Merle Alcock
Merle Alcock (February 6, 1884 - March 1, 1975) was an American contralto who sang with the Metropolitan Opera in 236 performances from 1919 to 1929, officially signing in with them in 1924. Alcock's concert debut was in London in 1914. She also sang with the Boston and New York Symphony Orchestras. She found a patron in Mrs. Charles Schwab in 1916. Mrs. Schwab was herself a singer as a young woman. Alcock first sang at the Met in a performance of Verdi’s Requiem Mass on Dec. 14, 1919. Her opera debut was on Nov. 15, 1923, when she sang the role of the fiddler Beppe in L’amico Fritz. Alcock trained other singers in her retirement such as Eileen Farrell. Alcock was born Merle Tillotson in Andover, Missouri, to Zula and the Reverend Elijah Tillotson. She graduated from Drake University’s Conservatory of Music in 1906. She married Bechtel Alcock, a tenor, in 1914. The two would often perform together. She died on March 1, 1975, and is buried in Wooster Cemetery in Wooster, Ohio. |
Birth and Death Data: Born 1890 (Andover, Missouri), Died January 3, 1975 (Phoenix)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1909 - 1928
Roles Represented in DAHR: contralto
Notes: Born Merle Tillotson; wife of tenor Bechtel Alcock. Victor ledgers give her address as 42 West 12th Street, New York City.
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 51-75 of 87 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Edison | 3046 | 10-in. | May 1914 | Sing, smile, slumber | Merle Alcock ; Mary Carson ; Elizabeth Spencer | Female vocal trio, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Edison | 3055 | 10-in. | May 1914 | Come to me | Merle Alcock | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Edison | 3057 | 10-in. | May 1914 or later | Abide with me | Merle Alcock | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Edison | 3063 | 10-in. | May-June 1914 | Angel's serenade | Merle Alcock ; Clementine de Vere | Vocal duet (soprano and contralto), with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Edison | 3064 | 10-in. | May-June 1914 | Little Daisy's evening prayer | Merle Alcock | Contralto vocal solo and vocal ensemble, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Edison | 3242 | 10-in. | between 8/22/1914 and 8/31/1914 | A summer night | Merle Tillotson | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Edison | 3816 | 10-in. | 5/24/1915 | Little Daisy's evening prayer | Merle Alcock | Contralto vocal solo and vocal ensemble, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Edison | 4140 | 10-in. | 9/23/1915 | O sing to God | Anita Rio ; Merle Tillotson | Female vocal duet and mixed vocal ensemble, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Edison | 4361 | 10-in. | 12/22/1915 | I love to tell the story | Metropolitan Quartet | Mixed vocal quartet, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Edison | 4371 | 10-in. | 12/28/1915 | I will sing of my Redeemer | Metropolitan Quartet | Mixed vocal quartet, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Edison | 4407 | 10-in. | 1/10/1916 | Songs we used to sing in Dixie land | Merle Alcock | Contralto vocal solo and vocal ensemble, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Edison | 4537 | 10-in. | 2/28/1916 | Bela figlia del'amore | Vocal Quartette [Edison] | Vocal quartet (soprano, contralto, tenor, and baritone), with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Edison | 4549 | 10-in. | 3/2/1916 | Wake up, America! | Arthur Fields | Male vocal solo and mixed vocal quartet, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Edison | 4555 | 10-in. | 3/3/1916 | When it's orange blossom time in Loveland | George Wilton Ballard | Male vocal solo and mixed vocal quartet, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Edison | 4561 | 10-in. | 3/7/1916 | Ora pro nobis | Frederick J. Wheeler | Male vocal solo and mixed vocal quartet, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Edison | 4584 | 10-in. | 3/15/1916 | Sing me to sleep | Merle Alcock | Contralto vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Edison | 4598 | 10-in. | 3/21/1916 | Down where the Swanee River flows | George Wilton Ballard | Male vocal solo and mixed vocal trio, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Edison | 4642 | 10-in. | 4/7/1916 | [Unknown titles(s)] | Merle Alcock ; Donald Chalmers ; Wallace ; John Young | Mixed vocal quartet | vocalist, contralto | |
Edison | 4643 | 10-in. | 4/7/1916 | [Unknown title(s)] | Merle Alcock ; Donald Chalmers ; Wallace ; John Young | Mixed vocal quartet | vocalist, contralto | |
Edison | 4649 | 10-in. | 4/11/1916 | Turn ye to me | Merle Alcock | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Edison | 4708 | 10-in. | 5/5/1916 | Time's garden | Merle Alcock | Contralto vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Edison | 4716 | 10-in. | 5/10/1916 | An Irish folk song | Merle Alcock | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Edison | 4718 | 10-in. | 5/10/1916 | His lullaby | Merle Alcock | Contralto vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Edison | 4740 | 10-in. | 5/23/1916 | Asthore | Merle Alcock | Contralto vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto | |
Edison | 4755 | 10-in. | 5/31/1916 | Two roses | Merle Alcock | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, contralto |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Alcock, Merle," accessed April 29, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/113828.
Alcock, Merle. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 29, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/113828.
"Alcock, Merle." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 29 April 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Merle Alcock
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Alcock, Merle, 1890-1975 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2007149584
Wikidata: Merle Alcock - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q42064563
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/68724828
MusicBrainz: Merle Alcock - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/a79d82d5-d202-405a-b5e6-22d2f73d3530
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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