actively performing between 1924 and 1930. Founded by Philadelphia socialite Mrs. Henry M. Tracy, the company was established partially through funds provided by the city of...
where he notably portrayed the role of Schweiker von Gundelfingen in the United States premiere of Richard Strauss
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till...
's Feuersnot
Feuersnot
Feuersnot , Op. 50, is a Singgedicht or opera in one act by Richard Strauss. The German libretto was written by Ernst von Wolzogen, based on J. Ketel's report "Das erloschene Feuer zu Audenaerde" in the Oudenaarde Gazette, Leipzig, 1843...
on 2 December 1927 at Philadelphia's Metropolitan Opera House
Metropolitan Opera House (Philadelphia)
The Metropolitan Opera House is a historic opera house located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at 858 North Broad Street. Built over the course of just a few months in 1908, it was the ninth opera house built by impresario Oscar Hammerstein I. It was initially the home of Hammerstein's Philadelphia...
under the baton of Alexander Smallens
Alexander Smallens
Alexander Smallens was a Russian-born American conductor and music director.Smallens was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and emigrated to the United States as a child, becoming an American citizen in 1919...
.
In 1936 Rasely joined the roster of the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in New York City, making his debut with the company as Vasek in Bedřich Smetana
Bedrich Smetana
Bedřich Smetana was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style which became closely identified with his country's aspirations to independent statehood. He is thus widely regarded in his homeland as the father of Czech music...
's The Bartered Bride
The Bartered Bride
The Bartered Bride is a comic opera in three acts by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana, to a libretto by Karel Sabina. The opera is considered to have made a major contribution towards the development of Czech music. It was composed during the period 1863–66, and first performed at the...
on May 15, 1936 with Muriel Dickson
Muriel Dickson
Muriel Dickson was a Scottish soprano who was particularly known for her performances in the works of Gilbert and Sullivan. After singing roles with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, she sang for four seasons with the Metropolitan Opera and went on to a concert career...
as Marenka, Mario Chamlee
Mario Chamlee
Mario Chamlee was the lyric tenor who replaced Enrico Caruso at the Metropolitan Opera. His birth name was Archer Cholmondeley...
as Jeník, and Wilfred Pelletier conducting. He remained at the Met for the next 8 year, notably creating the role of Blenner Hassett in the world premiere of Walter Damrosch's The Man Without a Country
The Man Without a Country (opera)
The Man Without a Country is an opera in 2 acts by composer Walter Damrosch. Arthur Guiterman wrote the English language libretto which was based on Edward Everett Hale's 1863 short story of the same name. The work premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City on May 12, 1937.-Roles:...
on May 12, 1937 and portraying Gherardi in the United States premiere of Richard Hageman
Richard Hageman
Richard Hageman was a Dutch-born American conductor, pianist, composer, and actor.- Biography :...
's Caponsacchi on February 4, 1937. His other roles at the Met included Don Curzio in The Marriage of Figaro
The Marriage of Figaro
Le nozze di Figaro, ossia la folle giornata , K. 492, is an opera buffa composed in 1786 in four acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, based on a stage comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais, La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro .Although the play by...
, Fellah in Mârouf, Gherardo in Gianni Schicchi
Gianni Schicchi
Gianni Schicchi is a comic opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano, composed in 1917–18. The libretto is based on an incident mentioned in Dante's Divine Comedy. The work is the third and final part of Puccini's Il trittico —three one-act operas with...
, Nathanael in The Tales of Hoffman, Paolino in Il matrimonio segreto
Il matrimonio segreto
Il matrimonio segreto is an opera in two acts, music by Domenico Cimarosa, on a libretto by Giovanni Bertati, based on the play The Clandestine Marriage by George Colman the Elder and David Garrick...
, and the Poet in Louise
Louise (opera)
Louise is an opera in four acts by Gustave Charpentier to an original French libretto by the composer, with some contributions by Saint-Pol-Roux, a symbolist poet and inspiration of the surrealists....
among others. His final performance at the Met was on March 22, 1944 as Bardolfo in Falstaff
Falstaff (opera)
Falstaff is an operatic commedia lirica in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, adapted by Arrigo Boito from Shakespeare's plays The Merry Wives of Windsor and scenes from Henry IV. It was Verdi's last opera, written in the composer's ninth decade, and only the second of his 26 operas to be a comedy...
with Leonard Warren
Leonard Warren
Leonard Warren was a famous American opera singer. A baritone, he was a leading artist for many years with the Metropolitan Opera in New York.-Biography:...
in the title role.