Alice Geraldine Farrar was born on February 28, 1882, and died on March 11, 1967. She was an American soprano singer who performed both lyric and dramatic roles. People admired her beauty, acting skills, and the unique sound of her voice. In the 1910s, she became successful as an actress in silent films. Many young women admired her and were called "Gerry-flappers."

Early life and education

Farrar was born in Melrose, Massachusetts, to Sidney Farrar, a baseball player, and his wife, Henrietta Barnes. At age five, she started studying music in Boston. By age 14, she was giving concerts. Later, she studied voice with American soprano Emma Thursby in New York City, then in Paris, and finally with Italian baritone Francesco Graziani in Berlin. Farrar made a big success at the Berlin Hofoper with her first performance as Marguerite in Charles Gounod’s Faust in 1901. She stayed with the company for three years, continuing her studies with famous German soprano Lilli Lehmann. (She was recommended to Lehmann by another well-known soprano from an earlier time, Lillian Nordica.) She performed the main roles in Giuseppe Verdi’s La traviata, Ambroise Thomas’s Mignon, and Jules Massenet’s Manon, as well as the role of Juliette in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette. Her fans in Berlin included Crown Prince Wilhelm of Germany, with whom it is believed she had a relationship beginning in 1903.

Career in grand opera

After working at the Monte Carlo Opera for three years, Farrar made her debut at the New York Metropolitan Opera in Roméo et Juliette on November 26, 1906. In 1907, she performed the main character in the first production of Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly at the Met. She remained a member of the company until she retired in 1922, singing 29 different roles in 672 performances. She became very popular, especially with young women in New York who were called "Gerry-flappers." Farrar created the main roles in Amica by Pietro Mascagni (Monte Carlo, 1905), Suor Angelica by Puccini (New York City, 1918), Madame Sans-Gêne by Umberto Giordano (New York, 1915), and the Goosegirl in Königskinder by Engelbert Humperdinck (New York, 1910). For this role, she trained her own flock of geese. A review in the New York Tribune of the first performance noted, "at the close of the opera Miss Farrar caused 'much amusement' by appearing before the curtain with a live goose under her arm."

According to her biographer:
Farrar recorded many songs for the Victor Talking Machine Company and was often shown in advertisements by that company.

Film career

Farrar also acted in silent films that were made during the times between opera performances. Literary and film critic Edward Wagenknecht called Geraldine Farrar "the most renowned artist Paramount brought to the screen." The hiring of Farrar by producer Jesse Lasky in 1915 was considered "the most significant success in motion-picture history" at that time. As a leading singer with the Metropolitan Opera, Farrar’s move to Hollywood was very exciting and celebrated.

She appeared in more than a dozen films from 1915 to 1920, including Cecil B. De Mille’s 1915 version of Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen. The film’s first showing at Symphony Hall in Boston was followed by a big advertising campaign and received very positive reviews from critics. The newspaper San Francisco Call & Post wrote:

For her performance, she won first place among women in the 1916 "Screen Masterpiece" contest organized by Motion Picture Magazine. One of her other important screen roles—and the one she called her best—was as Joan of Arc in the 1916 film Joan the Woman.

In June 1931, Farrar made her first radio broadcast over the National Broadcasting Company’s nationwide "Red" network.

In 1960, Farrar received two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her work in music and film, located at 1620 and 1709 Vine Street.

Personal life

In 1908, Farrar began a seven-year romantic relationship with Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini. She demanded that he leave his wife and children to marry her, which led Toscanini to suddenly quit his job as principal conductor of the Metropolitan Opera in 1915. Farrar was a close friend of the Met’s famous tenor Enrico Caruso, and some people have guessed that they also had a romantic relationship. It is said that Caruso created her motto: "Farrar farà" ("Farrar will do it").

Farrar married actor Lou Tellegen on February 8, 1916, which caused a lot of controversy. The marriage ended in a public divorce in 1923 because of Tellegen’s many affairs. The details of the divorce were remembered again in 1934 after Tellegen committed suicide in Hollywood. When told about his death, Farrar reportedly said, "Why should that interest me?"

Farrar retired from opera in 1922 at age 40. Her last performance at the Met was as Leoncavallo’s Zazà. By this time, her voice had weakened early due to overwork. According to Henry Pleasants, a music critic who wrote The Great Singers from the Dawn of Opera to Our Own Time (1967), Farrar performed 25 to 35 times each season at the Met. These included 95 performances as Madama Butterfly and 58 as Carmen over 16 seasons. She also performed the title role in Puccini’s Tosca, which she added to her repertoire in 1909, and was one of her favorite roles at the Met.

After retiring from opera, Farrar quickly moved into concert performances. She signed to appear at a recital at Hershey Park on Memorial Day 1922. She continued making recordings and giving recitals throughout the 1920s. She also briefly served as an intermission commentator for the Metropolitan Opera’s radio broadcasts during the 1934–35 season. In 1938, Farrar published an unusual autobiography titled Such Sweet Compulsion. The book was written in alternating chapters that appeared to be her own words and those of her late mother, with her mother describing her daughter’s achievements in a highly detailed style.

Geraldine Farrar died in Ridgefield, Connecticut, from heart disease in 1967 at age 85. She was buried in Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York. She had no children.

In popular culture

Barbara Paul is an American author who has written many murder mystery novels. These stories include characters such as Geraldine Farrar, Enrico Caruso, and the Metropolitan Opera.