Like many young women who die tragically in their prime, Kathleen Ferrier has become an iconic figure. Known for her deep, creamy contralto voice, her collaboration with such musicians as Benjamin Britten, Bruno Walter, Sir John Barbirolli and Gerald Moore and for her interpretations of lieder, folk songs, Das Lied von der Erde and Orfeo in Glucks Orfeo ed Euridice, it is hard to believe that 2012 is the hundredth anniversary of her birth.
Kathleen Ferrier's Early Life
Kathleen Ferrier did not have a typical rise to fame. Born in Lancashire and the daughter of a village teacher, her family were unable to finance the musical training that Kathleen needed. She left school at the age of fourteen to become a telephonist for the GPO (General Post Office).
Kathleen Ferrier and the Carlisle Music Festival
Kathleen was an excellent pianist winning several amateur piano competitions. This kept her in the world of music until she won the main prize at the Carlisle Music Festival for both her piano playing and her singing. However, her breakthrough came when, during the Second World War, she auditioned successfully for the Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts which eventually became the Arts Council of Great Britain.
Kathleen Ferrier and the Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts
Set up during the Second World War, The CEMA's purpose was to support British music and culture which were having difficulties maintaining their activities during the war. This opportunity enabled her to work with artists of international renown and she came to the attention of Malcolm Sargent. She then began collaborations with Benjamin Britten, Sir John Barbirolli, Gerald Moore and her great friend and mentor the conductor Bruno Walter.
Kathleen Ferrier's Celebrated Performances
There are certain pieces with which Kathleen Ferrier will always be associated. Her signature song was 'Blow the Wind Southerly' and it is difficult to hear her name without that song immediately playing in ones head. Also known for her Orfeo, perhaps her most celebrated recording was Mahler's 'Das Lied von der Erde' in 1952 with Bruno Walter conducting.
Kathleen Ferrier and Bruno Walter
Bruno Walter had been a friend and colleague of Mahler and he had conducted the premiere of this piece but it had never been warmly welcomed in Britain until Ferrier's performances, the most iconic being at the first ever Edinburgh Festival in 1947. Bruno Walter greatly admired Ferrier's voice and musicianship.
The Kathleen Ferrier Awards
After her death at the age of 41, an appeal was launched by Sir John Barbirolli, Gerald Moore, Roy Henderson, Hamish Hamilton and Sir John Sargent to set up a fund to finance a promising young singer's studies for a year. Called the Kathleen Ferrier Awards, previous winners include Elizabeth Harwood, Margaret Price, and Bryn Terfel.
A True Contralto Voice
It is said that deep, creamy contralto voices have become unfashionable in modern times and that Ferrier’s voice no longer resonates with the modern ear. In fact, true contralto voices are quite rare and perhaps we are not used to hearing them. Ferrier's contribution to this repertoire and to early twentieth century musical life cannot be denied, being a ‘national treasure’ at the time of her death.
Kathleen Ferrier's Iconic Status
Perhaps part of her appeal was her Englishness at a time of national emergency. As the Lancashire lass that had made it despite her modest beginnings, she epitomised many of the things wartime Britain was trying to preserve. Whatever the reasons for her enormous status at the time of her death, her contribution definitely needs a twenty-first century re-evaluation and her centenary year is an opportunity for us to look again at the young woman who broke a nation's heart.
References:
The Life of Kathleen Ferrier by Winifred Ferrier. London: Hamish Hamilton, 1955
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