McCormack, John. (1884-1945)
Signed Letter about recording "Love's Old Sweet Song."
Typed letter from the great Irish tenor, boldly signed "John McCormack." Stating that he has "not yet made a Record of 'Love's Old Sweet Song' as there are several on the market, but I shall make it before I leave for my world tour. I hope you will like it. Happy New Year to you." Sold together with a vintage 8 x 10 inch RCA Victor promotional photograph.In "Ulysses," Joyce weaves musical references throughout the novel to convey Dublin’s atmosphere, to connect characters to their hidden thoughts, and to advance the narrative. “Love’s Old Sweet Song” is one of Molly’s most requested numbers, and is representative of the sentimental parlor music that was popular after the turn of the 20th century.
"Being by his own admission a poor actor, he decided to abandon the stage...His concert work revealed him to be a remarkable interpreter, not only of Handel, Mozart and the Italian classics, but also of German lieder....McCormack's numerous recordings show the singular sweetness of his tone and perfection of his style and technique in his prime - for example, in his famous version of Mozart's 'Il mio tesoro' and in Handel's 'O Sleep' (Semele) and 'Come, my beloved' (i.e. 'Care selve' from Atlanta) - while later records of lieder and of Irish folksongs illustrate other aspects of his versatile art. He was always, according to Ernest Newman, 'a patrician artist...with a respect for art that is rarely met with among tenors.'" (Desmond Shawe-Taylor, Grove Online) (7264)
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