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She left school at 14 and worked as a telephone operator in Blackburn. She married a bank manager called Bert Wilson in 1935, and moved to Carlisle. It was in Carlisle that her husband bet her that she could not sing in a singing competition. She entered and won in two categories. She had thought to enter as a pianist. It could have been this which brought her talents to public attention, and was a significant factor in her deciding to pursue a career in music. Her marriage, however, did not work out, and was annulled after 12 years.
She studied with the baritone, Roy Henderson, who was a well known singing teacher at the time.
Benjamin Britten wrote several parts specifically for her, including Lucretia in The Rape of Lucretia, Abraham and Isaac (also written for Peter Pears), and part of the Spring Symphony (1949). She worked with several famous conductors, including Bruno Walter, John Barbirolli, Malcolm Sargent, Clemens Krauss , Herbert von KarajanHerbert von Karajan ( April 5, 1908 July 16, 1989) was a conductor, one of the most prominent of the postwar period. Karajan conducted the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra for many years. Life Early years He was born in Salzburg, Austria, as Heribert von Kar, Eduard van Beinum and also with Benjamin Britten. She also worked with other famous singers such as Isobel Baillie and Peter PearsPeter Neville Luard Pears ( June 22 1910 April 3 1986) was an English tenor and life-long partner of the composer Benjamin Britten. He studied at Keble College, Oxford, serving as organist at Hertford College, but left without taking his degree. He later.Her final performance was as Orpheus in Gluck's Orfeo et Euridice at Covent GardenCovent Garden is an area of central London most noted for its flower, fruit and vegetable market (now moved to Nine Elms, Vauxhall) and for the Royal Opera House to its north. Covent Garden' is properly the area of London bounded by High Holborn, Kingsway in 1953. She had previously sung this at Glyndebourne in 1947, but the Royal Opera House performance was sung in English. She only sang in two performances.
Works she was particularly well known for include:
She performed some of these pieces in both their original language, and also in English. Examples include the St Matthew Passion, arias by Bach and Handel, and Gluck's Orfeo.
She made numerous recordings in her short career, though some of her performances were not recorded, or recordings were destroyed. These include performances of Elgar's Dream of Gerontius, and The Messiah.
She died of breast cancer in 1953.