Renowned Baritone Robert Merrill Dies
Music | Jul 12, 2010
New York, NY (AP) —
» Robert Merrill is remembered today on Soundcheck  » Listen» Evening Music with David Garland
In the first hour of Evening Music tonight—before the World Series game begins!—David Garland will be playing The Brooklyn Baseball Cantata, by George Kleinsinger. From an old set of 78 rpm discs bought at a yard sale by a listener who sent it to David Garland to share on the airwaves, this recording from the late 1940s tells the story of an imaginary game between the Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robert Merrill (famous for singing the national anthem at baseball games) is the singing narrator, and also takes a few roles, such as that of the evil umpire (a bit of a timely pun there) who takes pleasure in making bad calls and frustrating the fans. He does this, he explains, to compensate for an unhappy childhood.
October 26, 2004, NEW YORK (AP) - Acclaimed singer Robert Merrill, the opera baritone who felt equally comfortable on opening night at the Metropolitan Opera House or opening day at Yankee Stadium, died Saturday.
Merrill died at his home in suburban New York City, family friend Barry Tucker said Monday. Reference books gave conflicting ages for Merrill, 87 or 85. Merrill performed around the country with Tucker's father, tenor Richard Tucker, the younger man said. "My father felt that he had the greatest natural voice that America created," he said.
Merrill, once described in Time magazine as "one of the Met's best baritones," became as well-known to New York Yankees fans for his season-opening rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner"—a tradition that began in 1969.
In his 31 consecutive seasons with the Metropolitan Opera, Merrill performed virtually every baritone role in the operatic repertoire. He earned admiration for his interpretations of dozens of roles, including Escamillo in "Carmen" and Figaro in "The Barber of Seville," reportedly his favorite opera.
Merrill was known for a velvet-smooth voice. Critics wrote that Merrill "worked hard to polish his natural rich baritone" and that he "noticeably improved each season." Merrill retired from the Met in 1976 but returned to its stage in 1983, when the company marked its centennial.
(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
