If you were to browse through Walter L. Mower's family history, one trait that appears often among the Mower clan is musical ability. Admittedly it is not an attribute I inherited - I recall my grandmother Mower saying more than once that what I lacked for in ability, I made up for in volume. But given that several Mowers were musical, imagine what would happen if two descending lines of the family intersected, perhaps we'd end up with a world-renowned opera singer in the family. Well, that is just what happened. In 1872, William Henry Richardson, a grandson of Martin & Mary (Underhill) Mower through their daughter Emily, married Mary Mower, a granddaughter of Martin & Mary (Underhill) Mower through their son, John Edwards Mower. Yes, indeed, first cousins. They had three children, the youngest of which was born 21 Feb 1883 in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was appropriately named Martin Mower Richardson.
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| Martin Mower Richardson |
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Starting his singing career young, Martin was singing in his school choir in St. Paul at the age of 10, a choir that was under the direction of E. Oberhoffer who went on to be the conductor of the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra. In a St. Paul newspaper, specific mention was made of Martin, reporting that "particularly noticeable was that [voice] of Martin Richardson, whose tenor was remarkable for so young a voice." After high school, he pursued his music education in St. Paul and New York. He began his career as a vocal teacher at the private Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania during 1910-11, but then moved to Europe to further his own education, studying under the eminent Maestro Vincenzo Lombardi. During 1912-1914, Martin performed throughout Italy, as well as Paris and London. On May 31, 1914, he made his operatic debut as Ernesto in "Don Pasquale" at the Royal Opera in Florence, Italy. He returned to the States during the last half of 1914 having been engaged for the Boston Opera, a venture which failed upon his return. Martin sang in St. Margaret's Episcopal Church and other churches in the New York City area. He gave numerous concerts and recitals in New York, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., performing at both famous concert venues and at private balls and social events. A search of period newspapers on the east coast have countless references to appearances. He also was a popular private vocal instructor. Martin toured Maine in 1916 (giving one pause to ponder whether any of his Mower cousins attended his concerts). He then set out during 1917-18, touring the western states. Martin was a recurrent performer for several seasons at Lake Mohonk Mountain House, an elite summer resort in New York. While in Washington, D.C., he performed for many American and foreign diplomats. In 1922, Martin attended a reception at the White House (President Warren Harding being in office). Martin also lived in Cleveland, Ohio, for a time during his later years.
One review which appeared in
The Washington Times on 12 December 1919, reports that "his voice is full and vibrant and even, but he is inclined to "spend" it too much, pouring out its full volume overmuch and making his songs of the same dramatic caliber as the arias. So excellent an organ should be somewhat conserved and would be rendered thereby more artistic. In soft work Mr. Richardson has a smooth and suave quality of very lovely town, that has a violin timbre in it of appeal and color."
Of personal note, we learn from his passport application that Martin Richardson was 5'9" tall, with black hair, brown eyes and an aquiline nose. On 19 May 1923, he married Mary Margaret Negley in Manhattan, New York. The couple had no children. Martin died in Ohio on 17 March 1950.
A special thank you to cousin Vivien Richardson Gorski for bringing Martin Mower Richardson to my attention.
Line
of descent A: 1-Richard Mower, 2-Samuel Mower, 3-Samuel Mower, 4-Jonathan
Mower, 5-John Mower, 6-Martin Mower, 7-Emily (Mower) Richardson, 8-William Henry Richardson
Line of descent B: 1-Richard Mower, 2-Samuel Mower, 3-Samuel Mower, 4-Jonathan
Mower, 5-John Mower, 6-Martin Mower, 7-John Edwards Mower, 8-Mary (Mower) Richardson
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Sources
- "U.S. Passport Applications 1795-1925 [database online]." Digital image. Ancestry.com, Ancestry. www.ancestry.com : 2007.
- Saerchinger, Cesar, editor. International Who's Who in Music and Musical Gazeteer: A Comtemporary Biographical Dictionary and a Record of the World's Musical Activity. .New York, New York: Current Literature Publishing Company, 1918.
- The Musical Monitor. Oct. 1920, p. 24. books.google.com.
- "Martin Richardson Pleases in Recital." The Washington Times, Washington, D.C. 12/12/1919, p. 3, col. 4.
- "Martin Richardson." The Washington Times, Washington, D.C. 02/09/1922, p. 8, col. 5
- "High School Operetta." The St. Paul Daily Globe. 5/17/1902.
- Gorski, Vivien Richardson. Richardson Family Tree. Ancestry.com. Accessed 10/03/2016.
