• Track Listing

The Irish tenor John McCormack is widely regarded as one of the finest singers of the 20th century, rivalling other early greats like Enrico Caruso. From his early years in Irish church choirs, he graduated to training in Milan, and gave his first performance at Covent Garden in 1907, returning regularly until 1917. He also became extremely popular at New York's Metropolitan Opera, where he sang until 1918, also becoming an American citizen. He had a highly distinctive voice, and was renowned for his diction and breath control, that enabled him to sing 64 notes in one breath in the aria from Don Giovanni "Il Mio Tesori". He turned to recitals rather than grand opera, and, with his sweet tone and marvellous feel for a song, became one of the great balladeers of his time. He recorded prolifically from 1904 through to 1942, not long before his death in 1945, spanning the eras of cylinder, acoustic and electric recording. This great value 120-track 6-CD collection comprises material from his earliest acoustic recordings for Odeon in 1906, through acoustic recordings for HMV and Victor into the 1920s, and then electric recordings for the same labels up to 1942. It encompasses examples of his work across the range of operatic pieces, Irish songs, wartime favourites, and popular songs and ballads, including all the 70 or so titles which featured in the sheet music best-sellers of the era, presented in chronological order.