Bispham Memorial Medal

David Scull Bispham (January 5, 1857 – October 2, 1921) was an American operatic baritone who was a strong advocate for the performance of classical vocal music in the language of the audience. His support of opera sung in English led to the formation of the Bispham Memorial Fund, Inc. after his death. Eleanor Everest Freer and Edith Rockefeller McCormick (from the Opera in Our Language Foundation) were instrumental in creating the David Bispham Memorial Fund, incorporated in March 1922. It was endowed, in part, through David Bispham’s will, and in part by Eleanor Everest Freer.

The Bispham Memorial Fund’s purpose was to support opera in English, written by United States composers and often on American subjects, by awarding the Bispham Memorial Medal. This award was presented by the American Opera Society of Chicago. The first Medal was awarded in 1924 to Ernest T. Carter for his opera, The White Bird. The last Medal for an opera was awarded around 1953 to Vittorio Giannini for The Taming of the Shrew.

The Bispham Medal was awarded to the following composers for their operas as noted here. These awardees are listed alphabetically by composer.

Bispham Medal Recipients 1924 – 1954

George Antheil & John Erksine - Helen Retires

Ernst Bacon - A Tree on the Plains

Alberto Bimboni - Winona

J. Lewis Browne - The Corsican Girl (La Corsicana)

Simon Bucharoff - Sakahra

Charles Wakefield Cadman - Shanewis

Charles Frederick Carlson - Phelias

Ernest T. Carter - The White Bird

Rossetter Cole - The Maypole Lovers

Edward Collins - Daughters of the South

Frederick S. Converse - The Pipe of Desire

Walter Damrosch - Cyrano de Bergerac

Francesco De Leone - Alglala

Henry Purmort Eames - Priscilla and John Alden

Peter J. Engels - Minnehaha

Ralph Errole - Prince Elmar

Pietro Floridia - Paoletta

Hamilton Forrest - Yzdra

Aldo Franchetti - Namiko-San

Eleanor Everest Freer - Legend of the Piper

George Gershwin - Porgy and Bess

Vittorio Giannini - The Taming of the Shrew

Louis Gruenberg - The Emperor Jones

Henry Hadley - Azora

Richard Hageman - Tragedy in Arezzo (Caponsacchi)

Howard Hanson - Merry Mount

W. Franke Harling - A Light from St. Agnes

S. W. Harwill - Bella Donna

Victor Herbert - Natoma and Madeleine

John Adam Hugo - The Temple Dancer

Frederick Jacobi - The Prodigal Son

Wesley La Violette - Shylock

William Lester - Manabozo

Clarence Loomis - Yolanda of Cyprus

Otto Luening - Evangeline

Ralph Lyford - Castle Agrazant

Quinto Maganini - The Argonauts

William McCoy - Egypt

Gian Carlo Menotti - The Medium and The Telephone

Douglas Moore - The Devil and Daniel Webster

Mary Carr Moore - “Narcissa,” or The Cost of Empire

Marx E. Oberndorfer - Roseanne

Julius Osiier - The Bride of Baghdad

Frank Patterson - The Echo

P. Marinus Paulsen - The Cimbrians

Bernard Rogers - The Marriage of Aude

Beryl Rubinstein - The Sleeping Princess

Karl Schmidt - Lady of the Lake

John L. Seymour - In the Pasha's Garden

Charles S. Skilton - Kalopin

Theodore Stearns - The Snow Bird

Humphrey J. Stewart - The Hound of Heaven

Albert Stoessel - Garrick

Deems Taylor - The King's Henchman

Virgil Thomson - Four Saints in Three Acts

Jane Van Etten (Andrews) - Guido Ferranti

Isaac Van Grove - The Music Robber

Kurt Weill - Down in the Valley

Clarence Cameron White - Ouanga!