Back to legendary singers of the Stage from the 1930s. This week it’s Helen Traubel. Known primarily for her Wagnerian roles, Traubel was a very popular singer who branched out into a number of different genres, which got her into trouble on occasion. In addition to her career on the Concert Stage, singing at The Met as well as The San Francisco Opera and Chicago Opera Company, she also was popular in nightclubs and later, on Broadway. Her non-Opera appearances caused her to lose a contract with the Met in the late 1940s. But by then, she enough of a household name that the loss of one Opera House didn’t spell doom for her career.
Tonight, it’s early Traubel, and a new artist on RCA Victor Records – hence, her appearance on The Magic Key Program.
As is the case with many of these early performances, the sound can be a little rough in spots – but it’s a historic document by a singer whose career was highly celebrated in the days just prior to the lp.
Here is that performance – from the broadcast of August 30, 1936 – Helen Traubel with Frank Black and the Magic Key (NBC Studio) Orchestra.
