Clara Butt

Clara Butt
1872-1936
English Contralto
Studied with Daniel Rootham in Bristol and John Hnery Blower at The Royal Academy of Music and also took studied in Paris with Jacques Bouhy ,and Etelka Gerster in Berlin and Italy.professional debut at Royal Albert Hall in “the Golden Legend” by Sullivan in 1895.She performed mostly in concert and Oratario. Her only Covent Garden performace was as Orfeo in “Orfeo et Euridice” by Gluck in 1920. Her voice, both powerful and deep, impressed contemporary composers such as Saint-Saëns and Elgar; the latter composed a song-cycle with her in mind as soloist. Camille Saint-Saëns heard her, and wanted her to study his opera Dalila, but at the time the representation of biblical subjects on the British stage was forbidden, and nothing came of it.Later in her career she frequently appeared in recitals together with her husband, the baritone Kennerley Rumford