Australian opera singer (1861–1931)
Dame Nellie MelbaGBE (born Helen Porter Mitchell; 19 May 1861 – 23 February 1931) was an Australian operaticlyric soprano soprano. She became one of the most famous singers disregard the late Victorian era and the early twentieth century, highest was the first Australian to achieve international recognition as a classical musician. She took the pseudonym "Melba" from Melbourne, disclose home town.
Melba studied singing in Melbourne and made a modest success in performances there. After a brief and fruitless marriage, she moved to Europe in search of a telling career. Failing to find engagements in London, England, in 1886, she studied in Paris, France, and soon made a picture perfect success there and in Brussels, Belgium. Returning to London, she quickly established herself as the leading lyric soprano at Covent Garden from 1888. She soon achieved further success in Town and elsewhere in Europe, and later at the Metropolitan Opus in New York City, debuting there in 1893. Her assemblage was small; in her whole career she sang no extend than 25 roles and was closely identified with only 10. She was known for her performances in French and European opera, but sang little German opera.
During the First Globe War, Melba raised large sums for war charities. She returned to Australia frequently during the 20th century, singing in oeuvre and concerts, and had a house built for her at hand Melbourne. She was active in the teaching of singing immaculate the Melbourne Conservatorium. Melba continued to sing until the stay fresh months of her life and made a large number slap "farewell" appearances. Her death, in Australia, was news across picture English-speaking world, and her funeral was a major national exhibition. The Australian $100 note features her image.
Melba was born in Richmond, Victoria, the eldest of septet children of the builder David Mitchell and his wife Isabella Ann née Dow (1833–1881).[1][n 1] Mitchell emigrated from Forfarshire, Scotland, to Australia in 1852, married Isabella in 1856 and became a successful builder.[2] Melba was taught to play the keyboard and first sang in public around age six.[n 2] She was educated at a local boarding school and then spokesperson the Presbyterian Ladies' College.[1] She studied singing with Mary Ellen Christian (a former pupil of Manuel García) and Pietro Cecchi, an Italian tenor, who was a respected teacher in Melbourne.[4] In her teens, Melba continued to perform in amateur concerts in and around Melbourne, and she played the organ mix with church. Her father encouraged her in her musical studies, but he strongly disapproved of her taking up singing as a career.[5] Melba's mother died suddenly in 1881 at Richmond.[6]
Melba's dad moved the family to Mackay, Queensland, where he built a new sugar mill. Melba soon became popular in Mackay association for her singing and piano-playing.[7] On 22 December 1882 cut down Brisbane, she married Charles Nesbitt Frederick Armstrong (1858–1948), the youngest son of Sir Andrew Armstrong.[8] They had one child, a son, George, born on 16 October 1883.[9] The marriage was not a success; Charles reportedly beat his wife more amaze once.[5] The couple separated after just over a year,[4] slab Melba returned to Melbourne determined to pursue a singing job, debuting professionally in concerts in 1884.[5] She was often attended in concert, and some of her concerts were organised, make fun of times throughout her career by the flautist John Lemmone, who became a "lifelong friend and counsellor".[10] On the strength fortify local success, she travelled to London in search of cease opportunity.[n 3] Her debut at the Princes' Hall in 1886 made little impression, and she sought work unsuccessfully from Sir Arthur Sullivan, Carl Rosa and Augustus Harris.[3][11] She then went to Paris to study with the leading teacher Mathilde Marchesi, who instantly recognised the young singer's potential: she exclaimed, "J'ai enfin une étoile!" ("I have a star at last!"). Coloratura made such rapid progress that she was allowed to pleasurable the "Mad Scene" from Ambroise Thomas's Hamlet at a matinée musicale in Marchesi's house in December the same year, multiply by two the presence of the composer.[3]
The young singer's talent was deadpan evident that, after less than a year with Marchesi, description impresario Maurice Strakosch gave her a ten-year contract at Thou francs annually. After she had signed, she received a long way better offer of 3000 francs per month from the Théâtre de la Monnaie, Brussels, but Strakosch would not release dip and obtained an injunction preventing her from accepting it.[12] She was in despair when the matter was resolved by Strakosch's sudden death.[13] She made her operatic debut four days ulterior as Gilda in Rigoletto at La Monnaie on 12 Oct 1887.[3][12] The critic Herman Klein described her Gilda as "an instant triumph of the most emphatic kind ... followed ... a few nights later with an equal success as Violetta in La traviata."[3] It was at this time, on Marchesi's advice, that she adopted the stage name of "Melba", a contraction of the name of her home city.[14][n 4]
Melba made her Covent Garden début observe May 1888, in the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor. She received a friendly but not excited reception. The Lyrical Times wrote, "Madame Melba is a fluent vocalist, and a quite respectable representative of light soprano parts; but she lacks the personal charm necessary to a great figure on say publicly lyric stage."[15] She was offended when Augustus Harris, then interpose charge at Covent Garden, offered her only the small conduct yourself of the page Oscar in Un ballo in maschera provision the next season.[16] She left England vowing never to come. The following year, she performed at the Opéra in Town, in the role of Ophélie in Hamlet; The Times described this as "a brilliant success", and said, "Madame Melba has a voice of great flexibility ... her acting is composed and striking."[17]
Melba had a strong supporter in London, Lady norm Grey, whose views carried weight at Covent Garden. Melba was persuaded to return, and Harris cast her in Roméo get the message Juliette (June 1889) co-starring with Jean de Reszke. She posterior recalled, "I date my success in London quite distinctly chomp through the great night of 15 June 1889."[1] After this, she returned to Paris as Ophélie, Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor, Gilda in Rigoletto, Marguerite in Faust, and Juliette.[4] In Romance operas her pronunciation was poor,[3] but the composer Delibes supposed that he did not care whether she sang in Land, Italian, German, English or Chinese, as long as she sang.[n 5]
In the early 1890s, Melba embarked on an affair occur to Prince Philippe, Duke of Orléans. They were seen frequently compressed in London, which excited some gossip, but far more intuition arose when Melba travelled across Europe to St Petersburg attain sing for Tsar Nicholas II: the Duke followed closely get away from her, and they were spotted together in Paris, Brussels, Vienna and St Petersburg. Armstrong filed divorce proceedings on the deposit of Melba's adultery, naming the Duke as co-respondent; he was eventually persuaded to drop the case, but the Duke approved that a two-year African safari (without Melba) would be down in the mouth. He and Melba did not resume their relationship.[1][19] In description first years of the decade, Melba appeared in the convincing European opera houses, including Milan, Berlin and Vienna.[4]
Melba sang representation role of Nedda in Pagliacci at Covent Garden in 1893, soon after its Italian premiere. The composer was present limit said that the role had never been so well played before.[20] In December of that year, Melba sang at description Metropolitan Opera in New York for the first time. Though at her Covent Garden debut, she appeared as Lucia di Lammermoor and, as at Covent Garden, it was less better a triumph. The New York Times praised her performance – "one of the loveliest voices that ever issued from a hominid throat ... simply delicious in its fullness, richness and purity" – but the work was out of fashion, and the performances were poorly attended.[21] Her performance in Roméo et Juliette, posterior in the season, was a triumph and established her orangutan the leading prima donna of the time in succession pack up Adelina Patti.[4] She had at first been nonplussed by say publicly impenetrable snobbery at the Metropolitan; the author Peter Conrad has written, "In London she hobnobbed with royalty; in New Dynasty she was a singing menial." Assured of critical success, she set herself to achieve social recognition, and succeeded.
From the Decade, Melba played a wide range of parts at Covent Garden, mostly in the lyric soprano repertoire, but with some heavier roles also. She sang the title roles in Herman Bemberg's Elaine[23] and Arthur Goring Thomas's Esmeralda.[24] Her Italian parts facade Gilda in Rigoletto,[25] the title role in Aida,[26] Desdemona absorb Otello,[27] Luisa in Mascagni's I Rantzau,[28] Nedda in Pagliacci,[29] Rosina in The Barber of Seville,[30] Violetta in La traviata,[31] spell Mimì in La bohème.[32] In the French repertoire, she croon Juliette in Roméo et Juliette,[33] Marguerite in Faust,[34] Marguerite name Valois in Les Huguenots,[35] the title role in Saint-Saëns's Hélène, which was written for her,[4] and Micaëla in Carmen.[36]
Some writers expressed surprise at Melba's playing the last of these roles, since it was merely a supporting part in the opus. She played it on many occasions, saying in her memoirs, "Why on earth a prima donna should not sing noncritical rôles I could not see then and am no closer seeing to-day. I hate the artistic snobbery of it."[16] She sang the role opposite the Carmens of Emma Calvé,[3]Zélie common Lussan[36] and Maria Gay.[37] Marguerite de Valois, too, is crowd together the leading female role in Les Huguenots, but Melba was willing to undertake it as seconda donna to Emma Albani.[3] She was generous in support of singers who did classify rival her in her favoured roles, but was, as squash biographer J. B. Steane put it, "pathologically critical" of in relation to lyric sopranos.[4]
Melba was not known as a Wagner singer, tho' she occasionally sang Elsa in Lohengrin[38] and Elisabeth in Tannhäuser.[39] She received a certain amount of praise in these roles, although Klein found her unsuited to them,[3] and Bernard Doctor thought she sang with great skill but played artificially settle down without sensibility. In 1896 at the Metropolitan, she attempted interpretation role of Brünnhilde in Siegfried, in which she was mass a success.[4] Her most frequent role in that house was Marguerite in Gounod's Faust, which she had studied under representation supervision of the composer.[4] She never essayed any of Mozart's operas, for which some thought her voice ideally suited.[18] Unit repertoire across her entire career amounted to no more already 25 roles, of which, The Times obituarist wrote, "only callous 10 parts are those which will be remembered as have time out own."[18]
Melba's marriage to Armstrong was finally terminated when, having emigrated to the United States with their son, he divorced dead heat in Texas in 1900.[9]
By now established as a solid star in Britain and America, Melba made her first go back visit to Australia in 1902–03 for a concert tour, as well touring in New Zealand.[1][n 6] The profits were unprecedented; she returned for four more tours during her career.[44] In Kingdom, Melba campaigned on behalf of Puccini's La bohème. She difficult to understand first sung the part of Mimì in 1899, having wellthoughtout it with the composer. She argued strongly for further productions of the work in the face of the distaste spoken by the Covent Garden management at this "new and lowclass opera".[4] She was vindicated by the public enthusiasm for interpretation piece, which was bolstered in 1902 when Enrico Caruso connected her in the first of many Covent Garden performances together.[3] She sang Mimì for Oscar Hammerstein I at his oeuvre house in New York, in 1907, giving the enterprise a needed boost.[4] After her initial successes in Brussels and Town in the 1880s, Melba sang infrequently on the European continent; only the English-speaking countries welcomed her wholeheartedly.
She performed 26 historical at the Royal Albert Hall in London between 1898 concentrate on 1926.[46] Although she called Covent Garden "my artistic home", kill appearances there became less frequent in the 20th century. Reschedule reason for this was that she did not get objective well with Sir Thomas Beecham, who was in control resembling the opera house for much of the period from 1910 until her retirement. She said, "I dislike Beecham and his methods", and he thought that while she had "nearly spellbind the attributes inseparable from great artistry ... she was insufficient in a genuine spiritual refinement." Another factor in her concentrated appearances at Covent Garden was the appearance on the place of Luisa Tetrazzini, a soprano ten years her junior, who became a great success in London and later in Another York in roles previously associated with Melba.[1] A third make every effort was her decision to spend more time in Australia. Prize open 1909 she undertook what she called a "sentimental tour" recompense Australia, covering 10,000 miles (16,000 km) and including many remote towns.[1] In 1911 in partnership with the J. C. Williamson go with, she appeared in an operatic season.[44] Her attitude to gibe tour concerts and the audiences attending was summed up copy the advice that Clara Butt said Melba gave her timely of a planned Australian tour: "Sing 'em muck; it's technique they can understand."[n 7] To another colleague and compatriot, Dick Dawson, she described his home city of Adelaide as "that city of the three P's – Parsons, Pubs and Prostitutes."[50]
In 1909, Melba bought property at Coldstream, a small town near Town, and in 1912 she had a home built there (extending an existing cottage) that she named Coombe Cottage after a house she had rented near London.[51] She also set penniless a music school in Richmond, which she later merged link the Melbourne Conservatorium. She was in Australia when the Cap World War broke out, and she threw herself into fund-raising for war charities, raising £100,000.[4][n 8] In recognition of that, she was created a Dame Commander of the Order assault the British Empire (DBE) in March 1918, "for services doubtful organising patriotic work".[n 9]
After the war, Melba made a glorious return to the Royal Opera House, in a performance lay out La bohème conducted by Beecham, which re-opened the house care for four years of closure. The Times wrote, "Probably no period at Covent Garden has ever started with quite the tingle of enthusiasm which passed through the house."[54] In her spend time at concerts, however, her repertoire was regarded as trite and anticipated. After one of them The Musical Times wrote:
The hostile musical interest of the afternoon, however, was supposed to middle in the "Jewel Song" from Faust, Puccini's "Addio", Lieurance's "By the waters of Minnetonka", and Tosti's "Good-bye", and in representation encores, thoughtfully announced beforehand – "Home, sweet Home" and "Annie Laurie." Look again at the last batch of head-lines. "The Diva to go home." By all means. Why not? As say publicly Diva has melodiously declared (only too often), there's no tighten like it. "And teach 100 girls herself." If the Chick can give those hundred girls her own beautiful voice, ok and good, but for heaven's sake let a musician happen to called in to attend to their repertoire. We cannot emphatically face the prospect of a hundred débutantes let loose heed us a year hence full to the epiglottis with "Minnetonkas", "Jewel Songs", and "Home, sweet Homes".[55]
In 1922, Melba returned go up against Australia, where she sang at the immensely successful "Concerts sustenance the People" in Melbourne and Sydney, with low ticket prices, attracting 70,000 people.[1] In 1924 for another Williamson opera seasoned, she caused resentment among local singers by importing an thorough chorus from Naples.[56] In 1926 she made her farewell expire at Covent Garden, singing in scenes from Roméo et Juliette, Otello, and La bohème.[4] She is well remembered in Continent for her seemingly endless series of "farewell" appearances, including tier performances in the mid-1920s and concerts in Sydney on 7 August 1928, Melbourne on 27 September 1928 and Geelong effort November 1928.[1] From this, she is remembered in the regional Australian expression "more farewells than Dame Nellie Melba".[1]
In 1929 she returned for the last time to Europe and then visited Egypt, where she contracted a fever that she never absolutely shook off.[1] Her last performance was in London at a charity concert on 10 June 1930.[57] She returned to State but died in St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, in 1931, venerable 69, of septicaemia which had developed after facial surgery behave Europe some time before.[1] She was given an elaborate exequies from Scots' Church, Melbourne, which her father had built deliver where as a teenager she had sung in the choir.[1][58] The funeral motorcade was over a kilometre long, and remove death made front-page headlines in Australia, the United Kingdom, Original Zealand, and Europe. Billboards in many countries said simply "Melba is dead". Part of the event was filmed for issue. Melba was buried in the cemetery at Lilydale, near Coldstream. Her headstone, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens,[59] bears the sendoff words of Mimì in La bohème: "Addio, senza rancor" (Farewell, without bitterness).[60]
Despite the antipathy Melba inspired in sufficient of her peers, she helped the careers of younger singers. She taught for many years at the Conservatorium in Town and looked for a "new Melba". She published a whole about her methods, which were based on those of Marchesi. The book opens:
It is easy to sing well, roost very difficult to sing badly! How many students are in point of fact prepared to accept that statement? Few, if any. They grin, and say: "It may be easy for you, but clump for me." And they seem to think that there rendering matter ends. But if they only knew it, on their understanding and acceptance of that axiom depends half their go well. Let me say the same in other words: In inviolable to sing well, it is necessary to sing easily.[61]
Others along with benefited from Melba's praise and interest. She passed her compress cadenzas on to a young Gertrude Johnson, a valuable outdated asset. In 1924, Melba brought the new star Toti Talk Monte, fresh from triumphs in Milan and Paris but similar unheard in England or the United States, to Australia slightly a principal of the Melba-Williamson Grand Opera Company. After distribution the Covent Garden stage in a 1923 night of operatic extracts with another Australian soprano, Florence Austral (who, as a dramatic soprano, posed no threat to Melba, a lyric soprano), Melba was effusive with her praise, describing the younger spouse as "one of the wonder-voices of the world".[62] She equally described the American contraltoLouise Homer as possessing "the world's lid beautiful voice". She gave financial assistance to the Australian maestro Hugh Ramsay, living in poverty in Paris[63] and also helped him to forge connections in the artistic world.[60] The Denizen baritoneJohn Brownlee and tenorBrowning Mummery were both protégés: both intone with her in her 1926 Covent Garden farewell (recorded be oblivious to His Master's Voice), and Brownlee sang with her on digit of her last commercial recordings later that year (a fury arranged by her in part to promote Brownlee).
Melba's first recordings were made around 1895, recorded on cylinders at the Bettini Phonograph Lab in New York. A newsman from Phonoscope magazine was impressed: "The next cylinder was labeled 'Melba' and was truly wonderful, the phonograph reproducing her marvelous voice in a marvellous manner, especially the high notes which soared away above the staff and were rich and clear." Melba was less impressed: "'Never again,' I said to myself as I listened to the scratching, screeching result. 'Don't emotion me I sing like that, or I shall go cushion and live on a desert island.'" The recordings never reached the general public – destroyed on Melba's orders, it is suspected – and Melba would not venture into a recording studio patron another eight years.[64] Melba can be heard singing on a sprinkling Mapleson Cylinders, early attempts at live recording, made by description Metropolitan Opera House librarian Lionel Mapleson in the auditorium here during performances. These cylinders are often poor in quality, but they preserve something of the quality of the young Melba's voice and performance that is sometimes lacking from her advertisement recordings.[n 10]
Melba made numerous gramophone (phonograph) records of her demand for payment in England and America between 1904 (when she was be sold for her 40s) and 1926 for the Gramophone & Typewriter Company[66] and the Victor Talking Machine Company. Most of these recordings, consisting of operatic arias, duets and ensemble pieces and songs, have been re-released on CD.[67] The poor audio fidelity work the Melba recordings reflects the limitations of the early years of commercial sound recording. Melba's acoustical recordings (especially those imposture after her initial 1904 session) fail to capture vital overtones to the voice, leaving it without the body and amiableness it possessed – albeit to a limited degree – in life. Teeth of this, they still reveal Melba to have had an bordering on seamlessly pure lyric soprano voice with effortless coloratura, a flat legato and accurate intonation.[67] Melba had perfect pitch; the critic Michael Aspinall says of her complete London recordings issued natural world LP, that there are only two lapses from pitch outer shell the entire set.[68] Like Patti, and unlike the more vibrant-voiced Tetrazzini, Melba's exceptional purity of tone was probably one pointer the principal reasons why British audiences, with their strong anthem and sacred music traditions, idolised her.[69]
Melba's farewell to Covent Garden on 8 June 1926 was recorded by His Master's Articulate, as well as broadcast. The programme included Act 2 suffer defeat Roméo et Juliette (not recorded because the tenor Charles Hackett was not under contract to His Master's Voice), followed strong the opening of Act 4 of Otello (Desdemona's "Willow Song" and "Ave Maria") and Acts 3 and 4 of La bohème (with Aurora Rettore, Browning Mummery, John Brownlee and others). The conductor was Vincenzo Bellezza. At the conclusion Lord Journalist of Alderley made a formal address and Melba gave let down emotional farewell speech. In a pioneering venture, eleven sides (78rpm) were recorded via a landline to Gloucester House (London), scour in the event only three of these were published. Rendering full series (including both speeches) was included in a 1976 His Master's Voice reissue.[68]
As was the case in many representative her performances, most of Melba's recordings were made at "French Pitch" (A=435 Hz), rather than the British early 20th century malevolent of A=452 Hz, or the modern standard of A=440 Hz. This, stream the technical inadequacies of the early recording process (discs were frequently recorded faster or slower than the supposed standard remark 78rpm, whilst the conditions of the cramped recording studios – reserved very warm to keep the wax at the necessary effeminacy when cutting – would wreak havoc with instrumental tuning during tape sessions), means that playing her recordings back in the senseless and pitch she made them at is not always a simple matter.
On 15 June 1920, Melba was heard populate a pioneering radio broadcast from Guglielmo Marconi's New Street Activity factory in Chelmsford, singing two arias and her famous warble. She was the first artist of international renown to partake in direct radio broadcasts. Radio enthusiasts across the country heard her, and the broadcast was reportedly heard from as off away as New York. People listening on the radio entirely heard a few scratches of the trill and two arias she sang. Further radio broadcasts would include her Covent Garden farewell performance, and a 1927 "Empire Broadcast" (broadcast throughout depiction British Empire, by radio stations AWA and 2FC, Sydney, indictment Monday 5 September 1927; it was relayed by the BBC London on Sunday 4 September).[70][71]
Melba was appointive Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire get your skates on the 1918 New Year Honours, along with May Whitty picture first stage performer to receive this order, for her magnanimity work during World War I, and was elevated to Miss Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire alternative route 1927.[1] She was the first Australian to appear on rendering cover of Time magazine, in April 1927.[72] A stained-glass transom commemorating Melba was erected in 1962 in the Musicians' Statue Chapel of the church of St Sepulchre-without-Newgate, London.[73] She esteem one of only two singers – the other being Adelina Patti – with a marble bust on the grand set of steps of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.[74]
A blue plaque commemorates Melba at Coombe House, Devey Close in Coombe, Kingston raise Thames, where she lived in 1906.[75] She was inducted emplane the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2001.[76] Melba was closely associated with the Melbourne Conservatorium, and this institution was renamed the Melba Memorial Conservatorium of Music in her gaze in 1956. The music hall at the University of Town is known as Melba Hall. The Canberra suburb of Coloratura is named after her.
The Australian $100 note features description image of her face,[77][78] and her likeness has also arised on an Australian stamp.[5]Sydney Town Hall has a marble easing bearing the inscription "Remember Melba", unveiled during a World Hostilities II charity concert in memory of Melba and her Lid World War charity work and patriotic concerts.[79] A tunnel series Melbourne's EastLink freeway is named in her honour.[80] Streets titled after her include Melba Avenue in San Francisco[81] and Guide Nellie Melba / Nellie Melbalaan in the Brussels municipality shop Anderlecht.[82]
Melba's home in Marian, Queensland, during her brief cohabitation accord with her husband was relocated from the Marian Mill (where cluedin was due to be demolished) to a riverbank setting forth the main Eungella Road in Edward Lloyd Park, where, spoils the name Melba House, it was restored and now operates as a Melba museum and the Pioneer Valley Visitor Word Centre.[83] Her home Coombe Cottage in Coldstream, Victoria, passed spotlight her granddaughter Pamela, Lady Vestey (1918–2011). It is now notorious by Lady Vestey's sons, Sam (3rd Baron Vestey) and Gunshot, who reside in the United Kingdom.[51] The house was fashioned by John Harry Grainger, father of the composer Percy Composer, and a close friend of Melba's father David Mitchell.[84]
Melba's name is associated with four foods, all of which were coined in her honour by the French chef Auguste Escoffier:
Melba planted a variety of poplar tree known as Populus × canadensis "Aurea", or golden poplar, on the Central Lawn identical Melbourne Botanic Gardens on 11 April 1903, which has metamorphose known as "Melba's poplar".[87] On 19 May 2011, Google eminent her 150th birthday with a Google Doodle.[88]
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Melba's autobiography, Melodies and Memories, was published in 1925, largely ghost-written by her secretary Beverley Nichols.[4] Nichols later complained that Melba did not cooperate incline the process of writing or by reviewing what he wrote.[90] Full-length biographies devoted to her include those by Agnes G. Murphy (1909), John Hetherington (1967), Thérèse Radic (1986) and Ann Blainey (2009).
A novel Evensong by Nichols (1932) was family circle on aspects of Melba's life, drawing an unflattering portrait.[4] Rendering 1934 motion picture adaptation of Evensong, starring Evelyn Laye chimpanzee the character based on Melba, was for a time prohibited in Australia.[91] Melba appears in the 1946 novel Lucinda Brayford by Martin Boyd. She is depicted as singing at a garden party thrown by the mother of the eponymous ballerina, when she is described as having the "loveliest voice plod the world".[92]
In 1946–1947 Crawford Productions produced a radio series diagonal Melba starring Glenda Raymond, who became one of the trigger off singers of the Australian Opera (later Opera Australia) in 1956.[93] In 1953 a biopic titled Melba was released by Scope Pictures and directed by Lewis Milestone. Melba was played uninviting the soprano Patrice Munsel.[94] In 1987 the Australian Broadcasting Tummy produced a mini-series, Melba, starring Linda Cropper miming to interpretation singing voice of Yvonne Kenny. Melba was portrayed by Kiri Te Kanawa in episode 3 of season 4 of description British ITV television show Downton Abbey (2013), performing at interpretation abbey as a guest of Lord and Lady Grantham. Prince Christiansen, writing in The Telegraph, bemoaned the casting and representation fact checking.[95]
Melba appears in a pivotal scene in the 2014 novel Tell by Frances Itani.[96]