Figure 1.-- Blatchford Kavanagh was a noted American boy soprano. He was discovered by Adelina Patti singing in Chicago. Somehave described him as the greatest boy soprano in American music history. We note a caninent portait by Steffens of Chicago. It was taken about 1888, Blatchford looks about 13 years old. He wears an elaborate lace collar and floppy bow

Blatchford Kavanagh was a noted American boy soprano. He was discovered by Adelina Patti singing in Chicago. Some have desc ribed him as the greatest boy soprano in American music history, but this is really impossible to determine. Blatchford sang in the choir of the Grace Church in Chicago. Boy church choirs had become quite popular in America in the late 19th century. Many American cities had impressive boy choir. Chicago even had a choir festival. [Whitney] The Grace Church was one of the most prominant churches in Chicago with the most impressive boy choir. Grace Church first introduced a boy choir in October 1884. It was directed by Herbert O. Oldham. Other directors included S. B. Whiteley, C. E. Reynolds, and F. C. F. Kramer. H.B. Roney assumed respnsibility for the Grace Church Choir in 1887. He expanded the Choir to 75 boy choristers. This attracted considerable attention at the time. The boys sang at a special monthly services on Sunday evenings. Not only was the overall choir very accomplished, but they hd a brilliant soloist--namely Blatchford N. Kavanagh was the soloist of the choir. By all accounts Blatchford had a beautiful soprano voice. And under Roney received competent training combined with regular practice. A contempary observer writes, "Besides having this remarkable voice, under good cultivation, the lad had, withall, a musical nature of the highest order, and sang his selections which much expression and feeling. Indeed, his voice was considered so phenomenal that Mr. Roney, leaving his choir for a time in the hands of a deputy organist, took the lad to California, singing in all the large cities from Chicago to San Francisco. He has never sung in the East, his voice changing some two years ago; so that there has been no opportunity to compare him with such soloists as Bradon, Forbush, or Noung. But there is little doubt that this lad was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, soloist that this country has ever produced." [Whitney] Another observer writes, "His voices was of wonderful range, extending from low G to high C, and had the peculiar vibrant quality of the voice of a mature woman, with the purity of a child’s. He swayed his audience at will, from smiles to tears, and from tears to amazement at his daring virtuosity. It was he whom Mme. [Adelina] Patti went to hear in San Francisco, and after calling "bravos" to him from her seat in the audience, hurried to the stage and, embracing him, welcomed him as a 'brother artist'." [Dean] We note a cabinent portait of Blatchford by Steffens of Chicago. It was probably taken about 1888, Blatchford looks about 13 years old. He wears a velvet suit with decortive embroidery and an elaborate lace collar and floppy bow. I am not sure what color his suit was, probably black. Note the large floppy boe. Almost surely it was red.

Sources

Dean, Frederic. "Boy Choristers," St. Nicholas Magazine (April, 1902), vol. XXIX, No. 6;

Whitney, S.B. "Surpliced Boy Choirs in America," New England Magazine (April 1892) Vol. VI, No. 2.

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Created: 9:00 AM 7/7/2006
Last updated: 9:00 AM 7/7/2006