Robert Merrill was born on June 4, 1917, and passed away on October 23, 2004. He was an American baritone singer in operas and an actor who performed in musical theatre. In 1993, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts.

Early life

Merrill was born Moishe Miller, later known as Morris Miller, in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York. He was the son of Abraham Miller, originally named Milstein, a tailor, and his wife, Lillian (née Balaban), Jewish immigrants from Pultusk, a town near Warsaw, Poland. His paternal grandparents were Berl Milstein and Chana (née Mlawski), both from Pultusk, Poland.

His mother claimed to have had an operatic and concert career in Poland, but her son denied this in his biographies. She encouraged her son to receive voice training early in life, as his stutter did not show when he sang. Merrill was inspired to take professional singing lessons after seeing the baritone Richard Bonelli perform the role of Count Di Luna in the opera Il Trovatore at the Metropolitan Opera. He used money he earned as a semi-professional baseball pitcher to pay for the lessons.

Radio and recordings

In his early radio performances as a singer, he was sometimes listed as Merrill Miller. While performing at bar mitzvahs, weddings, and Borscht Belt resorts, he met an agent named Moe Gale, who helped him get work at Radio City Music Hall and with the NBC Symphony Orchestra, led by Arturo Toscanini. With Toscanini conducting, he later sang in two of the conductor's NBC Symphony broadcasts of famous operas: La traviata (with Licia Albanese in 1946) and Un ballo in maschera (with Herva Nelli in 1954). Both operas were recorded and later released on LP and CD by RCA Victor. His importance as an NBC performer is shown by his inclusion in NBC’s 1947 promotional book, NBC Parade of Stars: As Heard Over Your Favorite NBC Station, which featured Sam Berman’s caricatures of leading NBC personalities.

Merrill’s first operatic performance in 1944 was in Verdi’s Aida in Newark, New Jersey, alongside the famous tenor Giovanni Martinelli, who was near the end of his long operatic career. Merrill, who continued his vocal training under Samuel Margolis, made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1945 as the winner of the Metropolitan Opera Auditions of the Air, performing the role of Germont in La traviata. Also in 1945, Merrill recorded a 78 rpm album set with Jeanette MacDonald, featuring songs from the operetta Up in Central Park. MacDonald and Merrill performed two duets together on this album.

In 1951, Merrill recorded a series of operatic duets with the Swedish tenor Jussi Björling for RCA Victor, including a widely known recording of “Au fond du temple saint” from Bizet’s opera Les pêcheurs de perles. That same year, he participated in another famous RCA Victor recording of Bizet’s Carmen, with Risë Stevens and Jan Peerce, conducted by Fritz Reiner.

In 1952, Merrill, Björling, and Victoria de los Ángeles made a highly praised RCA Victor recording of Puccini’s La bohème, conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham. In 1953, Merrill, Björling, de los Ángeles, and Zinka Milanov recorded the complete versions of Pagliacci and Cavalleria rusticana.

Metropolitan Opera

In the musical comedy film Aaron Slick from Punkin Crick (1952), his role caused a disagreement with Sir Rudolf Bing, leading to a short time away from the Metropolitan Opera (Met) in 1951. Merrill performed many baritone roles. After the on-stage death of the well-known baritone Leonard Warren in 1960, Merrill became the Met's main baritone, sharing that role with Cornell MacNeil after a few years. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, he performed under the direction of Alfredo Antonini in outdoor Italian Night concerts at Lewisohn Stadium in New York City, singing arias from Italian operas.

Time magazine described him as "one of the Met's best baritones." However, reviews were not always positive. Opera magazine criticized a performance of The Barber of Seville in which Merrill was said to deliver "by far the most unconvincing portrayal of the season." The reviewer noted "loud, coarse sounds" and "no grace, no charm," stating that Merrill "butchered the text" and "moved clumsily on stage."

Later career

Merrill appeared on the radio show "Voice of Firestone" with Joanne Hill.

He continued to perform on radio and television, in nightclubs, and at recitals. In 1973, Merrill worked with Richard Tucker to present a concert at Carnegie Hall. This was the first time the two singers performed together, and it was also the first time the New York public and critics saw them perform. Merrill said this event set an example that later helped lead to the "Three Tenors" concerts many years later. He retired from the Metropolitan Opera in 1976. In 1977, he appeared on the TV special "Sinatra & Friends." He sang "If I Were a Rich Man" alone and performed "The Oldest Established Permanent Floating Crap Game in New York" with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. For many years, he led religious services, often in Borscht Belt hotels, during the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.

In 1981, the University of Pennsylvania Glee Club honored Merrill for his major influence on American vocal music with the prestigious Glee Club Award of Merit.

In 1996, at a reception at Lincoln Center, Merrill received The Lawrence Tibbett Award from the AGMA Relief Fund. This award recognized his 50 years of professional work and his support for other performers. The AGMA Relief Fund helps classical musicians who need financial help or other support.

Sporting events

Later in his singing career, Merrill became well-known for performing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Yankee Stadium and Giants Stadium. He first sang the national anthem to begin the 1967 baseball season, and the New York Yankees made it a tradition to invite him back each year on Opening Day and during special events. He performed at events called Old Timer's Days, wearing a pinstriped Yankees uniform with the number "1 1⁄2" on the back. He also sang during a ceremony at Yankee Stadium on August 3, 1979, to honor Thurman Munson, a player who died in a plane crash the day before. Merrill performed at one World Series game each year the Yankees played in the Fall Classic at the stadium, starting in 1976. A recording of his performance is still sometimes played at Yankee Stadium, especially during Old Timer's Day events. In 2021, the Yankees replaced the live organ version of "God Bless America," which had been played for nearly two years, with a recording of Merrill's version.

Merrill preferred to sing the anthem in a traditional style, without extra embellishments. In an interview with Newsday in 2000, he said, "When you sing the anthem, there's a correct way to do it. I'm very upset by different versions of it." He also appeared in the 2003 movie Anger Management, singing the national anthem alongside actor Adam Sandler. Merrill joked that many people now know him as "The 'Say-Can-You-See' guy" because of this scene.

Personal life

There is some disagreement about when he was born (some say 1919), but official records, his family, and his gravestone all state he was born in 1917.

Merrill married soprano Roberta Peters in 1952, but they divorced soon after. He had two children with his second wife, Marion Machno, who was a pianist. Merrill enjoyed playing golf and was a member of the Westchester Country Club in Rye, New York, for many years.

He wrote two memoir books, Once More from the Beginning (1965) and Between Acts (1976), and co-authored a novel titled The Divas (1978).

Merrill traveled worldwide with his arranger and conductor, Angelo DiPippo, who helped create most of his performances and conducted concerts in halls around the world.

Death

Merrill died on October 23, 2004, at his home in New Rochelle, New York, at the age of 87. He was buried at Sharon Gardens Cemetery in Valhalla, New York, which is the part of Kensico Cemetery that is for Jewish people. His headstone has an opera curtain that is pulled open.

His epitaph states: "Like a bursting celestial star, he showered his family and the world with love, joy, and beauty. Encore please."

Studio recordings

Robert Merrill recorded 25 or more complete operas in studio recordings, including two Toscanini radio broadcasts.

Listen to

• WNYC Soundcheck: Robert Merrill Remembered (October 26, 2004). Saved on September 30, 2007, using the Wayback Machine.