During Melba’s first London season, she was practically without any stage experience, she was accepted as a promising actress. (4)

The opinions on her acting capabilities from the critics and public, acknowledged her dramatic gifts. She’d never seen grand opera till Paris, and never been on stage in her life.

Melba decided to relinquish her engagement at Covent Garden, after the attitude of the English critics. Mr. Augustus Harris, stated, if a foreign artist came to London with the qualifications of Madame Melba, they would have been received by the English connoisseurs with unreserved enthusiasm. The difficulties of an operatic career for any girl are great, but an Anglo-Saxon is greater. No matter where she sings in opera, she will use a foreign tongue. (5)

On June 6, 1889, at Covent Garden, Melba selected the opera Rigoletto Monsieur Lassalle impersonated the jester, his first time in England. Her next performance was as Juliet in Gounod’s opera Romeo and Juliet, on June 15, in French language for the first time. Monsieur Jean de Reszke as Romeo, Monsieur Edouard de Reszke the Friar, Signor Mancinelli as Conductor, was an instant success.

Augustus Harris cast Melba as Juliet, influenced by her recent success in the role in Brussels. (6)

He was confident in Melba’s ability to charm London as this character was justified by the result. The audience was captivated by Juliet and was acknowledged the next day in all the newspapers. Melba’s Romeo and Juliet performance, and recognition which she had despaired of winning from the critics of London was undoubtedly hers. Queen Victoria, commanded a state concert at Buckingham Palace on June 28. (7)

Melba was summoned to take part, but unable to sing owing to a bad cold. A gala performance was announced for July 2 at Covent Garden, in honour of the Shah of Persia, and His Majesty King Edward (then Prince of Wales) made known his wish that Melba sing the Je veux vivre before the royal party. She was programmed for the Mad Scene from Lucia di Lammermoor, conducted by Signor Randegger.

During a performance of Faust in 1889, Melba’s pluck averted a serious accident at Covent Garden. In the first act, a wing in the Study Scene caught fire, and was visible to the audience. Melba stepped out and said a few words, reassuring those beginning to get frightened. The fire was put out, the opera went on all right, Melba’s cool resourcefulness saved the situation.

The opera season closed with Romeo and Juliet on July 27, also the wedding-day of the Duke and Duchess of Fife. A large number of royalties including the Prince and Princess of Wales, the King of the Hellenes, the Grand Duke of Hesse, and the Crown Prince of Denmark., attended the performance, wearing the festal favours of the afternoon’s ceremony. (8)

At the close of the opera, the orchestra played the National Anthem, and Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March.” (9)

1906 must have been a special time for Melba as her only child George became engaged to Ruby Otway. They married in London before his mother left for America at the end of the year. (10)
May 1913 was the 25th anniversary of Melba’s debut at Covent Garden. A gala performance of La Boheme with John McCormack as Rudolfo was given to mark the occasion. (11)

Wireless Telegraph

The new wireless telegraph was attracting great interest. On June 12, 1920, the Daily Mail announced that it had arranged for Dame Nellie Melba, the prima donna, to give a concert to the world by wireless telephone on Tuesday evening:
The event, unique in being the first occasion on which the voice of so glorious a singer as the ‘Australian Nightingale’ goes freely out into space, said the Postmaster-General, who had close control over all transmission by wireless. Dame Nellie Melba sang three or four songs — and it should be heard by all ‘listening-in’ on wireless reception sets within a radius of at least a thousand miles.
Melba sang songs in English, Italian, and French, with piano accompaniment. Reports from Britain, Germany, and France told of good receptions. Several ships sent messages to say they had heard the broadcast.

In 1921 Melba announced that she was returning to Australia for a year. She would give a concert at the Albert Hall before she left.
It was at this concert that Pamela, Melba’s granddaughter, went to the theatre for the first time. She was at once stage-struck — a condition which has never left her. (12)
Melba arrived in London in January 1925, by February she felt so ill that she went into a nursing home for tests. Later she went to Paris, having been diagnosed with diabetes, needing insulin twice a day. (13)

1926 Farewell

The dates were announced for Melba’s 1926 farewell United Kingdom concert tour.
It was to begin in Scotland with a concert in Glasgow on 11 January 1926, then to Edinburgh two days later and on to Dundee, Aberdeen and Kirkaldy. On 20 January there was a concert in Hull; on 27 January in Liverpool; and Manchester on 30 January. In early February Melba sang in Bradfield, and by the 10 February she had to sing in Torquay in Devon. It was back to the Midlands on 12 February to sing in Birmingham and then Sunderland. On the 20 February she sang in Dublin and on the 22 February in Belfast. By the 25 February she returned to the south coast of England to sing at Eastbourne and Bournemouth. March concerts opened on the fourth at Leicester, Cardiff on the sixth, Plymouth on the tenth, and Brighton on the thirteenth of that month. The final concert was at Royal Albert Hall in London on 25 June 1926.

After this tour Melba returned for a while to Paris. She was accompanied by a young American singer, Elena Danielli, whom she had met there. She had charm and intelligence as well as a beautiful singing voice. She made a fine singing career, and was a loyal, loving and loved friend of Melba and her family. (14)

References

(1) N. Melba, Melodies and Memories, Thornton Butterworth Limited1925 pg 25.
(2) A. Murphy, Melba a Biography, 1909, pg21.
(3) A. Murphy, op. cit. pg33.
(4) A. Murphy, op. cit. pg34.
(5) A. Murphy, op. cit. pgs 35 and 36.
(6) A. Murphy, op. cit. pg 47.
(7) A. Murphy, op. cit. page 48).
(8) A. Murphy, op. cit. page 49).
(9) A. Murphy, op. cit. page 50).
(10) P. Vestey, Melba A Family Memoir, Pamela Vestey, Coldstream 2000 pg 128.
(11) P. Vestey, op. cit. page 143.
(12) P. Vestey, op. cit. page 184 and 186.
(13) P. Vestey, op. cit. page 210.
(14) P. Vestey, op. cit. page 212.