Edith Helena - Verdi: Il TROVATORE, Tacea la notte placida, 1913 High E-flat

THE SONGBIRD: Edith Helena (1876–1956) was born in Brooklyn as Edith Helen Seymour, however her stage name became the Italian-sounding Edith Helena. Her mother had been a singer for the Mapleson company and her grandfather was an actor. Helena's rise to fame came through vaudeville from 1902 to 1909, where she specialized in high florid singing and violin imitations (performing melodies in a high, smooth vocalise style -- you can find a few of these novelty recordings posted on YouTube.). In 1910 she joined the Aborn Grand Opera Company and toured until 1917 singing roles such as Gilda, Violetta, Lucia, and Martha, as well as Aida, Butterfly, and Elsa of Brabant. Helena sang leading roles with the Century Opera Company from 1918 to 1921 and then returned to vaudeville until she retired in 1929.

THE MUSIC: Verdi's "Il Trovatore" premiered in Rome in 1853 and became his most popular opera for decades. There were 229 productions worldwide in the three years following its premiere. It still considered a staple of the standard repertoire and ranks 22nd on the list of most performed operas worldwide according to Operabase.com. Leonora, the prima donna, is a noble woman who falls in love with the troubadour Manrico, which inflames the jealous Count di Luna. Her first aria is the dreamy "Tacea la notte placida," which is followed by a perky and somewhat pecky florid cabaletta "Di tale amor." The score tops out at High C, but Helena throws in a High E-flat, just for good measure!

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