Every major opera company needs singers who, though they lack star power, can perform leading roles wth competence on a regular basis. They might not sell tickets, but when they’re on the bill with big attractions, they hold the show together and do so creditably and with some distinction. Mario Chamlee (1892-1966) was such a singer.
The tenor was born in Los Angeles as Archer Ragland Chamlee; he was the son of a physician. He graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in science. He first studied voice with Achille Alberti in Los Angeles and later with Sibella and Dellera in New York City. He made his debut in Los Angeles in 1916 as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor with the Lombardi Opera Company.
During World War I, he served in the Army. He was a member of the Argonne Players, a group of army soldiers who sang and entertained troops on the front line. General Pershing personally selected the tenor to perform with an ensemble for delegates at the 1919 Paris Peace Conference.
Following the war, he began singing at movie theaters, which, at the time, commonly featured live entertainment in addition to the film. He was discovered by the great baritone Antonio Scotti and joined the Scotti Opera Company. This engagement led to his debut at the Met on November 22, 1920 as Cavaradossi in Tosca, a little more than a month before the last appearance of Enrico Caruso.
Caruso’s death created a void that Chamlee and other tenors, such as Giovanni Martinelli, Beniamino Gigli, and Giacomo Lauri-Volpi, filled. That Chamlee was able to sustain a career at the Met from 1920 to 1939, during which he performed 219 times, speaks to his ability.
His roles at the Met were lyric or lirico-spinto. He was often cast in Rossini’s Barber, Verdi’s Rigoletto, and La Traviata. His Puccini roles were in La Bohème, Tosca, and Butterfly.
Away from the Met, he sang the lighter Wagner roles at the San Francisco Opera. He also appeared at the Vienna Volkoper, the Paris Opéra, and at the Deutches Theater in Prague. He retired at age 47 to concentrate on private teaching with his wife, soprano Ruth Miller.
He made numerous recordings during his career. Nine of these are below. His sound is well produced, though a little tight and forced at its top. His singing is professional and up to the standard of the Met, but not at a level that would warrant special trip to hear him.
‘E lucevan le stelle’ from Tosca, the opera in which he debuted at the Met, is well done, even allowing for the squeak at the end masquerading as emotion.
‘Che gelida manina’ is well done (I’m going to have to use the phrase a lot here). The voice is solid, the phrasing apt, and the climactic high note on pitch if a bit forced.
Chamlee sang only two performances of Ponchielli’s La Gioconda at the Met, both with Rosa Ponselle in the title role. ‘Cielo e mar’ is from Act 2. Again, his singing is well done, even good. His voice is focused and has the needed steely sound.
At the Met, Chamlee sang both Gounod’s and Boito’s Faust – the latter from Mefistofele. Chaliapin was the devil in several of these performances. ‘Salut demeure’ is from the Gounod version of the tale. His performance is ______, fill in the blank.
Carmen was not part of Chamlee’s repertory at the Met. I don’t know if he sang Don Jose at other houses. The “Flower Song” is from Act 2. Chamlee’s voice was clearly up to the demands of the part.
Chamlee sang Donizetti’s Lucia five times at the Met, but never did the composer’s ‘L’elisir d’amore’ either in concert or as a part of a complete performance in New York. His rendition of ‘Una furtiva lagrima’ is full throated, a little too much so.
Chamlee sang Massenet’s Manon eight times at the Met, all during the first part of his stay with the company. ‘Ah! fuyez, douce image’ is from the Saint-Sulpice scene in Act 3. Chamlee gives the aria a fine reading.
‘O Paradiso’ from Meyerbeer’s L’Africana gets a solid performance from the always reliable Chamlee.
Vesti la giubba from Pagliacci was never performed by Chamlee at the Met. He was always on the other half of the bill singing Turridu in Cavalleria Rusticana. His singing is competent, but lacks the emotional content needed to fully realize the famous aria.
Chamlee was a well known tenor during his years at the Met. That he has largely been forgotten does not take away from his skill, which was considerable. He was a second line performer who is needed to keep a big house like the Met going. When a company gives seven shows a week for most of the year, it cannot have a great star in every role for every performance. This why singers like Chamlee are essential.
