Braslau, Sophie (1888–1935)

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Braslau, Sophie (1888–1935)

American contralto. Born Aug 16, 1888, in New York, NY; died Dec 22, 1935, in NY, NY; dau. of Abel Braslau and Lascha (Goodelman) Braslau (both Russian-Jewish immigrants); attended Institute of Musical Art in NY; never married; no children.

Particularly noted for her 3-octave range as well as volume and quality of voice, studied voice with Arturo Buzzi-Peccia; received contract with Metropolitan Opera (1913), debuting as A Voice in Parsifal; performed many roles at Met, including title role in Shanewis and parts in Tosca, Hänsel und Gretel, L'Amore dei Tre Re, Madame SansGêne, L'Oracolo, and Carmen; made 1st concert appearances in Cleveland and Baltimore (1914); gave 1st NY recital at Aeolian Hall (1916) and last performance at Metropolitan (1920), in favor of concert work in US and abroad; toured England, Netherlands, and Scandinavian countries (1931); made last public appearance (1934) in NY at Lewisohn Stadium.