I Hear You Calling Me (Paperback)

LILY McCORMACK I Hear You Calling Me THE BRUCE PUBLISHING COMPANY MILWAUKEE COPYRIGHT, 1949, LILY MC CORMACK MADE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA For PATRICIA PYKE EDWARD PYKE, JR. CAROL ANN McCoRMACK PATRICIA BONNY MCCORMACK JOHN MCCORMACK II 6514590 COPYRIGHT, 1949, LILY MC CORMACK MADE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Far PATRICIA PYKE EDWARD PYKE, JR. CAROL ANN McCoRMACK PATRICIA BONNY MCCORMACK JOHN McCoRMACK II 6514530 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I WANT to express my gratitude to Dr. A. J. Gronln for the encouragement he gave me from start to finish to the Baroness Ravensdale for the use of her diary which she kept on our trip to Japan and China to Mr. Philip Roden for all the painstaking work on the discography of Johns records to my dear friend Xeddy Schneider for his patient assistance in working out all the early dates with me and to Miss Margaret French for her unfailing support in getting the manuscript together and typing it. Kind acknowledgment is made also to the Dublin Museum for the copy of the family picture by Sir John Lavery. IJLY MCCORJVIACK I HEAR YOU CALLING ME IT WAS a lovely, bright Christmas morning in Dublin. I was being given a special treat by my sister Molly, who sang in the choir of Clarenden Street Church, one of the finest choirs in the city. She was taking me to hear the six oclock Mass, There were few people about at that hour, and as we crossed OConneil Bridge, a young man, wrapped up in a big frieze coat with a fur collar o sorts, a huge mop of curls, and school cap on the back of his head, passed us going in the opposite direction. We were facing the wind and I had my head down, not paying much attention to passers-by. Suddenly Molly said, Do you know who thatwas Its young McCormack. Hes going to the Pro cathedral to sing at the six oclock Mass. I immediately turned around and caught him doing the same thing. I wasnt too pleased that hed found out my interest in him, and I could feel my cheeks burn. Later John and I laughed about this first encounter and he said, Id heard you sing at a couple of concerts but I hadnt seen you in the street before, so when I realized it was you, I wanted to get a good look at you, and you caught me in the act. From what Id heard of you I thought you stuck-up and spoilt and I said to myself, Heres one thats not going to fall for her In May, 1903, all Dublin was ringing with the name of John McCormack, or J. F., as he was known in those days. He had just carried off the Gold Medal in the tenor competition at the Feis Geoil, the music festival which has taken place in Dublin every year for half a century. Id just won a Gold Medal myself for a solo in Gaelic and I HEAR YOU CALLING ME was so pleased with myself I didnt go to the tenor competition and so missed John McGormack. John was the last on the list of fourteen tenors and by far the youngest - not yet 19. Applause is forbidden at these competi tions, but when John finished, the house rose in one loud cheer. Im told there was never such a demonstration before or since. The judge, Maestro Luigi Denza, rose and said, Theres no need to tell you who the winner is. Youve chosen him your selves. John told me many times how his knees trembled and how he feared he was going to faint. I believe his great ambition was born at that moment. He said that he thought if I can do this, I can do bigger things. And he made up his mind hed have a good try. Dr. Vincent OBrien, choirmaster at the Procathedral and our foremost singing teacher, had done a grand job for John in spite of many difficulties. John had no money and hed been nearly too late In getting his entry in for the Feis. However, one friend paid his entrance fee, another bought his music, and Dr. OBrien donated all his spare time to teaching him the test songs, Tell Fair Irene by Handel and The Snowy Breasted Pearl by Thomas Moore. These good friends between them literally pushed him into that competition, and Dr. OBrien had some thing to be proud of indeed...