Mary Garden (Opera Biography Series, No. 8)

Michael T. R. B. Turnbull

Born in Scotland, Mary Garden was trained in Paris. From the very start of her career she was surrounded by scandal and intrigue, her patron withdrawing funds for her training after hearing rumours of her dissolute behaviour. Nevertheless, Garden's indomitable spirit prevailed through this and other setbacks that were to occur through her life, and she gave her first performance as Louise at the Opera-Comique in 1900, a role that she was always to identify with. Garden's career spanned thirty years and several continents. Constantly in the media spotlight, she courted attention, continually teasing journalists with hints about lovers and offers of marriage. Her outspoken views often resulted in rifts with colleagues, including Tetrazzini and Hammerstein, and her reputation for scandal only increased with the moral outcry that greeted her portrayal of Salome in America in 1909. Even when her career had ended, Garden continued to give lectures and master classes. Some of her notes on stage technique are reproduced here and give fascinating insights into the approach she took to her work.