If sunshine could sing, it would sound like Beverly Sills. Just as light bounces and sparkles, Sills’ liquid gold, lyric coloratura voice darted over the musical equivalent of rugged mountain terrain.
Coloratura embellishments of the musical line displays a singer’s ability. It contains many, mostly high notes in ascending and descending succession, all sung rapidly. Conductor Thomas Schippers once said Sills was “the fastest voice alive.”
Sills’ Backstory
Sills was born Belle Silverman in Brooklyn, New York, on May 26, 1929, to a mother with a life-long love of opera. The kitchen Victrola was in constant use, playing records of famous coloratura sopranos Amelita Galli-Curci and Lily Pons. By age 4, Sills had memorized all 22 arias on the Galli-Curci recordings. It’s no surprise that she was chosen to perform on New York WOR Radio’s weekly, “Rainbow House,” and, at age 7, on the nationally broadcast “Major Bowes’ Original Amateur Hour.” “Major Bowes Capitol Family Hour” and the radio soap opera “Our Gal Sunday” followed.
