Agnes Helen Nicholls CBE (14 July 1876 – 21 September 1959)[1] was one of the greatest English sopranos of the 20th century, both in the concert hall and on the operatic stage.
Hall nonetheless drew on Nicholls and their relationship as the basis for the characters Harriet Nelson and Rosie Wilmot in her novel The Unlit Lamp.
As well as being a conductor, Harty was a composer, and Nicholls was the debut soloist in one of his compositions, Ode to a Nightingale, which was heard at the 1907 Cardiff Festival.
As well as performing in opera and delivering songs, Nicholls sang in many oratorios, including Parry's Judith and Bach's St Matthew Passion.
The pre-1925 acoustic recording process found it difficult to capture powerful voices such as the one possessed by Nicholls and, according to discographers, she refused to approve most of her discs for public release because of their inadequate sound.