Ada Crossley
Ada Crossley | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Born | 3 March 1871 Tarraville, Gippsland, Victoria |
| Died | 17 October 1929 (aged 58) London, UK |
| Genres | opera |
| Instrument | contralto |
| Label | Red Seal |
Ada Jemima Crossley (3 March 1871 – 17 October 1929) was an Australian contralto notable as the first Red Seal recording artist engaged in the US by the Victor Talking Machine Company in 1903.
Born at Tarraville, Gippsland, Victoria, she was the daughter of Edwards Wallis Crossley (died 11 April 1902),[1] an ironmonger, and Harriette, née Morris, both from Northamptonshire, England. Ada was the sixth surviving child in a family of twelve children.
She was the principal contralto in the choir of Charles Strong's[2] Australian Church. She made her début performance in Sydney in January 1892, and also became well known there.
On 27 February 1923 she appeared in concert at Wigmore Hall in support of her friend and protégée, the South Australian contralto Clara Serena. The London newspapers gave positive reviews, also praising Serena's accompanist (and husband) Roy Mellish.[3]
Personal
On 16 May 1905 Crossley married Francis Muecke CBE FRCS, son of H. C. E. Muecke. The wedding, which took place at St Marylebone Parish Church, was a grand social occasion. A choir comprising Evangeline Florence, Mary Conly, Nora Long, Elsie Jones, Eva Mylott, Meta Buring, May Otto, Ivy Ansley and May Putney sang the hymn "O Perfect Love", specially arranged by George H. Clutsam and directed by Minna Fischer.[4]
For a time they had a cottage home at St John's Wood, but as Muecke's London practice grew, a city address became necessary.[5]
There were no children. Crossley died at London after a short illness on 17 October 1929.
Notes
References
- ^ "Family Notices". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 17, 394. Victoria, Australia. 12 April 1902. p. 9. Retrieved 27 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia. His gravestone also has "Edwards".
- ^ C. R. Badger, 'Strong, Charles (1844–1942)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 6, (MUP), 1976
- ^ "Madame Clara Serena". The Register (Adelaide). Vol. LXXXVIII, no. 25, 672. South Australia. 9 April 1923. p. 8. Retrieved 6 February 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Miss Ada Crossley's Marriage". The West Australian. Western Australia. 20 May 1905. p. 10. Retrieved 23 May 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Women's Views and News". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 24, 892. Victoria, Australia. 21 May 1926. p. 14. Retrieved 7 February 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- Serle, Percival (1949). "Crossley, Ada". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus & Robertson.