Recollections: The Middle Tennessee Voices of Their Times Series. Television Program with. Joseph MacPherson

Transcription

1 Recollections: The Middle Tennessee Voices of Their Times Series Television Program with Joseph MacPherson 1980 Interviewer: Dr. Bob Bullen, Professor of Educational Leadership Middle Tennessee State University Produced by Television Services, Middle Tennessee State University Middle Tennessee State University ABSTRACT: An interview with Opera and WSM radio singer Joseph MacPherson. In the one part interview MacPherson discusses his childhood and how he became involved in Opera. He talks about his time with the Met in New York City and the other jobs he held as a singer. MacPherson mentions many people he came in contact with during his career, including teachers and coworkers, as well as some of the shows in which he had a part. PART 1 Time Count Description of Program Content 0:00:00 Intro Music plays. 0:00:08 Bullen introduces his show and guest, Joseph MacPherson, whom he refers to as the first culture hero of Middle Tennessee. He made a rise into Metropolitan Opera after his humble beginnings as a farm boy in Madison. He was the first singing voice on WSM radio, and is recognized for a wide variety of other achievements, concerning opera, Opry, and media in general. 0:01:41 MacPherson relates why he thinks opera has always been a European art, and why the Americans have always been behind in it. He states how in Europe opera has a local setting, and one can work his or her way up to the big leagues, even if they 1

2 make a mistake or two along the way. He claims that it is non-existent in the States- if you cannot get on in New York, or to a lesser extent Chicago or San Francisco, then you simply cannot make it. He remarks that this prevents hundreds of singers who deserve a chance from ever getting a break. 0:02:52 MacPherson confirms that he was speaking of Gatti-Casazza, General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera at the time. 0:03:57 MacPherson describes what is meant by his being considered a bass baritone. 0:04:37 MacPherson relates his personal and family involvement in the establishment of the Madison Church of Christ. 0:05:38 MacPherson recalls how he was encouraged by his family to perform at a young age, citing their Texas quartet and the talent his family possessed. He recalls how the Quartet would travel all over the country, east coast to west coast for weeks at a time, performing everywhere. 0:06:24 MacPherson agrees with Bullen s remark that he had a fundamentalist upbringing. 0:06:34 MacPherson speaks of his early training, saying he was not taught to sing in school, but rather he started at David Lipscomb (which was then the Nashville Bible College) where they had a site-reading class in the mornings. 0:07:15 MacPherson recalls his Baptism story, remarking that he was Baptized at Edenville, on the Cumberland River with a friend. MacPherson also remembers being impressed by seeing some blacks going to a Baptism. He remembers watching them singing all the way to Richmond Creek; he says it was very moving to hear so many voices, noting that they had very good voices, and that he sang with many black singers on WSM. He goes on to name several well known black opera singers, notably Leontyne Price, but that there not any black singers at the met at that time. 0:10:05 MacPherson comments on two other events that occurred early in his life, first among them being that he was in the final draft of World War One. He remembers that around that time there was a flu epidemic and he was attending Nashville Bible School. He recalls that after his father died in 1918 he finished his semester at Nashville Bible School, and then began working for the Tennessee Inspection Bureau. 0:12:05 MacPherson expounds on how his singing career got off the ground, beginning when an Italian by the name of Gaetano DeLuca arrived in Nashville in the 20 s and established a music conservatory, making a name for himself in the process. King accredits DeLuca with bringing opera to Nashville, remarking that he had been a great teacher. 2

3 0:12:48 MacPherson agrees with Bullen s remark that MacPherson was DeLuca s prized pupil, recalling that he got an audition with Deluca after being advised to do so by a friend at Belmont. He states that DeLuca initially wanted him to be Baritone, but MacPherson considered this too high, and DeLuca agreed to make him Bass. 0:13:15 MacPherson recalls DeLuca s teaching methods. 0:13:47 MacPherson remarks that while he had a great voice, his English never improved very much, and agrees with Bullen s interjection that he was a colorful and flamboyant character. He remarks that DeLuca was very temperamental and knew how to get things done. 0:14:20 MacPherson recalls that opera is something DeLuca wanted him to do, on account of his voice. He comments that though what a younger person needs is a large repertoire of various roles before going to the Met, he did not. 0:15:02 MacPherson remembers that his family and friends were surprised by his decision to move in opera. MacPherson asserts that he was not the first Tennessean to sing at the Met, though he acknowledges Bullen s comment that he put in six full seasons there, while the others had very limited participation. He states that the last two years were tough, saying that they lost six hundred thousand dollars owing to the depression. 0:16:20 MacPherson elaborates on what it was like to learn languages and how to act. He remembers that the first time he went to New York Giuseppe DeLuca (a different DeLuca) and his wife took them out to dinner, and gave them tickets to see Aida, an Operatic performance centered around Egypt. He recalls that as far as studying language went, he studied with a man named Gino Castro. He affirms that he learned both Italian and French. He states that he had very good training, and even learned French from a native Parisian. He studied music with one of the assistant directors, Ricardo Dellera, they would go through various Operas. 0:19:17 MacPherson answers Bullen s question of whether or not having a rural Tennessean background made language study difficult. 0:19:53 MacPherson answers Bullen s question of whether he liked singing in German and which language he found the most enjoyable. 0:20:29 MacPherson recalls that you had to project your voice as far as you could when singing Opera, and that if there were good acoustics the voice would come back, but if acoustics were poor it would not. 0:21:18 MacPherson remembers that DeLuca always viewed him as a newcomer, and that many were surprised by the speed with which he entered the Met. 3

4 0:21:52 MacPherson agrees that this is why he had been considered a hero in Nashville, because it did not take him years of performance to enter the Metropolitan Opera. 0:22:42 MacPherson remembers that Joel Cheek (founder of Maxwell House Coffee) was his original sponsor, and that he sang on the Maxwell House hour twice. 0:23:47 MacPherson recalls how he moved in high society, singing at the Biltmore on a few occasions, the Plaza, Washington, and a few other places, until the final years at the Met when everything dried up. 0:24:27 MacPherson elaborates on his debut at the Metropolitan Opera. He remembers the performance was Aida (set in Egypt) and that sang the part of the King, and that he had been quite nervous. He remembers he had focused on fitting the part and making it look true. 0:25:03 MacPherson relates how the Opera operated back then. 0:27:27 MacPherson recalls a story a French gentleman (Bassol) told him on how to handle fear. 0:29:20 MacPherson remarks on the typical American perception that opera is just a bunch of fat ladies singing. He states that most women are in fact on the heavier side, though this was not always true; Lily Pons, for instance he remarks, was very small, amongst others. 0:29:56 At Bullen s request, MacPherson remarks on Louise Homer, an operatic contralto once hailed as the most beautiful voice in the world. He remembers her last performance at the Met was singing in Aida, as Amneris, daughter of the king (MacPherson was the king.) He goes on to comment that he also sang with Amelita Galli-Curci in her last Met performance in Romeo and Juliet in which he sang as the Duke of Verona. 0:30:56 MacPherson comments on Bullen s assertion that many Tennesseans associate opera with Grace Moore, who actually came after MacPherson, saying she had sang on Broadway before, and then went to France, returning to perform in French Operas such as Louise mostly. 0:31:23 MacPherson talks about Ezio Pinza, a name many Americans know and associate with opera and who MacPherson knew personally knew well. 0:32:55 MacPherson talks about his favorite parts in the opera. MacPherson remembers his first role, the King in Aida. He recalls during his first year that he had been in The King s Henchmen, and that it had been an enjoyable experience. 0:35:39 MacPherson discusses why he chose not to go to Europe. 4

5 0:36:46 MacPherson remarks that although it is not unheard of, there is not much scene stealing and competition in opera. He states that in opera you stick to your role as a rule and try not to impose upon others too much. 0:37:21 MacPherson responds to Bullen s question about the lifestyle of many opera stars, saying that it was not such a flamboyant lifestyle as many believe, rather it was a great deal of work. 0:37:58 MacPherson comments on the stir he cause in 1927, and the homecoming parade he had upon returning to Nashville. 0:40:10 MacPherson responds to Bullen s remark about the opera during the depression, saying that they had cut back on performances. MacPherson answers Bullen s question as to whether or not he liked all of opera, or just parts of it. 0:41:20 MacPherson responds to Bullen s question of whether he had any regrets about leaving the Met to come back home to which he answered he did not regret it all. 0:42:24 MacPherson recalls that his original contract was for seventy-five dollars a week, and that that was the highest he ever made. He remarks that even the best of singers were not well paid, just as it was at the Grand Ole Opry. 0:42:52 Macpherson, at Bullen s request remarks on James Melton, a popular singer in the twenties and thirties and who was also coached by De Luca. 0:43:46 MacPherson (the first performer on WSM as well as the first singer on radio) recalls what he remembers of the radio business. He remembers it was fantastic, he recalls various notable singing performances; he remembers various stars and faces. 0:45:50 MacPherson answers Bullen s question of which of his various performance styles he prefers. MacPherson remarks that he loves Opera and Music, and has never been a fan of rock n roll. 0:46:38 MacPherson comments on what it was like to bridge the gap between Opera and Grand Ole Opry, stating that it had been a quite a transition and recalls an interview in which he said essentially the same thing. 0:47:01 MacPherson remarks that the Nashville culture and the Opera culture were two different worlds, and recalls a night he once had in Nashville, seeing all the highlights. 0:48:03 MacPherson remarks that he did not like the Ryman atmosphere too much, which he was roped into. 5

6 0:48:55 MacPherson remembers the time he spent with the Old Hickory Singers, a music group. 0:50:15 MacPherson recalls the radio show he on which he sang that was associated with the fireside church, how he sang on it with sixteen others, and that the show was sponsored by National Life. He remembers the head of the Nashville Conservatory also sang on it. 0:51:44 MacPherson recalls that he had voice trouble every once in a while, relating one time that he got a cold taking his wife to the hospital in heavy snow. He relates how, in order to keep his voice in shape, he would practice and vocalize every day to keep it in trim and controlled. 0:52:59 He goes on to note that the people of the Opry were very friendly and overall had a casual atmosphere. He remembers it was a completely different contrast from the Met- and that the dressing rooms didn t even have ceilings. 0:54:48 MacPherson remembers that he would warm up before he even arrived at the Met when he was in the Opera. 0:55:40 Bullen wishes MacPherson good luck in the future and a happy retirement. MacPherson thanks him and expresses his appreciation for the interview. 0:57:00 END OF PART 1 6