William F. Hooley

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William Francis Hooley (born April 16, 1861 in London - † October 12, 1918 in New York City ) was an American singer (bass) who was a member of the Haden Quartet (1898–1914) and the American Quartet (1909– 1918) participated in numerous recordings.

Hooley came to the United States with his family in 1868. He grew up in Lynn ( Massachusetts ) and learned the shoemaking trade. In 1886 he went to New York to become a singer. He took singing lessons and then appeared in operettas (with the Victor Light Opera Company, among others ) and glee clubs and sang in church and synagogue choirs. Around 1896 he became a member of the Edison Quartet (with John H. Bieling , SH Dudley and Jere Mahoney ), which recorded on Edison Records and under the name Haden Quartet on other labels. In 1898 he was also one of the three main soloists (alongside Dudley andRoger Harding ) at the Excelsior Phonograph Company .

At the Berliner label he recorded Gabriel Fauré's The Palms and Arthur Sullivan's The Lost Chord in 1898, and in the following year he also recited monologues such as Sermon on the Mount , Mother Goose Rhymes and Death and Burial of Cock Robin . With John C. Havens and Estella Louise Mann he formed the Original Lyric Trio in 1899 ; under the same name, but with Grace Spencer and Harry Macdonough , recordings were made between 1900 and 1903 for Berliner and Victor Records . As a speaker at Eldridge R. Johnson's Consolidated Talking Machine Company , he introduced and recited recordings of the Hayden Quartet , Georgia Minstrels, and others. a. Lincoln's Speech at Gettysburg and Gladstone's Speech on Self-Help ; He also recorded several records for children (including Little Red Riding Hood , Cinderella and the Glass Slipper ).

Hooley was also bassist for the Orpheus Quartet (with Harry Macdonough, Lambert Murphy and Reinald Werrenrath ), the Heidelberg Quartet , other ensembles from Victor Records and the Victor Light Opera Company . His last recordings with the American Quartet were made in August 1918 a few months before his death. His successor in the quartet was Donald Chalmers .

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personal data
SURNAME Hooley, William F.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hooley, William Francis
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American singer
DATE OF BIRTH April 16, 1861
PLACE OF BIRTH London
DATE OF DEATH October 12, 1918
Place of death New York City