Queer Places:
16 E 96th St, New York, NY 10128
320 E 57th St, New York, NY 10022
Strawberry Hill, 28 Yale Hill Rd, Stockbridge, MA 01262

Susan Metcalfe Casals (November 16,  1877 – September 26, 1959) was an American mezzo-soprano who married Pau Casals, the cellist.[1] She was highly respected in Lieder and concert recital. Jane Emmet de Glehn and Susan Metcalfe had known each other since their shared childhood in New Rochelle. When in 1903, Ellen Emmet Rand bought a country retreat near Salisbury, Connecticut - Barack Matif Farm, as a joint venture, Lydia Emmet and Susan Metcalfe built their own spacious summer house, "Strawberry Hill", just across the state line in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, in 1909. Mercalfe was a student of Victor Beigel.

Susan S. Metcalfe was born in 1878 in Florence, Italy, the daughter of Dr. Frank J. Metcalfe (died 1892), a Manhattan, New York City physician.[2] Her mother was Helene, a prominent member of New Rochelle, New York society. In later years Dr Metcalfe practised in Florence, Italy, and Susan was born there in 1878 and educated in Conservatories in Italy and France. She also had a brother Louis and a sister Helen Frances Metcalfe (b. 1880), who married the American socialist architect Herman Kobbé. When Susan's father died in 1892, they moved back to the United States, living at Stamford, CT. In 1895 they were back to Italy, where Susan attended school for about one year and then in Paris for about three years.

As a recitalist, Susan Metcalfe made her debut in New York in 1897 and gave few, but very select recitals each year. Between 1899 and 1900, Susan Metcalfe returned living in the United States, at New Rochelle, NY, where she resided until 1918.  In 1904 she met the cellist Pablo Casals, gave a recital with him (Casals accompanying her at the piano), and briefly developed a 'fervid' friendship,[3] which however was abated when Casals established his close relationship with Guilhermina Suggia in 1906. In 1908 Metcalfe embarked on a European tour during which she sang for the British royal family.[3] As the Suggia relationship became strained, Metcalfe and Casals corresponded.[4] They met again after Casals had given a concert in Berlin, and were married on April 4, 1914, at New Rochelle.[1] Susan Metcalfe, even when married, always maintained residence with her mother in New York City, until 1928. When her mother moved back to Paris, Metcalfe moved to another apartment, for the first time living alone. The marriage lasted until 1928, when they were formally separated, but they did not divorce until 1957.[3]

During their artistic life together Casals and his wife often gave recitals together in which he accompanied her song sets at the piano and also performed cello sets in the same concert. For example at their farewell concert (their second recital of the season) in New York, April 1916, at the Aeolian Hall, Mme Casals sang a group of songs by Caldera, Caccini, Gluck and Mozart, and later a set of five Scots and Irish songs arranged by Beethoven.[5] In a Maennerchor Artist Concert of January 1917 she sings a similar group in the first part, and songs by Schumann and Emanuel Moor in the second.[6] They gave concerts in America, Europe, England, Mexico and Cuba.

The marriage with Casals was stormy, and following their separation in 1929, Mme. Metcalfe Casals lived in Paris. Her last known recital was at the École Normale de Musique there in 1951. Later she moved back to the U.S. to live with her sister, and died at New Rochelle, New York in 1959.[3]

My published books:

See my published books

BACK TO HOME PAGE