Jones, Parry
Jones, Parry
Jones, Parry , Welsh tenor; b. Blaina, Monmouthshire, Feb. 14, 1891; d. London, Dec. 26, 1963. He studied at the Royal Coll. of Music in London; also with Colli in Italy, Scheidemantel in Dresden, and John Coates in England. He made his debut in London in 1914; then sang in the U.S. He survived the German submarine attack on the S.S. Lusitania on his return trip to England in 1915, and then sang with the Beecham and D’Oyly Carte opera companies. He was a leading member of the Carl Rosa Opera Co. (1919–22) and the British National Opera Co. (1922–28); made his Covent Garden debut in London in 1921 as Turiddu; sang there again (1925-26; 1930-32; 1935; 1937), serving as a principal tenor there from 1949 to 1955, the 1953-54 season excepted. He then taught voice at the Guildhall School of Music in London. In 1962 he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. He sang in the first British performances of Wozzeck, Mathis der Maler, and Doktor Faust in concert broadcasts by the BBC; was also active as an oratorio singer.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire