Helen Traubel

Helen Traubel emerged as a major talent when she shouldered most of the Wagnerian heroic soprano roles at the Metropolitan Opera when Kirsten Flagstad and other European-based singers became unavailable in the early 1940s. But her rise to fame was not predicated only on having an open field; her immense, vibrant, and warm-toned voice and thorough schooling would have made themselves known in even the most competitive circumstances. Traubel came to the Met almost reluctantly, having declined earlier offers; she waited until she felt herself completely prepared. Despite a shortn...