I first visited the Liberal Jewish Cemetery in Pound Lane in Willesden in the pre-pandemic summer of 2019. I was intrigued by an unusual grave in which a large circular altar-like stone block is supported on the back of four tortoises. Despite a plaque saying the grace had been ‘restored by her admirers in 2006’ I couldn’t read the name and had no idea who was buried here. Meller and Parson’s ‘London Cemeteries’ gave me a bit more detail; in the cemetery “the most unusual memorial dated 1936, comprises four stone tortoises which support a curved sided pedestal confined between two discs, the upper inscribed with the name Conchita Rubenstein who ‘Died with her daughter’.” This was as far as I got with my research; I parked Mrs Rubenstein intending to come back to her when I had more time only to find Sheldon from the Cemetery Club getting in there before me. In his blog post just a few weeks after I visited the cemetery Sheldon revealed that Mrs Rubenstein was in fact Conchita Supervía, a Spanish opera singer born in Barcelona in 1895. Some sources say she made her stage debut at the age of 15 at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and others say that she was only fourteen when Richard Strauss himself chose her to play in Rosenkavalier at the Royal Opera in Rome. She sung all over Europe as well in South America and the United States. She made over 200 recordings and even had a film part as singer Baba L'Etoile in a 1934 British production called Evensong based on the life of Dame Nellie Melba. Some accounts of her life politely say she married twice but none of them mention the name of her first husband by whom she had a son, Jorge. In 1930 she converted to Judaism, married a Mr Benzion Rubenstein and came to live in London. She died in childbirth at the age of 40.
The
Aberdeen Press and Journal of Tuesday 31 March 1936 gives an account of the
distressing circumstances of her death under the headline ‘Famous Prima Donna's
Sudden Death’;
Madame
Conchita Supervia, the famous Spanish prima donna, died in a London nursing
home yesterday. She was the wife of Mr Ben Rubinstein, an English timber broker
and fruit farmer. Madame Supervia was expecting a baby, and only on Sunday went
into the nursing home "very happy and very well." At 11 a.m.
yesterday the baby was still-born. A clot of blood developed, and. despite the
efforts of the doctors, Madame Supervia died.
A
few days later the Dundee Evening Telegraph gave an account of her funeral:
With
the body of her child in her arms, Conchita Supervia, the coloratura contralto,
was buried at the Liberal Jewish Cemetery, Willesden, to-day. Her coffin was
draped with the new Republican flag of Spain red, purple, and yellow, and rested
upon arum lilies sent by her husband and her son from the garden which was such
a source of pleasure to her at her home at Rustington, Sussex. The ceremony was
according to the Jewish rites, with its centuries' old traditional prayers, but
there was no singing. Many of the wreaths on the wet grass by the graveside
were without names, and were from admirers who had heard but never forgotten
her voice. One of these: typical of others, bore the inscription—"That I
may sometimes hear the echo of her voice in the moonbeams." About 200 people
were present at the ceremony, and they included Senor Dr Perez D'Ayala. the
Spanish Ambassador, and his wife. The mourners included Mr Ben Rubenstein, her
husband, and George, her 17- year-old son, together with numerous other
relatives and friends. Rev. M Perizweg recited the committal words, first in
Hebrew and then in English. As his voice pronounced the words—"May she
come to her rest in peace," Mr Rubenstein dropped earth into the grave and
the son performed the same symbolic action with the recitation of the prayer of
resignation to the will of God. Among the masses of spring flowers was a wreath
of tulips, lilies and daffodils from the Spanish Ambassador and his wife.
Others who sent flowers included the directors of the Royal Opera House and
Violet Lady Melchett, whose wreath bore the inscription— "In loving remembrance
of darling Conchita."
Her
memorial is designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens who was also responsible for the
Phillipson mausoleum in Golders Green.
Dear Graveyard Lover,
ReplyDeletewe are "Grateful Cat" from Berlin and we just finished our new video "Postcard from the Graveyard" - with Graves and a Ghost in it.
So we thought we send it out to people who are interested in this subject or work at cemeteries.
If you like it, maybe you share it with some friends or even post it somewhere.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N408S4sjY4
Greetings from Berlin,
Gwendolin and Franky
Thanks Gwendolin and Franky, nice tune and video! Good luck with the album.
DeleteI meant to leave a comment for you some time ago. Supervia was a wonderful singer, full of character and charm. Apparently she made her operatic debut at 15 (!), which seems beyond belief but true. There's a complete set of her recordings on Marston Records and plenty has found its way to YouTube. Depending on what you like, her Rossini, Bizet, and English songs are there.
ReplyDeleteShe had a son in her 20s, with a man she wasn't married to, and had been warned by her doctors not to have another. She converted to Judaism to marry her husband and that's why she is buried where she is.
Some recordings:
Oh, no, John: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzQRtZFc274
Non più mesta (Rossini): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfaanEaFyKI
Carmen Habanera: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGCSsZFr8TM
I love her but will mention her very prominent vibrato, which some other Spanish singers of the period had.
Thank you for the links Lisa.
DeleteYou're very welcome, David!
ReplyDeleteWhere exactly is placed the tomb? How to find it? Thank you in advance!
ReplyDeleteHi Hernan, the first thing is to make sure you go to the correct cemetery. There are two of them, adjoining each other, in Willesden. The Liberal Jewish cemetery is the smaller one and the entrance is where Pound Lane meets Harlesden Road. Once you are in the cemetery you will see a red brick prayer hall to your right, The grave is in the part of the cemetery behind the prayer hall. There is a path directly behind the prayer hall, walk up it to the small roundabout and the grave is in the block to your right, 3 or 4 rows in from the path. It isn't hard to find. Give me an email address and I'll send you a rough map to help you locate it.
DeleteThank you so much for the info. This is my email: contacto@hernantalavera.com
DeleteBen Rubenstein was my relative (his mother Alice Samuels and my great grandmother Kate Samuels were sisters). I grew up being told about Conchita and her marriage to Ben and I always pay my respects when visiting my parents' grave in the same cemetery.
ReplyDeleteIt is a rather harrowing story but a fascinating piece of family history.
DeleteGood morning John
DeleteI am writing to you from Barcelona, we are writing a book about Supervia, and we would like to contact you. ¿Would you have any email?
Thanks a lot
Good morning John
DeleteI am writing to you from Barcelona, we are writing a book about Supervia, and we would like to contact you. ¿Would you have any email?
My mail is miquelperez1970@gmail.com Best regards
DeleteFantastic post, thank you so much. I love Supervia, she is one of the greatest. I'll add her to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_burial_places_of_classical_musicians. Too bad there is no photo of her grave available in Wikimedia Commons...
ReplyDeleteThank you Guille. I don't think my photo of the grave is particularly good, there are definitely better ones out there, but if you want to add it to Wikimedia Commons please feel free to do so.
DeleteI think it's a pretty good photo, don't be son humble :)
DeleteUnfortunately only the author of the picture can upload it, here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:UploadWizard