Guest
Jan Peerce (1904-1984) was a celebrated American tenor whose 50 year career encompassed opera, concerts, radio, TV and the Broadway stage. Born Jacob Pinchus Perelmuth to Russian immigrants, the future tenor grew up on Manhattan's Lower East Side. To keep him out of trouble, the boy’s mother insisted that he study violin. Young Pinky (a childhood nickname) also enjoyed singing and revealed a promising vocal talent. At age 10, Peerce was given a spot in the local Temple choir and began playing fiddle with dance bands to earn extra cash. He spent the summer of 1920 fiddling with a band in the Catskills and began vocal studies at 18 with Emilio Roxas. Peerce was working his way through college but dropped out after two years to marry his childhood sweetheart, Alice Kaye. During the 1920s, Peerce played and sang with various dance bands, usually under the name “Pinky Pearl”. During a 1932 appearance at the Hotel Astor, Peerce was heard by Roxy Rothafel, who contracted the tenor to appear at Radio City Music Hall. He began using the stage name “Jan Peerce” and became a popular voice on the airwaves. He was voted best male radio vocalist of 1936 and his recording of “Bluebird of Happiness” became one of the biggest hits of the era. During this period, Peerce began studies with celebrated pedagogue Eleanor McLellan, but later took up instruction with Giuseppe Boghetti, who put the finishing touches on Peerce’s technique, as the young man pursued an operatic career. Following a series of recitals and opera broadcasts, Peerce made his stage debut as the Duke in Rigoletto with Baltimore’s Columbia Opera Company on May 26, 1938. George Schaun, writing for the Baltimore Sun, noted Peerce’s “tenor voice of genuinely golden quality”, predicting a bright future for the 34 year old tenor. Earlier that same year, Peerce had his first engagement under Arturo Toscanini…an NBC broadcast of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony…which led to a long and fruitful association. Despite the volatile conductor’s legendary outbursts with musicians, he never behaved this way toward Peerce, who was considered the maestro’s favorite tenor. Peerce parted ways with Radio City Music Hall in 1941. That same year, the tenor’s operatic career began to take off. Following a Hollywood Bowl La Traviata in July under Gaetano Merola, Peerce was offered a contract with RCA Victor. He also made appearances with San Francisco Opera and began his tenure at the Metropolitan Opera as Alfredo on November 29 of that year. Peerce remained a stalwart member of the company for 26 seasons, singing over 300 performances of eleven roles. Worsening eyesight compelled Peerce to leave the Met in 1968. He remained active, however, performing with regional opera companies, in concerts and musicals, including an acclaimed Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof. The tenor spoke candidly to reporters when asked about retirement, Peerce quipped, “Only sick people retire. I’m better today than at 30!” Interestingly, the 70 year old tenor was claiming to be 56…remarkable for a man with over 40 years of singing behind him! He was also not the least bit shy about lambasting critics. After a less than glowing review for a Kansas City concert, Peerce, referring to the reviewer as an “illiterate bum” stated emphatically, “He deserves to be punched in the nose.” During a 1974 Long Island production of Laugh a Little, Cry a Little, the tenor took a misstep, breaking his left leg. Undaunted by this injury, Peerce returned to the production a month later in a wheelchair! Peerce was in remarkable vocal shape, celebrating his golden jubilee with a Carnegie Hall recital on December 4, 1980. He kept quite busy, giving lectures and masterclasses, conducting Passover services, and even touring with comic Myron Cohen. This frantic pace continued until his final appearance on May 2, 1982. Shortly thereafter, a series of strokes curtailed Peerce’s activities. Early the following year, the tenor fell into a coma from which he never recovered. After two years in this sad state, Peerce passed away in New York on December 15, 1984. He was 80. Jan Peerce was that rare artist who started as a pop singer and made a smooth transition to opera. His career that took him to nearly every major theatre in the world, including San Francisco, Chicago, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, London, Vienna, Munich, Tel Aviv, and Leningrad. He was also the first American singer invited to sing at Moscow’s Bolshoi Opera. His repertoire was relatively small…about 20 roles…including the leads in Rigoletto, Ballo in Maschera, Forza del Destino, Madama Butterfly, La Bohème, Tosca, Lucia di Lammermoor, Fidelio, Pagliacci, Cavalleria Rusticana, Don Giovanni and Faust. Peerce’s 50 year recording career included hundreds of discs for RCA, Columbia, Vanguard and others.
