The Simonsens of St. Kilda – A Family of Singers
By Roger Neill
Published 2023
Paperback, 372 pages
ISBN: 978-1399942195
Per Diem Projects
Roger Neill, the author of this book, is a UK-based, distinguished arts historian, spreading his talent and interests in many different directions. He helped Sam Wanamaker to re-build Shakespeare’s Globe in London; curated the exhibition Legends: The Art of Walter Barnett for the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra; co-produced the 4 CD set From Melba to Sutherland: Australian Singers on Record for Decca Eloquence and has published several works of which the most remarkable (before the present one) is Divas: Mathilde Marchesi and her Pupils. I took this information from Roger Neill’s website, well worth a visit to discover more about the author and his work.
The Simonsens of St. Kilda – A Family of Singers is Roger Neill’s latest book and it tells the story of the exceptional Simonsen family, an extraordinary musical dynasty. It all started with French soprano Fanny Simonsen and her Danish husband, Martin Simonsen – a violinist and conductor. Their story and that of their children and grandchildren is as fascinating as it is remarkable. Between them and through circa a hundred years, their family produced twelve professional singers and three violinists. Not all were successful but notably two of the greatest international prima donnas from the later part of the 19th and the first half of the 20th centuries – the great Frances Saville and the fabulous Frances Alda – were respectively daughter and granddaughter of Fanny and Martin Simonsen.
In a brief e-mail conversation I carried out with Roger Neill, he told me that this book, just like his previous about famous teacher Mathilde Marchesi and her pupils, was “a massive undertaking, over several years” – a fact that becomes immediately obvious once you begin reading it. The research involved into writing about the life and work of this remarkable family is phenomenal and meticulous. Mr Neill said that his task was made easier by the internet and by the labour of New Zealander Adrienne Simpson, who was working on the subject of the Simonsens. Sadly, she died before completing her endeavour. Movingly, Mr Neill dedicates this book to her in memoriam. You can read Mr Neill’s full answers to my questions at the end of the review.
Once I began reading this book, the first thing that came to mind was the dedication and determination needed for the completion of such a work. It is long, comprehensive and very detailed but don’t fear, it isn’t boring. On the contrary, it’s engrossing and stimulating. The insight on how opera companies toured and worked in 19th century Australia and New Zealand is especially informative and interesting. It’s staggering to see the unbelievable number of performances given by them in a relatively short period of time, as well as the numerous, varied roles the singers took on. Unthinkable for today’s artists.
The story of the various Simonsen family members is always compelling but, as mentioned, not all were successful, celebrated artists. The range of behaviours and attitudes differs tremendously to the point that one of them – tenor Jules Simonsen – resorted to robbery while in the United States to make ends meet and was condemned to 12 years imprisonment. But it is exactly this disparity in careers and the very different personalities that make this book such an engaging read.
The Simonsens of St. Kilda is structured in logical chapters, dealing with the various members of the family in chronological order. It is easy to follow the narrative without getting confused as to who’s who, where and when. The story of the family involves many people, sometimes with the same or similar names repeated across the generations, but rarely did I need to page back to ensure I knew who I was reading about at a particular moment. In my opinion, it demonstrates the author’s skill in juggling the materials and characters. My favourite stories were those of prima donnas Frances Saville and Frances Alda. They are names I know, famous singers of the past I have heard of. It is absorbing to read about their lives and careers in a time very different from our own. The chapter of Frances Saville and Mahler was a favourite of mine. It reveals a woman who was not afraid of challenging men and a rather interesting relationship between two very strong-minded artists. Besides this what I most enjoyed reading was about Frances Alda, celebrated soprano of her time, who had a fantastic career and led a fabulous, glamorous and rather entertaining life. Her professional partnership with some of the greatest and finest male artists of her time – such as Caruso, Gigli and Toscanini – is simply fascinating. Important in such a family saga is also to situate people in their time, something that the author masterly achieves. Roger Neill never forgets to include other relevant artists, who are not part of the family, tracing parallels to the Simonsens’ careers – soprano Nellie Melba, for example, is one of them.
Mr Neill writes well. The narrative is structured with clarity and flows easily with logic and rhythm. His writing is not only informative but also clear, eloquent and highly intellectual but never patronising or arrogant. At times, it is perhaps a tad too exhaustive in its detail but I think it’s unavoidable in a work of this nature. Occasionally, I found that the book is just a long list of performances and important dates regarding the various members of the family, presented in meticulous chronological order. Although this can at times become a little tedious, I think it is inevitable on this type of family history. Because some of the family members have similar or the same names across generations, I found particularly useful the Simonsen Family Tree, presented in Appendix 1 of the book, as is Appendix 2 listing operas performed by the first time and role debuts by Simonsen singers. There is also an Appendix 3 with the discographies of Frances Saville and Frances Alda – the two members of the family that enjoyed international, celebrated careers and fame as opera singers. Alda’s life and career prompted me to buy her memoirs on the one hand, as I was intrigued by Mr Neill’s opinion. He told me they “are a riot”. On the other, it motivated me to look for some of Alda’s recordings. While I’ve heard Nellie Melba sing in some modern day digitally reworked downloads, I had never heard Alda. Some of her recordings have been reissued on LP and CD and some of these can be found on Amazon as Audio CDs or as an MP3 album. I listened to the MP3. It is interesting from a historical perspective because it documents the voice of a great singer from the past. You can hear Frances Alda. You’ll notice her voice must have been great. Sadly, it’s also obvious that the technology available then doesn’t give it full justice. The original recordings were not of great quality – technically in those days there were many limitations – so the sound is often nasal and unclear. The voice is beautifully crystalline and strong on the high notes but it fades in the middle or the lower registers. The orchestra is barely audible. Naturally, this is no fault of the artists or musicians involved but of the equipment of the day. Even after the clean-up and polishing with today’s digital technology the situation is not that much improved. However, I’d recommend having a go. It is enough to understand what great voice Alda possessed and why she became such a star.
The Simonsens of St. Kilda, a Family of Singers is presented in a handsome format and contains plenty of images in black and white. It features an attractive cover in colour, reproducing a portrait of Frances Saville, painted by Arthur von Ferraris. It is available on Amazon, paperback only format, at the price of £19.95 when I first looked. However, as of yesterday, it decreased to £16.39.
I enjoyed reading this book enormously. To summarise, The Simonsens of St. Kilda, a Family of Singers makes for an engaging, insightful and interesting read. In my opinion, it will appeal to lovers of history in general and of history of opera in particular.
Margarida Mota-Bull
Margarida writes more than just reviews, check it online: https://www.flowingprose.com/
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Brief Conversation with author Roger Neill via e-mail:
MMB: How did you become interested in the Simonsen family?
RN: I’ve long been interested in early singers. In the 1980s I was given a copy of the glossy programme for the opening season at Sydney Opera House. It included an LP of Aussie singers with notes. The notes conflated two different singers into one – Frances Saville and Frances Alda. I became curious …
MMB: What moved you to write the book and why do you think it was important to do so?
RN: I then encountered the pioneering work of New Zealander Adrienne Simpson, who was covering different parts of the Simonsen family piece by piece. Sadly she died before she could pull it all together. I dedicated the book to her in memoriam.
MMB: This book is a big enterprise and a huge commitment. In your own words, please describe briefly to me how difficult it was to complete such an undertaking, focusing on research and organisation of the materials.
RN: The advent of the internet has enabled me to thoroughly trawl through her work [Adrienne Simpson’s], extending and making corrections. Much easier than for Adrienne! My previous book, DIVAS: Mathilde Marchesi and her Pupils, was a similarly massive undertaking, over several years.
MMB: I found the story of Frances Alda particularly fascinating and I thought that, had she been an artist in today’s world, she would probably have become a social media star, with many followers, alongside her career as an opera singer. What do you think?
RN: I think you’re absolutely right about Alda. Her memoirs, “Men, Women and Tenors”, are a riot – by far the most engaging operatic memoirs.
MMB: Finally while going through the book it occurred to me that so much musical and singing talent in one family must have to do with the genes they shared. On the other hand, their bringing up, as well as external influences, must also have contributed to this unusual situation. What is your view?
RN: Since publishing, I’ve been contacted by an academic group based in Melbourne, who are researching singing and genetics … Whatever the effect of ‘nature’, there was also a massive effect of ‘nurture’, sharing a family home at St Kilda, the house of song.
