By all accounts, Thodor Uppman was a lovely man. He had a high baritone voice, and it is extremely well-produced. He studied with Beverly Johnson, a very famous voice teacher, who turned out wonderful voices. Uppman played the title role in the premiere of Britten’s Billy Budd. He was also well known for singing Pélleas in Debussy’s Pélleas et Mélisande.
Uppman’s voice is very resonant, and there is no tension in the throat. His voice is not over-darkened. Unfortunately, many singers today prefer a dark sound, and to darken the voice, they squeeze the throat; this squeezing impairs resonant singing.
Please do listen to Uppman’s singing in French.
Michael Head “Sweet chance that lead my steps abroad”
Sweet Chance, that led my steps abroad,
Beyond the town, where wild flow’rs grow —
A rainbow and a cuckoo, Lord,
How rich and great the times are now!
Know all ye sheep
And cows, that keep
On staring that I stand so long
In grass that’s wet from heavy rain —
A rainbow, and a cuckoo’s song
May never come together again,
May never come
This side the tomb.
A rainbow, and a cuckoo’s song
May never come together again…
Ives, “The greatest man”
My teacher said us boys should write
about some great man, so I thought last night
‘n thought about heroes and men
that had done great things,
‘n then I got to thinkin’ ’bout my pa;
he ain’t a hero ‘r anything but pshaw!
Say! He can ride the wildest hoss
‘n find minners near the moss
down by the creek; ‘n he can swim
‘n fish, we ketched five new lights, me ‘n him!
Dad’s some hunter too – oh, my!
Miss Molly Cottontail sure does fly
when he tromps through the fields ‘n brush!
(Dad won’t kill a lark ‘r thrush.)
Once when I was sick ‘n though his hands were rough
he rubbed the pain right out. “That’s the stuff!”
he said when I winked back the tears. He never cried
but once ‘n that was when my mother died.
There’re lots o’ great men: George Washinton ‘n Lee,
but Dad’s got ’em all beat holler, seems to me!
Copeland, “Simple Gifts”
‘Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free
’tis the gift to come down where you ought to be
And when we find ourselves in the place just right
‘Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gained
To bow and to bend we shan’t be ashamed
To turn, turn will be our delight
‘Till by turning, turning we come round right.
‘Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free
’tis the gift to come down where you ought to be
And when we find ourselves in the place just right
‘Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
Theodore Chanler, “I Rise When You Enter”
You are so wonderful,
What shall I do?
I rise when you enter.
Of attraction, I will tell you anything’s true,
You’re the absolute center.
I take off my hat
When I ride with you down on the lift
From the seventeenth floor to the fifth,
To the ground;
Through the circular door
I revolve you around;
We go out in the moonlight,
The mist, or the rain.
And I give you my arm to accept,
And I love you again.
You are so wonderful,
What shall I say?
Shall I tell you a story,
Of a knight and a maid and the old fashioned way
He would fight for her glory?
No, we’re not people for such enterprise
You’re just one of those gals,
I’m just one of those guys;
But anyhow, notice when you enter,
I rise.
John Sacco, “Maple Candy”
I thought I woke in the middle of the night,
She stood in the door in the warm moonlight,
Like sugar snow gleamed her body bright,
And her hair was maple candy.
Her feet were slim, and her legs were long,
Her body’s arch was fine and strong,
Under the moon beams shone like honey among her hair,
That was maple candy.
Her hands were soft as little cat’s feet,
Her breath was sweet and she was sweet,
Oh everything sweet when lovers meet,
Sweeter than maple candy.
The lights grow pale as the moon hung low,
The first cock crowed in the valley below,
Then she whispered, darling, I must go,
And her hair was maple candy.
I’m caught like a fly in a spider net,
For she’ll never come, and I can’t forget,
When I shall die, I’ll be dreaming yet,
Of her hair like maple candy.
Hahn, À Chloris
S’il est vrai, Chloris, que tu m’aimes,
Mais j’entends, que tu m’aimes bien,
Je ne crois point que les rois mêmes
Aient un bonheur pareil au mien.
Que la mort serait importune
À venir changer ma fortune
Pour la félicité des cieux!
Tout ce qu’on dit de l’ambroisie
Ne touche point ma fantaisie
Au prix des grâces de tes yeux.
Hahn, To Chloris
If it’s true that you do love me
(and I’m told that your love is real),
then I believe no kings or princes
did ever know the elation I feel.
I’d be pained if death were to come now
and change my present fortune
for heaven’s bliss beyond the skies.
Some may desire divine ambrosia ‑
it does not fire my human mind
as do the joys I read in your eyes.
Poulenc, “Attributs”, FP 38a/1
Les épis sont à Cérès,
Aux Dieux bouquins les forêts,
À Chlore l’herbe nouvelle,
À Phoebus le vert laurier,
À Minerve l’olivier,
Et le beau pin à Cybèle ;
Au Zéphires le doux bruit,
À Pomone le doux fruit,
L’onde aux Nymphes est sacrée,
À Flore les belles fleurs ;
Mais les soucis et les pleurs
Sont sacrés à Cythèrée.
Poulenc, “Attributes”, FP38a/1
Ears of corn are sacred to Ceres,
forest to the Fauns,
new grass to Chloris,
green laurels to Phoebus,
olive-trees to Minerva,
handsome pines to Cybele,
gentle rustlings to the Zephyrs,
sweet fruit to Pomona,
waters to the Nymphs,
and beautiful flowers to Flora;
but heart-ache and tears
are sacred to Aphrodite.
Poulenc, de Chansons gaillards, “Chanson à boire”, FP 31
Les rois d’Egypte et de Syrie,
Voulaient qu’on embaumât leurs corps,
Pour durer plus longtemps morts.
Quelle folie!
Buvons donc selon notre envie,
Il faut boire et reboire encore.
Buvons donc toute notre vie,
Embaumons-nous avant la mort.
Embaumons-nous;
Que ce baume est doux.
Poulenc, from Chanson gaillards, “Drinking Song”, FP 31
The kings of Egypt and Syria
Wanted their bodies to be embalmed
So as to last, longer, dead.
What madness!
Let us drink then according to our desire,
We must drink and drink again.
Let us drink then all our life,
Let us embalm ourselves before death.
Let us embalm ourselves,
For the balm is sweet!
Poulenc, de Chansons gaillards, “La belle jeunesse” FP 42
Il faut s’aimer toujours
Et ne s’épouser guère.
Il faut faire l’amour
Sans curé ni notaire.
Cessez, messieurs, d’être épouseurs,
Ne visez qu’aux tirelires,
Ne visez qu’aux tourelours,
Cessez, messieurs, d’être épouseurs,
Ne visez qu’aux cœurs.
Cessez, messieurs, d’être épouseurs,
Holà, messieurs, ne visez plus qu’aux cœurs.
Pourquoi se marier,
Quand les femmes des autres
Ne se font pas prier
Pour devenir les nôtres.
Quand leurs ardeurs,
Quand leurs faveurs,
Cherchent nos tirelires,
Cherchent nos tourelours,
Cherchent nos cœurs
Poulenc, from Chansons gaillard, “The beauty of youth”, FP 42
One must love always
and seldom marry.
One should make love
without priest or notary.
Cease, good Sirs, to be marrying men,
only aim at money,
only aim at pleasure,
cease, good Sirs, to be marrying men,
only aim at the hearts.
Cease, good Sirs, to be marrying men,
enough, good Sirs, only aim at the hearts.
Why marry,
when the wives of others
need no persuasion
to become ours.
When their ardours,
when their favours,
seek our money,
seek our pleasure,
seek our hearts.
Theodor Uppman
January 12, 1920 – March 17, 2005
The American baritone Theodor Uppman is forever enshrined in British operatic history as the singer of the title role of Benjamin Britten’s Billy Budd in the premiere of the opera at Covent Garden in 1951.
He was 31 when he first sang Billy, but his youthful good looks and light, high baritone were perfect for the role in every way. Nineteen years later, aged 50, Uppman sang Billy in the first US stage performance of the opera in Chicago. His voice and appearance were still convincing as the young seaman. During his long career, Uppman also sang in a number of premieres by American composers.
Born in San Jose, California, Uppman studied at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, at Stanford University and the University of Southern California. He made his concert début in 1947 in a performance of Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande given by the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Pierre Monteux. As Mélisande was sung by the legendary soprano Maggie Teyte, the event roused enormous interest and Uppman received a great deal of praise. The following year he made his operatic début at the New York City Opera, again as Pélleas, which was evidently a particularly good role for him at that point in his career.
The premiere of Billy Budd at Covent Garden took place on December 1, 1951. Peter Pears sang Captain Vere and Frederick Dahlberg the sadistic Master-at-Arms, Claggart. Britten himself conducted the first performance, which was a great success. Uppman was generally thought to have sung and acted extremely well. There were 12 performances and during the season the American baritone also sang two performances of Papageno in The Magic Flute and two of Marcello in La Bohème. The following year he made a television film of Billy Budd, which was the only performance of the opera seen in the US until 1970.
Uppman made his Metropolitan Opera début in 1953, once again singing Pelléas. During his quarter of a century at the Met, his most popular roles were Mozart’s Papageno, Giuglielmo in Cosí fan tutte and Masetto in Don Giovanni. He also sang many comic roles such as Taddeo in L’italiana in Algerí, Piquillo in Offenbach’s La Périchole, Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus and Harlequin in Ariadne auf Naxos with great success. In 1956 Uppman renewed his connection with Britten, when he sang Mountjoy in a concert performance of Gloriana in Cincinnati that was the opera’s US premiere.
Back at New York City Opera, in 1962 Uppman created the title role of Carlisle Floyd’s The Passion of Jonathan Wade. In 1970 came the US stage premiere of Billy Budd in Chicago, with a mainly British cast. In 1972, he sang Juan in the first performance of Thomas Pasatieri’s The Black Widow in Seattle. After creating Bill in Leonard Bernstein’s A Quiet Place at Houston in 1983, the following year he sang the same role at La Scala, Milan.