(b Meriden, ct, 22 Jan 1897; d Green Spring Valley md , 25 May 1981). American soprano. Her opera début was at the Met in 1918, opposite Caruso, as Leonora in La forza del destino. Her warmth, perfect technique and opulent tone made her a success in operas by Bellini, Verdi, Mozart and Meyerbeer; she never sang Puccini or Wagner. At Covent Garden (début 1929) she sang Violetta and Norma.

The Concise Grove Dictionary of Music. Copyright © 1994 by Oxford University Press, Inc.. All rights reserved.