The life and career of the South African dramatic soprano Marita Napier

Abstract

No formal or structured research on postgraduate level has been conducted on the life and career of the South African soprano Marita Napier. Marita Napier donated the valuable items pertaining to her life and impressive record of achievements to the University of Pretoria. After thorough processing, research and analysis of the information on Napier's professional career, this donation is beneficial to researchers nationally and internationally. Because of the author's involvement with the Marita Napier Collection and with Marita Napier personally she started this dissertation on Napier's life and career. The author visited her several times during the final months of her illness and as a consequence received invaluable hints and illuminating information covering her professional career. The research question for this study focuses on the main stages of Marita Napier's life and career and her contribution to the world of opera from 1963 until 2002. The aim of the study was to chronologically present her life and career until she received the Heritage Charter in 2002 from the Klein Karoo National Arts Festival in the recognition of her outstanding international singing career. To achieve these aims all available sources were chronologically structured to provide, as accurately as possible, an exposition of her life and career. In addition to these sources interviews were held with Napier and various acquantances. Every available publication pertaining to her life and professional career were duly scrutinized. This includes the curriculum vitas of Napier of all her appearances between 1968 and 1999 and of Robert Lombardo, Napier's agent in New York, from 1972 to 1988. In evaluating Napier's contributions to the world of opera overseas and in South Africa, the author came to the conclusion that her greatest contributions were her exceptional interpretations of the music of Wagner and Strauss worldwide. Napier achieved great recognition and also gave exceptional interpretations of 'Lieder'. An equally great contribution was the presentation of Napier's master classes overseas. One of Napier's memorable contributions to opera in South Africa was the way in which she shared her wide experience while training potential opera singers.