Dorothy Bond

Dorothy Bond (1921 – 20 November 1952) was an English coloratura soprano whose star shone brightly but briefly. She was noted for the purity of her tone and the accuracy of her intonation. She became a favourite singer of Sir Thomas Beecham's, recording Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann in 1947 and providing the voice of Olympia in the 1951 film of the opera. She also recorded Delius's A Village Romeo and Juliet under Beecham, and Ernest Bloch's Sacred Service under the composer. She was killed in a road accident at the age of 31.

Training

Dorothy Bond studied piano and cello at the Royal Academy of Music in London.^[1] She expressed an interest in becoming a singer, but Professor Evelyn Langston advised her to wait till she turned 20. This proved to be sound advice, as the fine coloratura voice she developed by the mid-1940s earned her a solid reputation in the concert hall.^[2]

Career

In 1947 she sang Olympia in a recording of Jacques Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann under Sir Thomas Beecham. In 1948 there was Beecham's recording of Frederick Delius's A Village Romeo and Juliet.^[3] She sang the roles of Vreli as a child, and the Gingerbread Woman.^[4][5]

In 1949 she participated in a recording of Ernest Bloch's Avodath Hakodesh (Sacred Service), conducted by the composer.^[2][3] The same year she sang the high notes in a recording of the Sleepwalking Scene from Giuseppe Verdi's Macbeth, conducted by Beecham, which was otherwise sung by Margherita Grandi.^[3][6]

In 1949 and again in 1952, she was the soprano soloist in performances of Ralph Vaughan Williams's A Pastoral Symphony at the BBC Proms. The latter performance was conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent.^[7][8]

In 1951 she again contributed to a Beecham Hoffmann project, this time his conducting of the Powell and Pressburger film version. She was the voice of Olympia; the character was danced and acted by Moira Shearer.^[9]

The same year she recorded Johann Sebastian Bach's cantata Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn, BWV 152, conducted by Karl Haas.^[2][3]

With her second husband, the violinist Tom William Jenkins, she recorded a selection of songs and arias, including "O luce di quest'anima" from Gaetano Donizetti's Linda di Chamounix (reaching a top F with ease),^[1] Eric Coates's "Bird Songs at Eventide", the "Waltz Song" from Edward German's Tom Jones, and Olympia's Song from The Tales of Hoffmann (this recording gained her the singing role of Olympia in the 1947 recording, which was used for the 1951 film).^[1][10]

Death

On 20 November 1952, at the age of 31, Dorothy Bond was killed in a road accident.^[11]

Personal life

Her first husband was Michael Dobson (1923–1992), principal oboist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. They had a daughter, Ann.^[12]

In 1951 she married (as the second of his three wives) the violinist Tom William Jenkins (1910–1957), with whom she had a son.^[2][13]

References