I dare say my legions (ahem) of followers have been disturbed that I have not posted anything since 11th June, but please don't worry, my silence has been caused by public examination marking rather than health or other personal issues: it is impossible, for me at least, to think about very much else when pondering the thoughts of a large proportion of Britain's teenagers on 'An Inspector Calls' (to give an example of an overwhelmingly popular text - if popular is the right word, which it almost certainly is not, not as far as applied to the average sixteen year old anyway...).
Anyway, that particular aspect of my professional duties having been dispatched I have the leisure and 'headspace' to return to the world of classical vocal music. That the first singer I am considering after my enforced absence is the Welsh comedian Harry Secombe might well come as a surprise. As is often the way of things, coincidence played a part. I was riffling through the LPs at the Kingston branch of Oxfam (always has an excellent stock - a little pricy, but worth a visit - very fine book selection also) when I found an EP of Harry Secombe singing four popular Italian opera arias. This was a snip at 99p so I added it to my purchases and resolved to listen to it at a later date. Exam marking (see above) interfered with that resolution but I did not forget Harry and began to think he'd be an interesting Blog subject. While still in the throes of exam marking, our son Sam told us he was going to Holland Park Opera to see the double bill of 'Il Segreto di Susanna' and 'Il Pagliacci'. He did not know the Leoncavallo (or the Wolf-Ferrari for that matter, but then who does?) so his mother sent him a recording of Domingo singing 'Vesti la Giubba'. Resting my weary eye-balls after a gruelling couple of hours deciphering adolescent scrawl, I consulted 'Opera on Record' (ed. Alan Blyth), and found that the distinguished critic Charles Osborne 'preferred Harry Secombe's version [of 'Vesti la Giubba'] to that of James McCracken's'. It must be said that Mr Osborne has a pretty low opinion of the rather rough and ready American tenor, but, even so, McCracken was an international star in his day, so I was intrigued.
When I finally got around to listening to the Secombe disc I found much to enjoy. As might be expected from his speaking voice, Harry Secombe was a natural tenor, rather nasel and narrow bored, but attractive in timbre and absolutely bang is tune. My EP was recorded in 1957 when he was 36. Later recordings find his voice heavier but here the singing is essentially lyrical and easy. The four arias on the EP are sung in Italian (although given their English titles on the record sleeve). Cavaradossi's two arias from 'Tosca' suit Secombe well although he gives the top B flat in 'Recondita Armonia' rather short measure. 'E Lucevan le Stelle' is probably the most successful item, touchingly performed, although here, as elsewhere, Secombe's dynamic range is narrow and he can be lazy with his consonants. 'Vesti la Giubba' is admirably heart on sleeve, although ideally requires a more dramatic instrument. 'Nessun Dorma' is crowned by a very successful top B ('Vincero!') although it would have benefitted from a more legato line. An intrguing feature of this performance is the presence of a small and rather tremulous chorus - it would be fascinating to know the line-up!
All in all then, Harry Secombe is well worth hearing in this repertoire. He recorded comparatively few operatic numbers but his overall discography is extensive and merits investigation. He is also an intriguing cultural figure. His later 'Stars on Sunday' and 'Hymns of Praise' persona perhaps deflects attention from his contribution to 'The Goon Show', which was a radical departure from the usual diet of BBC radio comedy, and he also wrote two novels and several volumes of autobiography. He made a number of films, including 'Davy' where he plays a variety artist with a fine tenor voice who auditions for Covent Garden. He was also known for two very successful stage musicals, 'Oliver' and 'Pickwick' (in which he performed a cartwheel - no mean feat for a man of his girth). He was, above all, the product of a Welsh state grammar school, and these are well known for producing men and women of parts (inc. Paul Wilson, Cathays High School Cardiff 1964-1971...). His brother Fred was a C of E vicar and another published author, so, all in all, Harry had a considerable hinterland.
To finish, a couple of stories: apparently when Caruso went to his first teacher, the teacher said 'Who sent you to me? God?'. Harry Secombe's first teacher asked 'God! Who sent you to me??'
Secombe sang a hymn at fellow Goon Peter Sellers' funeral. Another fellow Goon Spike Milligan 'quipped', 'I hope you die before me. I don't want you singing at my funeral!' Secombe did die before Milligan, but they played a recording of him singing 'Cwm Rhondda' at the latter's funeral anyway. A pleasant irony...
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