Richard Temple (bass-baritone)
Temple was born in London, the eldest son of Richard Cobb, a stockbroker from Yorkshire, and his wife, Eliza Barker.
In 1867 he participated in a charity concert for St Patrick’s Benevolent Fund alongside Rose Hersee, and the following year he performed in The Foster Sister at the Haymarket Theatre, produced by Thomas Coe, a noted acting teacher.
The same year, at the Crystal Palace, among other roles, he repeated the King, played Father Tom in The Lily of Killarney, and the Sheriff in Martha.
"[4] Also in 1871, among other concert and opera roles, Temple toured with Fred Sullivan's Operetta Company, appearing as Sergeant Bouncer in Arthur Sullivan's Cox and Box, as Marquis in Punchinello by William Charles Levey, and Old Matthew in H. B. Farnie's Offenbach adaptation Breaking the Spell, among other roles, at Manchester and Liverpool.
The following year, he played Pluto opposite Fred Sullivan's Mercury in the Victorian burlesque Ixion Re-wheeled at the Opera Comique and later took roles at the Alexandra Palace.
[2] In 1877 Temple was engaged to create the part of Sir Marmaduke Pointdextre in the first production of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Sorcerer at the Opera Comique, produced by Richard D'Oyly Carte.
During the original runs of The Sorcerer and Pinafore, Temple also took parts in the short companion pieces that accompanied these longer works.
He played Fred Fancourt in the 1877–78 revival of Dora's Dream, the title role in The Spectre Knight (1878), General Deelah in Cups and Saucers (1878–79), and Selworthy in After All!
During the run of Iolanthe, Temple was also co-director of the Crystal Palace opera season with Faulkner Leigh and August Manns, presenting Maritana, Faust and Il Barbiere di Siviglia.
[2][16] Temple was back with a D'Oyly Carte touring company briefly the following year, playing Pyjama in The Nautch Girl.
[7] Temple returned to the Savoy and D'Oyly Carte in October 1894, replacing John Coates as Baron Van den Berg in Mirette.
In December 1894 at the Savoy, he created the part of Sancho in Sullivan and Burnand's The Chieftain, and later that month played Sergeant Bouncer when a revival of Cox and Box was added to the bill.
Of his recital at the Steinway Hall in 1903, The Times said, "It is unnecessary to say more than that the eminent artist showed how fully he understands the traditions of various schools, such as the German opera of the past ... French opéra-comique ... and the Italian buffo style.
[2] Temple continued to appear in various comic operas and musical comedies, including A Prince of Borneo (1899), billed as "an operatic farce";[20] The Gay Pretenders (1900), with George Grossmith senior and junior, and Frank Wyatt;[21][22] and the captain in San Toy on tour in 1901.
[2] In October 1904, Temple appeared briefly on tour in two of his original roles – as Dick Deadeye in Pinafore and Strephon in Iolanthe.
[27] He directed many student productions with Charles Villiers Stanford conducting, including Gluck's Orfeo, with the young Clara Butt (1893);[28] the UK premiere of Léo Delibes' Le roi l'a dit (1895);[29] Purcell's Dido and Aeneas (1895);[30] Verdi's Falstaff (1896);[31] Wagner's The Flying Dutchman (1898);[32] Weber's Euryanthe (1900);[33] Fidelio (1902);[34] and Schumann's Genoveva, with the young George Baker (1910).
[36] At the Academy, as Director of the Dramatic Class,[37] his many students included Eva Turner[38] and Darrell Fancourt, who later became well known as Temple's successor in the Gilbert and Sullivan bass-baritone roles.
