19th Century - Operatic
Biography
The Hibernian (Irish) Prima Donna
Catherine Hayes
by Basil Walsh
Foreword by conductor, Richard Bonynge
(372 page Biography,
with photos and a chronology of her travels and performances) All content of www.catherinehayes.com is ©Basil Walsh.
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This distinguished
young Irish soprano, performs around the Globe in Europe, Britain,
Ireland, America (45 cities/towns), Canada, Chile, Peru, Hawaii, Australia, India,
Singapore, Java and elsewhere, during the nineteenth-century.
1818
born in Limerick, Ireland located at the mouth of the River Shannon.
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Welcome to the Catherine Hayes
web
site - Ireland's First
Great International Prima Donna! The book "Catherine Hayes: The Hibernian Prima
Donna," by Basil Walsh, is published by Irish Academic Press, with
distribution in Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand. Daily Express
- (UK)
" A rags to riches tale... Hayes was the
"Madonna" of her day, she was the 19th-century operatic equivalent of the
world's most famous pop star... Catherine Hayes had it all, a voice that
captivated her public, financial rewards and a man she loved... then
tragedy" Classical Music Magazine -
(UK)
"Basil Walsh has drawn on letters,
theatrical memorabilia and newspaper reviews to build a picture of her career...
his affectionate portrait offers fascinating glimpses into the social and
musical world of 150 years ago..." OperaNow -
(UK) "Thanks
to Basil Walsh's extensively researched biography... Catherine Hayes is at last
receiving the historical and musical recognition she deserves" Donizetti Society Newsletter -
(UK)
"
A long overdue study of a fascinating Irish artist, a famous Lucia and Linda, a
beautiful angelic redhead soprano who took Italy by storm, a great star. A
fine and exhaustive biography by Basil Walsh... immaculate presentation,
indexed, chronology, repertoire..."
The World of Hibernia Magazine -
(USA)
" Thank you Mr. Walsh for
extending our horizons with this delightful story... Basil Walsh has worked hard
to inform us of this enigmatic woman, her fabulous voice, her devoted family
loyalty and her charitable nature, he gives facts, meticulous footnotes and rare
illustrations, which all together create a vivid picture of Catherine
Hayes" Sunday Independent (Ireland) In the absence of recording evidence [Catherine Hayes' 'time
was long before gramophone records were invented] it is impossible to assess
the merit of operatic voices of the past with the result that we rely on their
biographers which isn't 'always satisfactory. However, in the case of Basil
Walsh, a Dublin author living in Florida, such is his detailed research in
numerous countries that one is left in no doubt that his subject, the diva
Catherine Hayes, enjoyed a glittering career..."
The Sunday Tribune
- (Ireland)
"Catherine Hayes packed a great
deal into her four decades at a time when travel was difficult and dangerous...
We are greatly indebted to Basil Walsh for this magnificent, entertaining and
beautifully illustrated book. It makes excellent reading" The Dublin Historical
Record (Ireland)
"Basil
Walsh has performed a great service to Irish operatic history with this
excellently researched volume... It also has a most valuable chronology of her
[Catherine Hayes'] performances and travels throughout the world which further
services the student of this fascinating woman who deserves to be better known
to her compatriots."
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Catherine Hayes and British tenor Sims Reeves at
La Scala,
The Royal Italian Opera,
Covent Garden where Catherine made her London debut in April 1849
The Biography contains, 35
illustrations, a chronology of the Prima Donna's operatic and concert
performances, her travels around the Globe to 15 countries, including, France,
Italy, Britain, Ireland, America (45 cities), Canada, Peru, Chile, Hawaii,
Australia, India, Singapore, Java, etc., during the middle of the 19th century.
Her relationships with leading singers, composers and personalities of the
times. Her romantic encounters in Europe, America and Australia and her
successes which included phenomenal earnings and the great tragedy she
experienced in her final years.
_________________________
Contact: basilwalsh[at]msn[dot]com
1841 in Dublin she shares the concert platform with the great pianist Franz
Liszt.
1845 in
Milan she becomes the reigning prima donna at La Scala with Verdi in the audience.
1849 in
London at the Royal Italian Opera, Covent Garden she is a
sensation.
1849 in London this young Irish soprano sings at Buckingham Palace for Queen
Victoria and 500 guests.
1849 in
Dublin, Cork and Limerick she is the returning great international prima
donna of the opera.
1851 in
Boston she sang for Daniel Webster and his
family.
1852 in Washington DC she
sang for the president of the United States and his family.
1853 in the
Goldfields around Sacramento she sings for the miners and
diggers.
1854 in the
Hawaiian Islands she sings for King Kamehameha II with great success and
amusement.
1854 in
Sydney, Australia she becomes the first great European opera singer to perform
there.
1855 in
Calcutta, India, she entertains the British Army and their wives with great éclat.
1855 in Hobart, Tasmania where she gives concerts with great success.
1856 departs Sydney to return to England via the Cape of Good Hope in
Africa.
1856-1861 gives concerts in England and Ireland.
This
is a remarkable story of a unique young Irishwoman who traveled the globe during
the 19th century, singing opera and songs with great passion and success everywhere. Perhaps
her greatest moment came in Buckingham Palace, London in 1849... after an evening of
singing Italian operatic arias for Queen Victoria and 500 guests she responded
to the Queen's request for an encore by singing the beautiful Irish song,
"Kathleen Mavourneen." The Queen was so impressed, that she recorded her comments on the Irish Prima Donna's performance for
posterity in her diary the
next day. The Queen was very complimentary!
Read what the critics in Europe and
America said about the Biography
Catherine Hayes performed before Queen Victoria and 500 guests
at Buckingham Palace, London in 1849.
Milan in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor in 1846.
Lucia di Lammermoor, Vienna 1846
Le Prophete, London 1849
To place an order for the book
"Catherine Hayes: The Hibernian Prima Donna"
by Basil
Walsh
(ISBN No. 0 7165 2662 X)
Click on the Amazon link below and search for "Catherine Hayes + Basil Walsh"
OR:
NORTH
AMERICA: ISBS,
Portland, Oregon and Elsewhere, at,
marketing[at]isbs.com
- 1 800 944 6190
EUROPE: (Irish
Academic Press, Dublin) www.iap.ie
or any major bookseller.
ENGLAND/UK - contact any
Waterstone's bookshops in any city in the UK:
Film/TV Options available on the Catherine Hayes biography:
Contact Basil Walsh - basilwalsh[at]msn[dot]com
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The latest work from Basil Walsh was published in 2007.
Biography: "Michael W.
Balfe: A Unique Victorian Composer"
by Basil Walsh
Published by Irish Academic Press in association with
the Arts Council of Ireland,
for Balfe's bicentennial
year 2008.
Please visit:
www.britishandirishworld.com
_________________________
M. W. Balfe's, 21 "Continental" Operas please visit
http://balfecontinentaloperas.wordpress.com/
Irish classical music pioneers musicians who made a difference please visit http://basilwalsh.wordpress.com
All content of www.catherinehayes.com is ©Basil Walsh.
Contact: basilwalsh[at]msn[dot]com