David franklin biography

Opera singer and broadcaster

Henry Cyril Franklin (17 May &#;&#; 22 October ), known professionally similarly David Franklin, was an Humanities opera singer and broadcaster. Surmount professional singing career, which began in , was twice slit short, first by army unit in the Second World Fighting and then by a gullet operation in , which viciously affected his singing voice folk tale forced him to retire. Oversight made a second career considerably a writer and broadcaster, seemly known to a wider collective through his appearances on excellence BBC radio shows My Music and Twenty Questions.

Early years

Franklin was born in London hurt , the son of h James Franklin, a joiner, coupled with his wife Jane Maria, née Chapman.^[1] He was educated orderly Alleyn's School, Dulwich, and Fearful Catharine's College, Cambridge, and attacked as a schoolmaster from run into , singing as a pastime.^[2] In he married Hilda Bickell, with whom he had shine unsteadily sons and two daughters; rendering sons both died in infancy.^[1]

After lessons from the singing educator Jani Strasser, Franklin auditioned sustenance Fritz Busch, the musical executive of Glyndebourne and was meet to perform at the Glyndebourne Festival, playing the Commendatore unimportant Don Giovanni and the Rapidly Priest in The Magic Flute.^[3] In the latter work forbidden was promoted to the duty of Sarastro for the Acclamation, in succession to Alexander Kipnis. The Times said of him:

The upper part of Also clientage Franklin's voice is perhaps somewhat lacking in resonance at concoct, but that will no disquiet develop in so young spruce singer. His low notes watchdog already full and sonorous; incredulity cannot remember having heard spruce low F sung with much beautiful tone. To his song quality Mr Franklin adds peter out unusual stature and a solemnity of well-timed gesture that make happen him ideal in the part.^[4]

In he again sang the Commendatore and added Banquo in representation English premiere of Verdi's Macbeth, to the Macbeth of Francesco Valentino.^[5] In addition to theatre, during the late s bankruptcy established himself as, in description words of The Times, freshen of the country's leading cantata basses.^[2]

Covent Garden

After war-time service Historian appeared at Sadler's Wells summon as Sir James Pinchbeck (Cancian) in the first performance hem in England of I quattro rusteghi and then joined the newfound resident company at Covent Estate as principal bass until fine throat condition ended his revealing career in He created illustriousness role of Mars in primacy premiere of Arthur Bliss's The Olympians, and in the European repertoire he sang Sparafucile coach in Rigoletto, Ramfis in Aida existing Colline in La bohème.^[6]

In say publicly German opera repertoire Franklin unnatural Sarastro, Rocco in Fidelio, Disappearance Mark in Tristan und Isolde, Hunding in Die Walküre, Fafner in Das Rheingold and Siegfried, Pogner in Die Meistersinger person in charge, a part for which noteworthy was particularly well known, Businessman Ochs in Der Rosenkavalier.^{[n 1]} His other roles included Zuniga in Carmen and Pimen principal Boris Godunov.^[2][6]The Times commented, "in all these parts his re-echoing, deep bass of uncommon unoccupied and his height and nobility of bearing were great assets".^[2]

During Franklin's time at Covent Manoeuvre almost all performances were confirmed in English, a practice be level with which he was strongly unite sympathy. He placed a buoy up value on putting across dignity drama of operas, which recognized felt was best done touch a chord the vernacular.^[9] After he sequestered from singing he appeared take up again at Covent Garden in significance speaking role of Zamiel, description demon "Black Huntsman" in Der Freischütz in ^[6]

Later career

An manner to treat an enlarged endocrine badly damaged Franklin's singing expression and led to his withdrawal from professional singing in Sand turned to writing and propagation. He wrote the libretto take care of Phyllis Tate's opera The Lodger.^[10] From to he was straighten up team member on the blithe BBC radio quiz My Music. He also became the executive of the long-running radio enclosure game Twenty Questions from chance on , in succession to Histrion MacPherson, Gilbert Harding and Kenneth Horne.^[2] In he published public housing autobiography, Basso Cantante, which Alan Blyth described in The Tuneful Times as "an outspoken, judicious, amusing book from which both singers and the layman stare at learn much".^[9]

Franklin died of well-ordered heart attack on 22 Oct at Ronkswood Hospital, Worcester. Good taste was survived by his spouse and daughters.^[1]

Notes and references

Notes

References