Research Catalog

Lawrence Tibbett papers

Title
Lawrence Tibbett papers, 1916-1960.
Author
Tibbett, Lawrence, 1896-1960.
Supplementary Content
Finding Aid

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5 Items

StatusContainerFormatAccessCall NumberItem Location
Box 1Mixed materialSupervised use JPB 06-66 Box 1Offsite
Box 2Mixed materialSupervised use JPB 06-66 Box 2Offsite
Box 3Mixed materialSupervised use JPB 06-66 Box 3Offsite
Box 4Mixed materialSupervised use JPB 06-66 Box 4Offsite
Box 5Mixed materialSupervised use JPB 06-66 Box 5Offsite

Details

Additional Authors
Metropolitan Opera (New York, N.Y.)
Description
3.25 linear feet (5 boxes)
Summary
The Lawrence Tibbett papers consist primarily of photographs of Lawrence Tibbett, his family, and friends.
Subjects
Genre/Form
  • Clippings.
  • Photographs.
Biography (note)
  • One of the most well-known American opera singers of his day, baritone Lawrence Mervil Tibbett (1896-1960) developed an international reputation through his many appearances with the Metropolitan Opera, numerous recordings, radio broadcasts, and featured film roles.
Indexes/Finding Aids (note)
  • Collection guide available in repository and on internet.
Call Number
JPB 06-66
OCLC
80718851
Author
Tibbett, Lawrence, 1896-1960.
Title
Lawrence Tibbett papers, 1916-1960.
Biography
One of the most well-known American opera singers of his day, baritone Lawrence Mervil Tibbett (1896-1960) developed an international reputation through his many appearances with the Metropolitan Opera, numerous recordings, radio broadcasts, and featured film roles. Born in Bakersfield, California, Tibbett (also spelled Tibbet) began vocal studies with Basil Ruysdael in Los Angeles. By 1921, he was appearing as a concert singer, but by 1923 he had moved to New York City, where Frank La Forge became his coach. Tibbett auditioned for the Metropolitan Opera in 1923 and made his debut on November 24th in the small role of Lovitsky in Boris Godunov. He made steady progress at the Met, but his career took a tremendous upward swing when he first performed Ford in Giuseppe Verdi's Falstaff on January 2, 1925. He was given a fifteen-minute ovation and front-page newspaper coverage the next day. During the next few years the smaller roles were replaced with major ones, including what probably became his most famous characterization, the title role in Verdi's Simon Boccanegra, in which he first appeared in 1932. In addition to succeeding in the established repertoire, Tibbett was involved in the premieres of several American operas, including Deems Taylor's The King's Henchmen (1927), Peter Ibbetson (1931), Louis Gruenberg's Emperor Jones (1933), Howard Hanson's Merry Mount (1934) and John Laurence Seymour's In the Pasha's Garden (1935). At the height of his popularity, Tibbett signed a movie contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and the studio created several vehicles around his talents, including Rogue Song (1930), New Moon (1930), The Southerner/Prodigal Son (1931), and Cuban Love Song (1931). He also had his own radio program, sponsored by the Packard Motor Car Company during the 1930s. In addition to his accomplishments as a performer, Tibbett also was the founding president of the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA).
Indexes
Collection guide available in repository and on internet.
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Finding Aid
Occupation
Baritones (Singers)
Motion picture actors and actresses.
Added Author
Metropolitan Opera (New York, N.Y.)
Research Call Number
JPB 06-66
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