Australian soprano, Dame Nellie Melba is regarded as the most accomplished and famous soprano of her time and was the first Australian to achieve international recognition on the opera stage. Born Helen Porter Mitchell, Melba was raised in Melbourne in a musical family and received her early singing tuition from Ellen Christian and the Italian tenor, Pietro Cecchi. After marriage and the birth of her son, she went on to study in Paris with the prominent teacher Mathilde Marchesi. Marchesi is credited with transforming her into a brilliant vocalist and for persuading her to adopt a stage name, which she chose to be 'Melba', an abbreviation of her home town. In 1887, Melba made her operatic debut in Brussels as Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto and went on to sing with great success in London, Paris, Milan and New York. She established herself as Covent Garden's prima donna, maintaining her own permanent dressing room there. Her most famous operatic role was as Mimi in Puccini's La Boheme and she studied many of her operatic roles with the composers themselves. Her recitals included many songs, notably Bishop's Home Sweet Home and Arditi's Se saran rose (The Melba Waltz). Between 1904 and 1926 Melba made almost 200 recordings and in 1920 she appeared on a pioneering radio broadcast from Guglielmo Marconi's factory. Some recordings of her voice have been re-released for contemporary audiences but the limitations of early recording technology have not justly preserved the quality of her voice. Melba's interpretative abilities were often criticised, however, her voice was remarkable for its even quality over a range of almost three octaves, and for the purity of its timbre. Melba returned to Australia on many occasions, touring in 1902 and 1909 and with the Melba-Williamson Opera Company in 1911, 1924 and 1928. In 1909 she bought a property at Coldstream near Lilydale, Victoria, named Coombe Cottage. She based herself in Australia during the First World War and worked to raise funds for war charities. For her services to the war effort, Melba was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1918. During this period she established a singing school at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, now renamed the Melba Memorial Conservatorium of Music, providing her services free of charge. In 1927 Melba sang at the opening of Parliament House in Canberra, and was elevated to Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire. She gave a series of farewell concerts in the 1920s, with her final performances taking place in Australia in 1928. Melba died in 1931 of septicaemia from an infection acquired during plastic surgery. She was given a state funeral in which the motorcade was over a kilometre long. Her name is associated with two foods, the Peach Melba dessert and Melba toast, and her image features on the Australian 100-dollar note.
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Dame Nellie Melba (née Helen Porter Mitchell) was an internationally renowned opera singer, celebrated for her magnificent coloratura (soprano) voice.
Melba's musical training began in Melbourne at Presbyterian Ladies' College, and continued in France under Mathilde Marchesi. Her operatic debut was in Brussels, in 1887.
Melba went on to perform in London, Paris and New York before returning to Australia to tour in 1902. She also toured Australia in 1909, 1911, 1924 and 1928. She founded a women's singing school in Melbourne and wrote a singing manual and a memoir.
Melba was appointed to The Order of the British Empire, Dame Grand Cross (Civil) on 3 June 1927 for services to Australia. She was also appointed to The Order of the British Empire, Dames Commander, on 15 March 1918 for giving fund-raising concerts to assist war wounded during the First World War.
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