WALTER
WIDDOP
[b.
Norland ( Yorkshire ) 1892 – d. Hampstead ( London )
1949]
Life
Yorkshire
born, Walter followed its work tradition by starting his career
in a woolen mill (part-time, as he was still at school) at
the tender age of 12! He had no thought of becoming a singer
until pushed by work colleagues, resulting in some vocal lessons
from a respected Yorkshire teacher Arthur Hinchcliffe. While
winning many local competitions and singing in concerts, his
career remained embedded in the Yorkshire area until he was
30.
In
1922 the eminent conductor Percy Pitt (touring with his “British
National Opera Company”) heard Walter and thought he
was poor, but Norman Allin (the leading bass of the time)
encouraged him to take further study; so on this recommendation,
Walter and his wife Emily sold their house and moved, renting
a small room in London. With the help of the eminent baritone
Dinh Gilly his vocal style improved, and only a year later
(1923) Walter auditioned for Pitt who immediately booked him
to sing the role of Radames, in Leeds (where he received critical
praise). Three months after, he sang Siegfried at Covent Garden
, where the audience gave him a standing ovation after every
Act.
Unusually
for an English tenor (normally isolated by geography and culture),
an international reputation developed in Europe. Repertoire
was diverse including Bagoas (Judith), Oedipus Rex, Renaud
(Armide), Samson, Siegmund, Tannhäuser and Tristan. HMV
produced many records of Walter and he became part of the
new trend of recording operas 'on the wing' (i.e. from live
performances); fortunately his voice carried well and never
sounded forced. During WW2, he toured Canada , South Africa
and The Middle East heading troup entertainment, and he continued
through the late 1940s with engagements abroad including USA
and Portugal. A proud moment for him was the invitation to
perform at the opening of the 1948 Olympic Games (in London
). Sadly, his personal health did not reflect his vocal stamina,
and after recurring illness he died at only 57 (ironically,
the day after singing 'Lohengrin's Farewell' at a “Promenade
Concert“).
Voice
Technique
is superb, with precise 'runs' in Handel and Bach; the breath
is impressively controlled (oratorio flounders without this).
The tone is warm with a touch of brightness (e.g. “Sound
an Alarm”, excerpts from Lohengrin and Walküre);
a large lyric sound with plenty of stamina. Hearing these
records, one could be forgiven for suspecting that singing
forte is the sum total of Walter's
ability. However, his skill at fining the voice down (“Tom
Bowling”,“I know of 2 bright eyes”, “Waft
her angels”) is truly remarkable and tonally very beautiful.
Whilst a humorous man, the approach to singing is serious
and dedicated to the written music – ‘Individual
Personality’ is minimal compared with e.g. John McCormack,
Heddle Nash or Tom Burke.
In
“Sound an alarm”, high notes are sung confidently
without the need to substantiate them by slowing the pace.
'Runs' are spot-on (typical of the thorough British training).
The move from chest to 'head' register is seamless and colours
the top range attractively. Competition from such as Evan
Williams (bigger voiced), Tudor Davies (impressive), Heddle
Nash (over parted), does not dilute Walter's astonishing performance.
In “Tom Bowling” (popular through its inclusion
as a cello solo in the “Henry Wood Promenade Concerts”),
each of the 3 verses is subtly different, with a sense of
sadness mounting as the use of mezza voce
increases and the pace slows – the song comes across
as a sincere epitaph.
Audio
files
Sound
an alarm (Judas Maccabaeus : Handel) sung by
Walter Widdop in 1929.
Tom
Bowling sung by Walter Widdop in 1930.
Acknowledgment
Opera
Gems is thankful to our panel member for the audio files
from recordings in his library (converted to mp3s).
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