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Monday, May 19, 2008

Elsie Houston vs Olga Coelho 

I had previously gotten the sense that EH resented the presence in the US of Brazilian folksinger/guitarist, Olga Coelho, but an article last year in Digestivo Cultural on Coelho provides some details (that don't speak terribly well of EH).
Here's the relevant paragraph:
Consagrada, de volta ao Brasil, Olga arranja mais viagens. Por indicação de Villa-Lobos e do escritor Erico Verissimo, é convidada pelo governo americano para se apresentar em Washington e Nova York. Em 1938, canta na Casa Branca para Eleanor Roosevelt e assina contrato com a RCA Victor. Ela e Gaspar se instalam num apartamento na Sétima Avenida, defronte ao Central Park. Seu concerto no Town Hall é um sucesso. A crítica solta rojões. Camargo Guarnieri a convoca para lançar árias suas, para inveja de Elsie Houston (1902-1943), soprano amiga de Mario de Andrade que, até a chegada de Olga, tinha monopólio do folclore verde-amarelo em Nova York. “Elsie falava mal de mim e brigava com todos. Era problemática. Casou-se com um barão belga, que a roubava. Terminou por se atirar do seu quarto de hotel em Manhattan, deixando o filho de 11 anos à janela e Camargo Guarnieri à espera dela na estação, pois iam fazer um recital em Washington.”

As you know, I don't know Portuguese [and would love a real translation], but here's what I get (note, it is from Coelho's point of view):
Elsie Houston was envious that Camargo Guarnieri was writing a piece for Coelho and that Coelho was disrupting her monopoly on Brazilian folk song in New York. So she spoke badly about Coelho to everyone. Another detail: Guarnieri, unaware of Houston's suicide the night before, was left waiting at the train station for her (they were scheduled to perform in Washington).

Comments:
hi Robert
I was searchin elsie on google as I do from time to time...had been a long time though. And I discovered your blog. BRAVO !
Just to let you know, I'm the executive producer of the cd "a feminilidade do canto", and there is tons of material to be searched, please contact me by mail, I might have things for you
regards
Grégoire de Villanova
orikimusic@yahoo.com
 
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