The Life and Legacy of the Remarkable KATHLEEN FERRIER

By Margaret Brecknell

Kathleen Mary Ferrier was born 110 years ago this month. Although this charismatic contralto singer’s professional career lasted for little more than ten years, she remains one of the 20th-century’s most celebrated performers and left a remarkable legacy in more ways than one.

Kathleen was born, on 22nd April 1912, in the Lancashire village of Higher Walton, the third and youngest child of William and Alice Ferrier. Her father was a local schoolteacher and the family moved to Blackburn two years after Kathleen was born, when he was appointed as headmaster of St Paul’s School in the town.

Both of Kathleen’s parents were gifted amateur singers and from an early age Kathleen too showed musical talent, although not as a singer, but as a pianist. Kathleen is said to have taught herself to play at a very young age and, convinced of her young daughter’s potential, Kathleen’s mother arranged for her to have lessons with a local piano teacher called Frances Walker.

Kathleen’s playing developed rapidly under Frances Walker’s tuition. At the age of just 12 she entered the piano competition at the prestigious Lytham St Annes Music Festival and finished an impressive fourth out of forty-three entrants. The following year she returned and came second. There was talk of Kathleen going to a music college, but ultimately, with her father set to retire, the family’s financial situation meant that she was compelled to leave school and start work.

Only months after her 14th birthday, she found employment as a trainee switchboard operator with the GPO at Blackburn’s Telephone Exchange. Kathleen did, however, continue her lessons with Frances Walker and in November 1928 entered a national competition, organised by the Daily Express, to find the best young pianist. The 16-year-old won her regional heat in Manchester and an upright piano in the process, but she could not repeat her success at the final held in London’s Wigmore Hall.

Thereafter Kathleen’s reputation as a promising young pianist steadily grew, with more success in competitions such as the 1930 Liverpool Festival and her first appearance as a soloist at Blackburn’s King George’s Hall. She also began singing lessons with a local professional singer called Anne Chadwick, although her sister, Winifred, later recalled that at this time Kathleen lacked confidence in her vocal ability.

Her work as a telephonist also continued. In 1934 she transferred from Blackburn to the Blackpool Telephone Exchange to be nearer her future husband, a bank clerk called Bert Wilson. The pair married in November 1935, at which point her employment of nine years ended. In those days the GPO did not employ married women.

The couple were soon on the move when Bert was transferred to Silloth in Cumbria. Kathleen’s life seemed to be going nowhere fast during those early years in Cumbria, but all that changed in 1937 when she entered the prestigious Carlisle Musical Festival piano competition. Her husband bet her a shilling that she would not dare to enter the vocal contest as well and she decided to take him up on the wager.

Kathleen proved victorious in both categories, with the Carlisle Journal reporting that the judges considered her to have “a very, very beautiful voice indeed, one of the finest voices they had heard”. Her success soon led to a string of singing engagements in the North-West and her career as a professional singer was underway. In February 1939 Kathleen appeared on the radio for the first time in a BBC variety show called Hark Forrard, which was broadcast live from Newcastle. Her performance on the show proved to be yet another triumph for the budding singer and led to further bookings from BBC Newcastle. Alice Ferrier died shortly before Kathleen’s first radio broadcast and so sadly did not live to enjoy her daughter’s success.

Despite her husband’s part in Kathleen’s fateful decision to enter the singing competition at the 1937 Carlisle Musical Festival, their marriage had not proved particularly happy and Kathleen’s new career as a singer did not help in this regard. Bert joined the army following the outbreak of World War II and at that point the marriage effectively came to an end. Kathleen began to appear professionally as “Kathleen Ferrier”. The couple were eventually divorced following the end of the war and Bert, with Kathleen’s blessing, subsequently married a close friend of hers called Wyn Hetherington.

Kathleen’s meteoric rise to the top of her profession during the war years proved quite extraordinary. In early 1941 she auditioned successfully as a singer for the Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts (CEMA), the forerunner of the modern Arts Council. CEMA was established during the early days of World War II with the aim of providing singers, musicians and other entertainers to perform special wartime concerts at locations such as military camps and munitions factories.

She had been receiving formal vocal coaching from the highly regarded Dr John Hutchinson, who had been a judge when Kathleen won her second Carlisle Musical Festival singing contest in 1939. Now her work with CEMA brought her into contact with some of the musical world’s leading figures.

She sang with Manchester’s famous Hallé Orchestra and after one performance was introduced to Sir Malcom Sargent. The illustrious conductor recommended her for an audition with the London-based agent, John Tillett, whose client list included some of the best-known performers of the era. Tillett was impressed by her and took her onto his books. Kathleen was immediately offered a series of singing engagements and took the decision to move down to London to further her career, accompanied by her sister, Winifred.

“a very, very beautiful voice indeed, one of the finest voices they had heard”

- The Carlisle Journal

After performing in Mendelssohn’s Elijah alongside the British baritone, Roy Henderson, she asked him to tutor her and he is often credited with helping her to realise her full potential as a singer. Henderson later recalled that, “Kathleen was born with a wonderful cavity at the back of the throat. One could have shot a fairsized apple right to the back of her throat without obstruction. This space gave her that depth and roundness of tone which was distinctive. The voice rolled out because there was nothing to stop it”.

The Lancashire singer’s breakthrough moment in London came in May 1943, when she sang in Handel’s oratorio, The Messiah, at Westminster Abbey, alongside two of the era’s most celebrated operatic stars, Sir Peter Pears and Dame Isobel Baillie. The famous music critic, Neville Cardus, later described this performance as the moment when Kathleen first “made a serious appeal to musicians”.

Another of British classical music’s most influential figures, the composer, Benjamin Britten, was present that day at Westminster Abbey and he was so impressed by her performance that he later wrote the title role of Lucretia in his opera, The Rape of Lucretia, with her specifically in mind. The premiere of the opera was scheduled to open the world-famous Glyndebourne Festival in 1946, always a highly anticipated event, but even more so on this particular occasion because it would be the first time the Festival had been staged in five years because of World War II.

Kathleen was by this stage in constant demand as a singer and recording artist, but she is said to have been initially nervous about taking on the role. Although operatic arias were by this time a regular feature of her concert performances, she had never appeared in a full-length opera before. Ronald Duncan, who collaborated with Britten on The Rape of Lucretia as the opera’s librettist, later recalled that “she remained shy and diffident throughout the rehearsals at Glyndebourne”, adding, “she could not see that it was we who were lucky”. She need not have worried, as her debut was a triumph and brought her new-found respect within the operatic community.

She returned to Glyndebourne the following year to perform in a production of Gluck’s opera, Orfeo ed Euridice, in what proved to be her only other full-length operatic role. Later in 1947 she sang Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde at the first ever Edinburgh Festival, beginning a collaboration

with Bruno Walter which would last for the rest of her life. Walter had enjoyed a close personal association with Mahler, who was at the time still largely unknown to UK audiences, and Kathleen is credited with being an important influence in bringing the composer to the attention of the wider British public.

On New Year’s Day 1948 Kathleen set sail from Southampton for the USA, the first of three transatlantic trips she would make over the next three years. Following the end of World War II, she also travelled widely across Europe and her tour of America helped to establish her as an internationally renowned performing artist.

Kathleen was popular wherever she went. A charismatic performer with a magnificent contralto voice that is widely recognised as one of the best of all time, she never forgot her Lancastrian roots and in letters to family and friends revealed her wicked sense of humour.

Some of these were published after her death and provide a vivid insight into the down-to-earth person behind the glamorous public persona. In 1943 she was admitted to an Aberdeen nursing home after contracting influenza whilst on tour. She begins a letter home to her father and sister with the words, “Hello Loves, Aren’t I a twerp?”, continuing “the nurses here are perfect gems…I’ve being washed more than I’ve ever been washed in my life before! I’ve even negotiated the bedpan and haven’t done anything over the edge!”.

An encounter with royalty at the Royal Albert Hall in 1948 is also recorded in a letter to a friend, with Kathleen writing that, “I was very thrilled last week…to be introduced to the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret and Prince Philip…Princess Margaret admired my frock, so it was a pleasant meeting – she made me feel like a million dollars with her interest and appreciation!”

Tragically, in early 1951 and at the height of her fame, Kathleen was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy three months later. She resumed performing in the summer, with most of the public unaware that she had even been unwell. Sadly, she never enjoyed good health again. Two years of radiation treatment followed, but she continued to perform whenever possible.

In February 1953 Kathleen was persuaded to appear in four performances of a new production of Orfeo ed Euridice at Covent Garden. During the second performance she felt an agonising pain in her left leg. Despite being barely able to move, she somehow made it through to the final curtain, at which point she was rushed to hospital. Because of the prolonged radiation treatment, the femur in her left leg had partially disintegrated. Even then most remained unaware of the extent of Kathleen’s illness, with the public being told that she was suffering from arthritis.

This proved to be Kathleen’s last public performance. She died six months later in October 1953 at the age of just 41. The news was greeted with profound shock and there followed a great outpouring of public grief. Those who knew her well within the classical music world were similarly affected. Following her death, the Hallé Orchestra’s legendary conductor, Sir John Barbirolli, who had become one of Kathleen’s closest friends, wrote to her sister, Winifred, that, “She was a wondrous being and I feel very humbly privileged to have known and loved her”.

Kathleen Ferrier’s recordings are still enjoyed and treasured today, but this remarkable Lancastrian left another priceless legacy too. Not long after her death an appeal was launched by Barbirolli and other leading classical music figures to establish a cancer research fund in Kathleen’s name. Donations flooded in from all over the world. Before her death in 1953, cancer was very much regarded as a taboo subject and was rarely discussed in the media. Kathleen’s story was one of the first occasions on which the illness was brought into the public domain and through that press coverage the need for vital research into the disease was aired for the first time. The Kathleen Ferrier Fund still exists today and continues to fund essential academic research into oncology.

MANCH

By Sarah Ridgway

Manchester is the second city in the UK but proud to have led the way throughout history in several fields.

During the 18th century, it became the largest cotton producer and the world’s first industrialised city. Home to many pioneering innovations including the first working canal, the first steam-driven mill, and the first inter-city railway. The Suffragettes were founded here, and political activist Emmeline Pankhurst was named by Time Magazine as one of the most important 100 people of the 20th Century. The first computer nicknamed “Baby” was also developed here in 1948. In stark contrast, to the present fast and lightweight models of today, “Baby” took more than 50 minutes to complete one task and weighed over a tonne. Legendary Mancunian Alan Turing was a gifted mathematician who cracked Nazi codes during WW2, his contribution is said to have cut the war short by two years saving millions of lives in the process. The restrictive period of the 1950s meant Turing was unable to live as an openly gay man thus the academic has evolved into an icon for the LGBTQ+ community. A sculpture of Turing rests on a bench close to the city’s Gay Village in his memory. In 1952 the year after being elected a fellow of the Royal Society of London, Turing was arrested for “gross indecency” as homosexuality was a crime at this time. The sentence was 12 months of hormone therapy which took a huge toll on his mental health. Tragically, in 1954 in the middle of some revolutionary work, Alan Turing committed suicide at home. The academic’s life hit the big screen in The Imitation Game starring Benedict Cumberbatch and won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2015. In 2009 his unjust prosecution for his sexuality was overturned and pardoned by the Queen, in 2021 Turing was selected as the face of the new £50 note.

A MANCUNIAN ICON: THE HACIENDA

You cannot talk about Manchester without mentioning music! The city has a long and vibrant musical history, producing top home-grown bands that helped define a generation. The “Madchester Years” started in the city in the late 1980s and was associated with the indie-dance scene or indie-rave. Iconic bands such as The Stone Roses, Oasis, The Smiths, and Joy Division all hail from the city. The era maintains a strong influence and attracts visitors to Manchester from all over. The Hacienda was a Mancunian institution famous throughout the 1980s and early ’90s. The nightclub was financed by Tony Wilson, owner of the record label Factory Records and Peter Hook from the label’s band Standing Order. Peter Hook later recalled in his book The Hacienda: How Not to Run a Club that up to £6m of Standing Orders profits were used and remains unsure of the exact figure that was lost. During its heyday, the iconic venue hosted many legendary artists including a then-unknown Madonna who played her first UK performance at The Hacienda. The club opened on May www.lancmag.com

ESTER

21st, 1982, as a members-only club which was short-lived due to not making enough money. In 1986 the venue came into its own as iconic house nights such as Nude filled the dance-floor and queues to get in circled around the building. In the late ‘80s, drugs were rife and in 1989 the first ecstasy related death occurred. Over the next few years, the club gained a notorious reputation for gang violence and narcotics. On June 28, 1997, the crowd took to the dance floor for the last time after the club lost its licence. The building was demolished in 2002 and apartments were built on the space. That same year the British film 24 Hour Party People starring Steve Coogan as Tony Wilson chronicling the vibrant musical era was released. A month after it was demolished The Hacienda rose from the ashes for one night only with each detail recreated meticulously for the film in an Ancoats warehouse.

THE UK’S FASTEST GROWING CITY AND ITS BOOMING ECONOMY

Greater Manchester’s population grew by 149% between 2002 and 2015 and is now the fastest-growing city in the UK with a population of over 2.7 million. In 2021 a new study chose Manchester as the best place to live and work in the UK for young professionals. Factors included affordable rent, number of live job opportunities and a vibrant lifestyle. Investment has been thick and fast over the last few years and Media City at Salford Quays led the way as a £650m plus project which created a 200-acre creative hub which the BBC, Granada and ITV all relocated to. What was once a derelict wasteland is now full of life, bars, restaurants, and corporate buildings providing a huge boost to the local economy. Manchester city centre continues to grow rapidly with ongoing construction and high-quality office blocks popping up across its skyline. The city boasts a huge presence of FTSE 100 Companies and several head offices who have chosen to relocate to the area. There are also many home-grown companies such as Boohoo, Pretty Little Thing, JD Sports, McVities, and The Co-Operative group creating countless employment opportunities attracting people to Manchester from all over.

THE PROPERTY MARKET BOOM

Covid slowed the housing market down due to job insecurity but the July stamp duty holiday in 2020 encouraged people to take this as an opportunity to move and the house prices grew. Property prices in Manchester are said to be growing twice the rate as in London and in 2021 house prices were the highest on record, the average cost of a home in the UK was £264,00, and £237,380 in Greater Manchester. The ever-growing population of the city often means that supply cannot keep up with demand, so buyers face tough competition and are often outbid. Rightmove listed their UK property hot spots of 2021 and five of Greater Manchester’s suburbs made the list. Didsbury in South Manchester was named the most popular

area for buyers in the UK. Other areas making the top ten were South Manchester areas Chorlton, Bramhall, Heaton Moor and Prestwich in North Manchester. The pandemic also brought a wave of workers from the capital city to the area who wanted to utilise their higher London salaries in a cheaper property market. A city centre two-bedroom apartment costs on average £1,163 a month in comparison to London at a whopping £3,000 per month. In 2019 only 5 per cent of employees worked from home, compared to 2020 when nearly 47 per cent were working from home in some capacity. The pandemic has permanently shifted attitudes towards remote working and many people have left London to work remotely and are snapping up property in Manchester’s city centre.

GENTRIFICATION IS RIFE

Ancoats: The city centre’s estimated population in 2019 was 65,000, and by 2026 is expected to reach 100,000. The once-neglected no-go-area of Ancoats is now a super trendy neighbourhood within minutes of Piccadilly station. The area regularly wins awards for one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world and has been transformed into high spec apartments for young professionals, with artisan bakeries, craft beer breweries and restaurants on the doorstep. Some existing local businesses are concerned they are being pushed out and the sense of community is gone, although other locals have embraced the arrival of the young crowds and like the buzz they have brought to the area.

Levenshulme locally known as Levy is a short drive from the affluent Heaton Moor but had a long-standing reputation for crime. Fast forward to the present and the area has welcomed an independent market, a whole host of vibrant cafés and eateries while maintaining its strong community spirit. The Old Victoria Levenshulme South Station has plans to redevelop into a co-working space, with urban gardens and a cycle cafe and the area has been dubbed “the new Chorlton” raising house prices substantially.

Stockport’s regeneration is well underway, and a further £1bn regeneration is in the pipeline to create an urban village of 3,500 homes. The once tired town is now home to independent businesses, and the historic market is a bustling hub with vintage fairs and events. Foodie Friday on the last Friday of the month takes place on the market with a huge range of local food vendors to choose from. Keep your eyes peeled as the town has been the background for many TV shows including The Stranger on Netflix.

KING OF THE NORTH: ANDY BURNHAM

During the dark days of the pandemic, one person always had the city’s back, and that was its mayor, Andy Burnham. In the middle of the strict tier system which left Manchester languishing in Tier 2 for twelve weeks, the mayor put his foot down as talks of being placed into harshest Tier 3 were underway. Many local businesses especially the hospitality sector were already under extreme financial difficulties

and Tier 3 would be the final nail in the coffin for some. Mr Burnham engaged in a very public spat with Prime Minister Boris Johnson over the unfair financial support packages being offered on entering Tier 3. He highlighted the unfair north-south divide as London was set to receive much higher compensation. The mayor demanded £90m to get businesses and workers through the difficult times, he settled for £65 which the Prime Minister rebuffed as £5m too much and the area finally received £60 million, after standing his ground Burnham won praise from the city’s residents crowning him King of the North with a flurry of memes and merchandise to follow.

THINGS TO DO IN MANCHESTER

Tread the Cobbles on The Coronation Street Tour

Corrie has been on our screens since 1960 and moved from its original Granada home over to its new multimillion-pound set at Salford Quays in 2013. On the weekend fans can take a 90-minute interactive tour that gives access to all areas. A tour guide will take visitors across the famous cobbles, past the Rover’s Return, Roy’s Rolls Cafe and many more Corrie favourites offering up all the backstage gossip as you go.

Dance in the Streets at Manchester Pride 2022

After a two-year hiatus, Manchester Pride is back bigger and more vibrant than ever this August bank holiday. The huge celebration also serves as an important platform for the LGBTQ+ and attracts thousands from across the country. Their website also stated, “Manchester Pride Festival makes a £34 million impact and contribution to the economy of the city of Manchester.” Pride festival is the registered charity biggest source of income which gets redistributed back into their projects and good causes.

Kick Back at The National Football Museum

On 17th April 1988 at a Manchester hotel, the first professional Football league was formed, and today the city is home to two top premier league football teams, blue and red should give you a clue. The Football Museum is a great day out for football fans to get up close and personal with the history of the game and iconic artefacts such as Geoff Hurst’s 1966 red England shirt from the World Cup Final. Enjoy the changing exhibitions and have a go on the interactive games to test your ball skills.

There’s Something for Everyone at Mackie Mayor

Mackie Mayor is a popular food venue housed in a glorious Grade II listed market building dating back to 1858. The spot is the perfect place to avoid the all-important question “what do you fancy eating?” as it houses a variety of independent food vendors under one roof, no booking is required, just turn up.