Irish Tenor John McCormack Gained International Acclaim by Presenting Opera, Classical Music and Ancient Irish Melodies in His Performances

Courtesy of Irish America Magazine

Ireland's world-renowned tenor John McCormack, who entertained millions of people around the globe with his brilliant voice and authentic rendition of Irish music, died on September 16, 1945 in Dublin.

He was born in Althone, County Westmeath, on June 14, 1884, McCormack. "He studied in Dublin and Milan and his career reached its height in the U.S. where he became a household name. Although an Irish tenor, McCormack preferred an operatic career. In America, following WWI, McCormack sang “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “The Star Spangled Banner” for President Wilson," according to Irish America Magazine.

McCormack’s arrival on the music scene helped to increase the popularity of Irish melodies in the United States, especially the works of Irish composers such as Thomas Moore and Samuel Lover. McCormack also added credibility to Irish-American songsters like Chauncey Olcott and Ernest Ball, who co-wrote McCormack’s first hit “Mother Machree,” in 1910. Of McCormack’s rendition of “Mother Machree,” author Mark Sullivan observed, “true Irish songs enabled a singer to be sentimental without causing shivers to the discriminating listener.”

On February 5, 1911, McCormack made his debut at Boston Symphony Hall, one of the great concert venues of the world. Between 1911 and 1936 he performed there sixty-seven times, more than any other singer.

The Irish Music Collection at Boston College's John J. Burns Library has an important collection of materials about John McCormack. And the Archival Collection at Boston Symphony Hall has programs from McCormack's concerts between 1911 and 1936, plus various newspaper clippings.

(Excerpts from Irish Boston: A Lively Look at Boston's Colorful Past, published by Rowman & Littlefield.)

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