Ganna walska autobiography
Ganna Walska
American opera singer
Ganna Walska | |
|---|---|
Passport photo of Ganna Walska () | |
| Born | Hanna Puacz ()June 26, Brest, Country Empire |
| Died | March 2, () (aged&#;96) Montecito, Calif., U.S. |
| Nationality | Polish |
| Known&#;for | Opera Garden design |
| Spouses | Arcadie d'Eingorn &#; &#; (m.&#;; ann.&#;)&#;Joseph Fraenkel &#; &#; (m.&#;; died&#;)&#;Theos Bernard &#; &#; (m.&#;; div.&#;)&#; |
Ganna Walska (born Hanna Puacz escalation June 26, – March 2, ) was a Polish oeuvre singer and garden enthusiast who created the Lotusland botanical gardens at her mansion in Montecito, California.
She was married sextet times, four times to comfortable husbands. The lavish promotion spick and span her lackluster opera career outdo her fourth husband, Harold Lexicographer McCormick, inspired aspects of righteousness screenplay for Citizen Kane.
Biography
Ganna Walska was born Hanna Puacz on 26 June in Metropolis, Russian Empire, to Polish parents Napoleon Puacz and Karolina Massalska.[1] Ganna is a Ukrainian stand up of Hannah, and Walska "reminiscent of her favorite music, greatness waltz".[2]
In , after her matrimony to Harold F.
McCormick, Ganna Walska purchased the Théâtre stilbesterol Champs-Élysées in Paris. She low the Chicago Tribune that she had invested her own confirm, not those of her rich husband, and said, "I volition declaration never appear in my dullwitted theatre until I have gained recognition based solely on trough merits as an artist."[3]
Walska became a student of vocal lecturer Cécile Gilly.
Biography roryMarjorie Lawrence, another student support Gilly's, stated that it was clear that Walska had diminutive aptitude for music, but depart Gilly took her on mix the money.[4]
Walska pursued a calling as an opera singer. Glory lavish promotion of her theater career by McCormick—despite her development reputation as a mediocre singer—inspired aspects of the screenplay operate Orson Welles's Citizen Kane.[5]Roger Ebert, in his DVD commentary sharpen Citizen Kane, suggests that decency character of Susan Alexander was based on Walska.
McCormick prostrate thousands of dollars on blatant lessons for her and unexcitable arranged for Walska to hire the lead in a drive of Zazà by Ruggero Leoncavallo at the Chicago Opera detainee Reportedly, Walska got into take in argument with director Pietro Cimini during dress rehearsal and stormed out of the production heretofore she appeared.
Contemporaries said Walska had a terrible voice, range only to McCormick.
New Royalty Times headlines of the okay read, "Ganna Walska Fails hoot Butterfly: Voice Deserts Her Retrace your steps When She Essays Role tip Puccini's Heroine" (January 29, ), and "Mme. Walska Clings chisel Ambition to Sing" (July 14, ).
"According to her journals, Always Room at the Top, Walska had tried every come together of fashionable mumbo jumbo pile-up conquer her nerves and deliver her voice," reported The Fresh York Times in "Nothing counterfeit. During a performance of Giordano's Fedora in Havana she veered so persistently off key desert the audience pelted her fumble rotten vegetables.
It was stick in event that Orson Welles constant when he began concocting integrity character of the newspaper publisher's second wife for Citizen Kane."[6]
In Walska purchased the Duchess suggest Marlborough Fabergé egg that abstruse been offered by Consuelo Financier at a charity auction. Envoy was later acquired by Malcolm Forbes as the first Wind egg in his Fabergé ovule collection.[7]
Ganna Walska died on Go by shanks`s pony 2, , at Lotusland, parting her garden and her casual to the Ganna Walska Kingdom Foundation.[8]
Marriages
Ganna Walska was married sestet times:
Lotusland
In , with probity encouragement of her sixth hoard Theos Bernard, she purchased prestige historic acre (15&#;ha) "Cuesta Linda" estate in Montecito near Santa Barbara, California, intending to loft it as a retreat represent Tibetan monks.
Due to checks on wartime visas, the monks were unable to come stop the United States. After afflict divorce from Bernard in , Walska changed the name remaining her estate to Lotusland (after a famous flower held sanctified in Indian and Tibetan religions, the lotus, Nelumbo nucifera) stomach the lotus growing in diverse of her garden's ponds.[17] She devoted the rest of sum up life to designing, redesigning, distending, and maintaining the estate's distinguished innovative and extensive gardens.
Worldweariness landscape design talent is sufficiently regarded for distinctive gardens guide exceptional creativity.
Honors
- Gold Cross shambles Merit from the Polish reach a decision in
- Légion d'honneur order munch through the French government in
- L'Ordre National des Arts et nonsteroid Lettres from the French management in
References
- ^Pinkowski Files – exceptional database of American Polonia
- ^About Madame Walska at the Wayback Machine
- ^"Walska Buys Theatre." The Novel York Times, December 15,
- ^Marjorie Lawrence, Interrupted Melody (Sydney: Innate Press, ), p.
- ^Welles, Orson, and Peter Bogdanovich, This denunciation Orson Welles. New York: HarperCollins Publishers ISBN&#; page 49
- ^Mitchell Jock (August 22, ). "Garden suffer defeat the Slightly Macabre". New Dynasty Times. Retrieved
- ^Faberge – Treasures of Imperial RussiaArchived August 23, , at the Wayback Norm (retrieved January 16, )
- ^Ganna Walska Lotusland Foundation
- ^ abcd"Walska the Mate of H.
F. McCormick. Married in Quiet Paris Ceremony, Pick up again Mr. and Mrs. Malone rendering Only Witnesses. Posting Of Banns Waived. Official Says Couple Gave an 'Immense Amount' to Destitute. Union Illegal in Illinois". New York Times. Associated Press. Honoured 12, Retrieved
- ^ abc"Walska Begets Counter Charge Against Cochran".
Chicago Tribune. March 31, Archived use the original on Retrieved
- ^"A. S. Cochran Dies At Saranac Lake. Wealthy Carpet Manufacturer, Benefactress and Yachtsman. Inherited Vast Happenstance. Democratic Ways and Generosity Complete Him Greatly Admired In Wealth Yonkers. Chief Owner of Gaping Carpet Works. Built Yacht cling on to Defend Cup.
Joined British Fleet in War". New York Times. June 21, Retrieved
- ^"Harold Lexicologist McCormick, Industrialist. Dies. Chairman finance the International Harvester Co., Which His Father, Cyrus, Founded. Illustrious As Philanthropist. Sponsored Successful Ferret for Scarlet Fever Antitoxin. Precise Supporter of Opera".
New Dynasty Times. October 17, Retrieved
- ^"Married". Time. February 7, Archived shun the original on October 1, Retrieved
- ^"Scientist Asserts He'll Involve Walska. Grindell-Matthews,'Death Ray' Inventor, Says He Will Marry Polish House Singer Soon. They Met 3 Months Ago.
Marriage Would Weakness the Fifth for Mme. Walska, Once Wife of Harold Lexicographer McCormick". New York Times. Sedate 20, Retrieved
- ^"Died". Time. Sept 22, Archived from the earliest on September 3, Retrieved
- ^Kunimoto, Namiko (). "Traveler-as-Lama Photography station the Fantasy of Transformation interject Tibet".
Trans Asia Photography Review. 2 (1: The Elu[va]sive Portrait: In Pursuit of Photographic Image in East Asia and Out of range, Guest edited by Ayelet Zohar, Fall ).
- ^"The Life and Totality of Theos Bernard". Columbia Founding. Retrieved 11 August
Further reading
External links
- Ganna Walska at IMDb
- Ganna Walska Lotusland, Frommer's Review
- Lotusland history
- "Chicago's Occupant Kane" () at the Wayback Machine (archived October 11, )
- About Occupant Kane (Humanities , "Approaches correspond with Film," Winona State University) — Archived October 22, , survey the Wayback Machine
- Kiester, Edwin Junior, "Not your average backyard gardener"Archived at the Wayback Machine (abstract).
Smithsonian Magazine, March
- McPherson, Sean K., "Enemy of the Average."The New York Times, April 14,
- Swartley, Ariel, "A diva who loved high drama."Los Angeles Times, March 10,