Opera Scotland

Harold Blackburn Suggest updates

Born Hamilton, 1925.

Died London, 27 November 1981.

Scottish bass.

Harold Blackburn studied singing privately in Glasgow.  In 1947 he joined the chorus at Carl Rosa, making his début as Ferrando in Il Trovatore.  The following year he joined Sadler’s Wells, initially in the chorus, but being promoted to principal from 1952.  He maintained a base with the Sadler’s Wells and English National Opera companies throughout his career.  His easily produced, powerful and black-toned bass voice gave him great versatility, and he was noted for wonderfully clear diction both in comic and serious roles.

He toured to Scotland almost annually with Sadler’s Wells.  In the late 1950s these roles included the Sacristan (Tosca), Colline (La Bohème), Antonio and Bartolo (Marriage of Figaro), Dr Grenvil (La Traviata) and Sparafucile (Rigoletto).  He made guest appearances with Welsh National Opera and the English Opera Group.

Blackburn was a regular colleague of Alexander Gibson in his Sadler’s Wells years in the 1950s and along with David Ward and William McAlpine gave support to the formation of Scottish Opera by returning to sing with the company in its early years.  He appeared in 1964 as Leporello and Lodovico, and in 1968 as Swallow in the Edinburgh Festival Peter Grimes.  He also appeared at the 1965 Festival, singing Budd in the English Opera Group’s production of Albert Herring.

He was noted for his performances of Rossini, and his roles at Sadler’s Wells and the Coliseum included  Mustafà (Italian Girl in Algiers),  Don Basilio (Barber of Seville),  Mayor (Thieving Magpie) and  Tutor (Count Ory).  He sang some Wagner, including  Daland,  Fasolt and  Hunding.  Other parts were  Tiresias in Oedipus Rex,  Sarastro,  Kutuzov in War and Peace, the  Grand Inquisitor in Don Carlos,  Simone (Gianni Schicchi),  Beneš (Dalibor),  Crespel (Tales of Hoffmann) and  Baron Ochs.  With SWO/ENO he created the roles of Sherrin in The Mines of Sulphur (Bennett 1965),  Humpage in A Penny for a Song (Bennett 1968), and Steffan in Lucky Peter’s Journey (Williamson 1969)  and sang  Father Barré in the British premiere of The Devils of Loudun (Penderecki).

With the English Opera Group he toured to Canada, Japan and Australia,  and in Johannesburg he appeared as  Colline,  Don Pasquale and  Leporello.

He did not make many commercial recordings, but can be heard in typical form as the  Abbot in Britten’s own 1965 recording of Curlew River.  He also sings  Tiresias on the Sadler’s Wells recording of Oedipus Rex and the small role of Old Adam in Sir Malcolm Sargent’s 1963 recording of Ruddigore.