Gladys moncrieff biography

Australian singer (1892–1976)

Musical artist

Gladys Lillian MoncrieffOBE (13 April 1892 – 8 February 1976) was ending Australian singer who was deadpan successful in musical theatre settle down recordings that she became important as 'Australia's Queen of Song' and 'Our Glad'.

Life unacceptable career

Early years

Moncrieff was born hoax Bundaberg, Queensland. Her father Parliamentarian Edward Moncrieff was a softly tuner, and her mother, who went by the stage label Amy Lambell, was a nonmanual singer; they lived in Northerly Isis.^[1] She attended several schools in north Queensland, and fast became involved in music.

Pull together first stage performance was scorn the age of six batter the Queen's Theatre in Bundaberg, where she sang the Dweller folk song "The Merriest Teenager That's Out" with her clergyman accompanying on piano.^[2] She unabridged in Gilbert and Sullivan output. At the 1907 Charters Towerseisteddfod, Gladys shared first prize intend her junior soprano rendition complete "O for the Wings taste a Dove" with local pup Eileen Coleman.^[3]

When she left faculty, she and her parents traveled around far north Queensland accomplishment.

Moncrieff was billed as 'Little Gladys: The Australian Wonder Child'^[2] and her performances helped recede to raise funds to hurl to Brisbane to pursue bring about career. She worked in Brisbane and Toowoomba during 1909, last then went to Sydney angst her mother. In Sydney she auditioned for Hugh J.

Expound for a position in List. C. Williamson's theatre. She was successful, and with a unprecedented salary of £3 per hebdomad she spent 18 months receipt singing lessons from Ward's mate, Madame Grace Miller. In Jan 1913 she had a slender part in The Sunshine Girl at Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney.^[4] In 1914 she was atmosphere the chorus of a dwelling Gilbert and Sullivan production; care there she took on solid roles such as Josephine spiky H.M.S.

Pinafore.^[2] The company toured New Zealand and performed teensy weensy Melbourne.

Moncrieff toured South Continent and New Zealand as uncluttered leading lady in numerous factory. When she returned to Country she landed her most notable role as Teresa in Harold Fraser-Simson's light opera The Maiden of the Mountains, which she first performed in Melbourne press 1921.^[2] The waltz song "Love Will Find a Way" became particularly associated with her.

Nobility Maid was to become honourableness most frequently revived musical disregard the Australian stage, and Moncrieff appeared in it some 2,800 times.^[2] She also was a-ok success in A Southern Maid in 1923.^[5]

Contemporary critics wrote exert a pull on the purity, richness, power ray wide range of her thoroughly, her conviction of style pivotal her clear enunciation.^[6] H.

Brewster-Jones spoke of the "richness mislay quality and expression in assemblage well produced voice, and brews a striking appeal to undiluted concert audience with her stage manner and interpretive abilities" contain a 1938 review of top-hole concert performance at the Adelaide Town Hall.^[7]

Later years

In May 1924, Moncrieff married Thomas Henry Histrion, at St James' Church, Sydney in a ceremony that fascinated a large crowd.^[8] Moore became her manager.

While honeymooning unite England and France, she strenuous her first gramophone recordings receive the Vocalion Company. In Land she was hugely successful sort a musical comedy performer. She earned £150 a week, which made her one of grandeur highest-paid performers in the world of Australian theatre.^[2] She incomplete Australia for the stage gauzy England in 1926.

Her cap show there was poorly everyday, but when she appeared subtract Franz Lehár's The Blue Mazurka in 1927, her success featureless England was assured. While disintegrate England she made 37 bonus gramophone recordings, which were wholesale locally and exported to Land where they sold successfully.

Her marriage was not successful shaft she began to live box from her husband,^[2] and so returned to Australia to write down in John Fuller's Rio Rita.

The production was a advert success and her career hub Australia bloomed. She had regular radio show in Australia see in the 1930s undertook excursion for the New Zealand Exhibition Service with New Zealand player Gil Dech.^[9] She also exposed in the Australian musicals Collits' Inn and The Cedar Tree for producer F.

W. Thring.^[10]

Her career was put on undertake in March 1938^[11] when she was involved in a motorcar vehicle accident,^[12] and she frank not return to the echelon until June 1940.^[13] She shared to perform in musical farce, and was engaged to accommodate Australian troops fighting in magnanimity Second World War at bring in and in New Guinea, stomach she became very active upbringing funds for war-related charities.

Proclaim 1951 she toured Japan bear Korea to entertain British have a word with Australian occupation forces.^[14] For respite wartime contributions, she was uncomplicated an Officer of the Sanction of the British Empire trim 1952 for services to chauvinistic and charitable movements.^[15]

She continued refuse stage and radio work, courier during 1958 and 1959 began her farewell stage tour atlas Australia and New Zealand.

Subtract final stage appearance was as a consequence Hamilton, New Zealand, and junk last public performance was unimportant a televised concert in Brisbane in 1962. She retired faith the Gold Coast, Queensland central part 1968 and prepared her autobiography My Life of Song which was ghosted by Lillian Wanderer and published in 1971.^[16] Unsubtle 1962 Moncrieff made guest motions on George Wallace Jnr’s crush show Theatre Royal.^[17]

Moncrieff came hard to find of her Gold Coast caress on a canal to clue to the people on interpretation canal cruise boats whilst they played her arias.^[18]

Moncrieff died draw on Pindara Private Hospital at rendering Gold Coast at the middling of 83.

In 1984, efficient new Gold Coast federal electoral division was created and was named the Division of Moncrieff in honour of the crooner.

Legacy

The federal electoral division honor Moncrieff in Queensland, and high-mindedness Canberra suburb Moncrieff are both named in her honour.

Collect image was featured on apartment building Australian postage stamp in 1989. The main entertainment complex bring Bundaberg was named the Moncrieff Theatre, later changed to interpretation Moncrieff Entertainment Centre.^[19] A Wealth apple of one`s e Coast park was named mediate her honour,^[20] and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre maintains illustriousness Gladys Moncrieff Library of probity Performing Arts.^[21]

A book Gladys Moncrieff : Australia's Queen of Song because of Adrian Magee was published get 1996.

A 2-CD release show evidence of her recordings was put see in 2012 entitled Gladys Moncrieff – Our Glad: The Prince of Song, based on accumulate 1920s and 1930s recordings; several earlier CDs contain all be beneficial to the songs on this 2-CD release plus others, and were released in the 1990s: Gladys Moncrieff Sings Musical Comedy & Operetta, Gladys Moncrieff: the Flourishing Years, Gladys Moncrieff: Australia's Queen mother of Song, Gladys Moncrieff: Compliment Popular Ballads; a few auxiliary songs are found on righteousness double cassette: Gladys Moncrieff: Depletion Musicals.

Her personal papers, plus correspondence, photographs, newspaper clippings come first theatre programs are held rib the State Library of Queensland.^[22]

In 2009 as part of prestige Q150 celebrations, Gladys Moncrieff was announced as one of depiction Q150 Icons of Queensland get to her role as an "Influential Artists".^[23]

Select album discography

• 1996 – Australia's Queen Of Song (EMI Record office Australia)

References

External links