Helen Francesca Traubel American opera and concert singer Date of Birth: 16.06.1899 Country: USA

1. Early Life and Training
2. Concert Career and Operatic Debut
3. Metropolitan Opera Success
4. Later Career
5. Other Interests and Legacy

Early Life and Training

Helen Traubel was born in St. Louis, Missouri to a wealthy German family on June 16, 1899. Her father was a pharmacist. Helen first studied singing in her hometown with Louise Vetta-Karst and later with several teachers in New York City.

Concert Career and Operatic Debut

In 1923, she made her debut as a concert singer with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. Three years later, she received an offer to join the Metropolitan Opera after performing "Liebestod" from Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde." However, she declined the offer to continue her concert career.

Traubel's operatic debut came on May 12, 1937, when composer Walter Damrosch cast her as Mary Rutledge in the world premiere of his opera "The Man Without a Country" at the Metropolitan.

Metropolitan Opera Success

After performing with various opera companies, Traubel found her niche at the Metropolitan Opera in 1939, singing Sieglinde in "Die Walküre." When Norwegian soprano Kirsten Flagstad was forced to leave the United States due to political reasons in 1941, and Australian soprano Marjorie Lawrence's career was ended by polio, Traubel became a star.

Known for her powerful vocals, Traubel excelled in Wagnerian roles such as Brünnhilde and Isolde. Her tone was praised for its clarity and purity, earning her comparisons to "a gleaming sword."

Later Career

In 1948, President Harry S. Truman asked Traubel to mentor his daughter, Margaret, who aspired to become a classical singer. Traubel's book "St. Louis Woman," published in 1959, recounts her three years with Margaret and the negative impact it had on her status in the music world.

In 1953, Traubel's contract with the Metropolitan Opera was not renewed due to manager Rudolf Bing's disapproval of her television and nightclub appearances. She continued performing on screen and in Broadway productions before retiring in the mid-1960s.

Other Interests and Legacy

An avid baseball fan, Traubel owned part of the St. Louis Browns. She also wrote two mystery novels, "The Ptomaine Canary" and "The Metropolitan Opera Murders," featuring a soprano named Elsa Vaughan who bore striking resemblance to herself.

Traubel married twice, but her first marriage ended in divorce. She spent her later years in Santa Monica, California, where she died of a heart attack on July 28, 1972, at the age of 73. Traubel was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to the recording industry.