Heddle Nash

As a concert singer, Nash was known for his performances in oratorio, and in particular in the title role of Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius, making the first gramophone recording of the work, in 1945.

Unseen, standing in the orchestra pit of the Scala and Coliseum theatres, he sang the tenor roles in many Italian operas while on the stages the puppets mimed the action.

[4][5] While studying with Borgatti, Nash made his operatic debut in 1924 at the Teatro Carcano in Milan, when he replaced an indisposed tenor in the role of Almaviva in Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia.

[6] At the Old Vic he appeared as Tonio in The Daughter of the Regiment, in the title role in Faust, as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly and as Tamino in The Magic Flute.

[7] The critic Alan Blyth called Nash the leading British lyric tenor of the 20th century, and considered him "ideal casting for the heroes of French 19th-century Romantic opera.

[3] In the first Glyndebourne season, in 1934, Nash played Basilio in Le nozze di Figaro at the inaugural performance, Pedrillo, and Ferrando in Così fan tutte.

"[10] Nash also sang in lighter musical stage works, appearing in Carl Millöcker's The Dubarry in 1932, and Edward German's Merrie England in 1945.

[11] During the war Nash toured with the Carl Rosa Opera Company, often singing opposite the Australian soprano Joan Hammond.

[2] He continued to appear on stage until July 1958, when he reprised a character role that he had created a year earlier, Dr Manette in Arthur Benjamin's A Tale of Two Cities at Sadler's Wells.

[12] Nash's career was not restricted to opera; he gave many song recitals, made radio broadcasts and performed in concerts and oratorio productions all over Britain.

These were mostly of operatic titles, including arias from The Magic Flute, Don Giovanni, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Lehár's Friederike, Jeptha, L'elisir d'amore and Rigoletto, plus a number of English songs and ballads.

[17] His 1932 Columbia recording of the serenade from Bizet's La jolie fille de Perth, sung in English, became a best-seller, making a little-known item of music extremely popular in his homeland.

In 1927, he participated in the recording of complete English-language versions of Leoncavallo's Pagliacci and Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana with the forces of the British National Opera.