Series I: Vocal career, 1945-2012

Scope and content:

Series I contains material relating to Gabriele's career as a freelance singer from the 1940s through the 1970s. The series covers a range of opera, recital, and concert performances both in the United States and in Europe (with Gabriele's Italian performances particularly well represented). The bulk of this series consists of programs, publicity material, and press clippings relating to these performances, but also includes correspondence, administrative documents, photographs, sheet music, and some recordings. Scores in this series (many of which are annotated) document her collaborations with a number of contemporary American and Italian composers, including Douglas Moore, Jack Beeson, David Amram, and Vincent Persichetti. Notable performances featured in this series include Gabriele's early recital work in West Virginia in the 1940s, her 1958 recital at the New York Town Hall, her performances at Central City Opera and other regional opera houses, and her 1959 performance of La bohème at the Teatro di San Carlo. Notably, this series features a number of rare, unreleased recordings of Gabriele's opera and concert performances (including world premieres) and also recordings of Gabriele's singing lessons with Laszlo Halasz. Note that although Gabriele sang in recitals and operas with the Masterworks Laboratory Theater, these materials are held under Series II, alongside documents relating to her directorial work. And although Gabriele performed frequently at Chez Vito, this facet of her vocal career is housed under Series III.

This series contains a wide range of material (press clippings, promotional material, programs, correspondence) relating to Gabriele's performance in Douglas Moore's The Ballad of Baby Doe - both at its Central City Opera premiere in 1956 and its subsequent revival in Stanford, California. The opera gained a cult following in the wake of its premiere, spawning a passionate fandom known as the "Doeheads." Gabriele was heavily involved in the "Doehead" community attending almost every subsequent production of the opera on the American continent, talking on panels about the opera, hosting "Doehead" parties, and corresponding with her fans about her performance. These "Doehead" materials are well represented in this series (including programs, press clippings, promotional material, correspondence, administrative documents), and provide insight into the performance and reception history of Moore's opera. Gabriele also collected material relating to the life of the real Baby Doe Tabor (books, articles, etc.), all of which are included in this series. This series not only contains recordings of Gabriele performing The Ballad of Baby Doe, but also of various conferences, panels, and events relating to the opera.

Contents

Access and use