Ethel Codd Luening

Ethel Codd Luening
Ethel Codd, from a 1927 publication
Born(1906-12-25)December 25, 1906
Winnepeg, Manitoba, Canada
DiedNovember 27, 1989(1989-11-27) (aged 82)
OccupationsSinger, voice teacher
SpouseOtto Luening

Ethel Codd Luening (December 25, 1906 – November 27, 1989) was a Canadian soprano singer in concerts and operas in the 1920s and 1930s, and taught at Bennington College.

Early life and education

Codd was born in Winnepeg, Manitoba, and lived some of her childhood in Leavenworth, Washington, the daughter of Alfred Codd and Winifred Nelson Codd. Her sister Margaret and brothers Frank and Arthur were also singers.[1] She was a member of the Brandon Opera in 1925 and 1926,[2] and earned a certificate in opera from the Eastman School of Music in 1928,[3] with further studies in Germany.[2][3]

Career

Luening, a coloratura or lyric soprano,[4] had a career on both concert and opera stages. She sang the role of Constanza in a 1926 production of Mozart's The Abduction of the Seraglio in Rochester.[5] In 1927 she was soloist for a radio concert by the Rochester Philharmonic.[6] In 1928, she debuted an Aaron Copland song, "Vocalise", with the composer as her piano accompanist.[7] In 1929 she gave several recitals in New York City, with pianist Ernst Bacon at Steinway Hall,[8][9] and with harpist Alberto Salvi.[10][11] She was known for performing works by and with her composer husband, Otto Luening,[12] including at Carnegie Hall in 1930,[13][14] and at a 1943 concert at the University of Maine.[15]

In 1931, the Long Beach Press-Telegram described her voice as "unusual", saying it "has the warmth and resonance of a contralto voice combined with the soaring bird-notes of the soprano. Even in the highest registers her voice did not lose its sweet, soothing mellow qualities."[16] Luening taught at Bennington College from 1934 to 1944, where she was head of the voice department. She made several recordings.[3] In 1938 she was in the cast of a production of The Marriage of Figaro in Rochester, New York.[17] She also debuted "Yankee Doodle Fantasy" by Harry Partch.[18]

Personal life

Codd married composer Otto Luening in 1927, and they divorced in 1959. She died in 1989, at the age of 82. Her papers are in the Eastman School of Music library.[3]

References

  1. ^ "Ethel Codd Luening Glad to Sing Again to Saskatoon Audience". Star-Phoenix. April 2, 1937. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b "Noted Singer Appears Here". The Edmonton Bulletin. January 9, 1932. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c d Ethel Codd Luening Papers, Eastman School Archives.
  4. ^ "Ethel Codd". The Musical Digest: 23. February 1, 1927.
  5. ^ "Seraglio Opera Pleases; Rochester Company Produces Mozart's Work -- First Time in America". The New York Times. November 2, 1926. p. 34. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-03-15.
  6. ^ "Rochester Philharmonic". The New York Times. November 13, 1927. p. 237. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-03-15.
  7. ^ "Aaron Copland - Vocalise". Boosey & Hawkes. Retrieved 2026-03-14.
  8. ^ "Ernst Bacon Plays; Pianist and Composer Assisted in Recital by Ethel Luening, Soprano". The New York Times. 1929-10-19. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-03-14.
  9. ^ "California Pianist in Recital". The Musical Leader. 57 (17): 8. October 24, 1929.
  10. ^ "Give a Joint Recital". The New York Times. 1929-11-21. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-03-14.
  11. ^ "Salvi and Luening". Musical America. 49 (23): 20. December 10, 1929.
  12. ^ Foundation, John Simon Guggenheim Memorial (1926). Reports of the President and the Treasurer. John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.
  13. ^ Fitch, Donald (1990-01-01). Blake Set to Music: A Bibliography of Musical Settings of the Poems and Prose of William Blake. University of California Press. p. 140. ISBN 978-0-520-09734-6.
  14. ^ Oja, Carol J. (2000). Making Music Modern: New York in the 1920s. Oxford University Press. p. 387. ISBN 978-0-19-516257-8.
  15. ^ "Music Program at U. of M. Tonight". The Bangor Daily News. February 8, 1943. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Ethel Luening Heard at Banff; Pleased Highland Gathering There". Times Colonist. September 23, 1931. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Notes of Musicians". The New York Times. October 23, 1938. p. 166. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-03-14.
  18. ^ Partch, Harry. "Yankee Doodle Fantasy Soprano, Zinnflutes, Chromelodeon and Flexaton - Soprano, Zinnflutes, Chromelodeon and Flexaton Hal Leonard Online". Hal Leonard Online. Retrieved 2026-03-14.
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