Mary Garden (20 February 1874 – 3 January 1967) was a Scottish-born American operatic soprano with a substantial career in France and America in the first third of the 20th century. She spent the latter part of her childhood and youth in the United States and eventually became an American citizen, although she lived in France for many years and eventually retired to Scotland, where she died.Described as "the Sarah Bernhardt of opera", Garden was an exceptional actress as well as a talented singer. She was particularly admired for her nuanced performances which employed interesting uses of vocal color. Possessing a beautiful lyric voice that had a wide vocal range and considerable amount of flexibility, Garden first arose to success in Paris during the first decade of the 20th century. She became the leading soprano at the Opéra-Comique; notably portraying roles in several world premieres, including Mélisande in Claude Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande (1902). She worked closely with Jules Massenet, in whose operas she excelled. Massenet notably wrote the title role in his opera Chérubin (1905) for her.In 1907, Oscar Hammerstein convinced Garden to join the Manhattan Opera House in New York where she became an immediate success. By 1910 she was a household name in America and Garden appeared in operas in several major American cities; including performing with the Boston Opera Company and the Philadelphia Opera Company. Between 1910 and 1932 Garden worked in several opera houses in Chicago. She first worked with the Chicago Grand Opera Company (1910–1913) and then joined the Chicago Opera Association in 1915, ultimately becoming the company's director in 1921. Although director for only one year, Garden was notably responsible for staging the world premiere of Sergei Prokofiev's The Love for Three Oranges before the company went bankrupt in 1922. Shortly thereafter she became the director of the Chicago Civic Opera where she commissioned the opera Camille by 28-year-old composer Hamilton Forrest. She sang roles at the Civic Opera until 1931, notably in several United States and world premieres.
Additionally, Garden appeared in two silent films made by Samuel Goldwyn.After retiring from the opera stage in 1934, Garden worked as a talent scout for MGM. She also gave lectures and recitals, mostly on the life and works of Claude Debussy, until 1949. She retired to Scotland and in 1951 published a successful autobiography, Mary Garden's Story.
Her voice is preserved on a number of recordings made for the Gramophone Company (including some with Debussy at the piano), Edison Records, Pathé, Columbia Records and the Victor Talking Machine Company between 1903 and 1929.
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Some of their strengths
Mary Garden has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Energetic, Imaginative, Brave, Honest, Passionate, Generous, and Communicative.
Soulful and Understanding
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, Mary Garden is someone who is a soulful, understanding, and conscious person, who combines smarts with a deep talent for creativity and imagination. A person who is ambitious and motivated.
Active and Precise
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know Mary Garden well know them as someone who can be tough, active, and sharp, like a sword.
Productive and Perseverent
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe Mary Garden as someone who is productive, persevering, deliberate, and direct.
A person who is creative, has good luck with work and money, good listening skills, good relationships with people at work, is a good teacher or counselor, and who is good at organizing groups, teams, or causes.
Altruistic and Ambitious
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, Mary Garden is someone who is the type of person who rallies behind a group, cause, or community, and who enjoys being dedicated to a higher cause of some sort.
They are also someone who is patient, assertive, and who is a natural leader that likes to help others in need.
Creative and Imaginative
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, Mary Garden tends to be someone who is sensitive, imaginative, creative, and somewhat of a dreamer. Who is intuitive and compassionate, and who has a friendly, easygoing, calming and relaxing effect on people and for whom friends and family mean the world.
Some of Mary Garden's challenges
While Mary Garden has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, Mary Garden can be Stubborn, Indecisive, Unrealistic, Short-tempered, Impulsive, Hypocritical, and Self-centered.
Indecisive and Unrealistic
One of Mary Garden's key challenges is that they are someone who can come across as indecisive and unrealistic.
Possessive and Stubborn
Mary Garden is someone who can be possessive, jealous, inflexible, and stubborn, can have a habit of being a frivolous spender, and who can feel insecure or cynical in romantic relationships and have difficulty forming productive personal and professional partnerships.
Lethargic and Unrealistic
Finally, Mary Garden also can be too soft, lazy and lethargic, and who can have difficulty finding others who share a similarly dreamy outlook on life.
