Durward Lely(1852-1944)

Durward Lely was born James Durward Lyall and studied singing in Milan. He made his stage debut, under the Italianate name of 'Signor Leli', in 1878 as Don Jose in Carmen with the Mapleson Opera Company. After two years on tour with Mapleson, he joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company as a tenor choristor singing for Gilbert and Sullivan, later replacing George Power as Frederic in "The Pirates of Penzance". It was at Arthur Sullivan's suggestion that he adopted the professional (a later, personal) name of Durward Lely. When Power left the Company, Lely became its principal tenor, creating the roles of the Duke of Dunstable in "Patience" (April 1881), Tolloller in "Iolanthe" (December 1882), Cyril in "Princess Ida" (January 1884), Nanki-Poo in "The Mikado" (March 1885), and Dick Dauntless is "Ruddygore" (later "Ruddigore") (January 1887). He also played the roles of The Defendant in "Trial by Jury" and Alexis in "The Sorcerer" when they were revived in a double bill in October 1884. Lely left the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in November 1887 when the "Ruddigore" run ended. Work post-Carte included singing in concerts and in Grand Opera (including in "Carmen" opposite Emily Soldene). Between 1890 and 1893 he had numerous operatic engagements in London, as well as regular tours of America. He was a regular in cantatas and oratorios, and he later toured with fellow ex-D'Oyly Carter Richard Temple in "Rob Roy". He performed with his own opera company, and toured with the Carl Rosa Opera Company. Before retiring to Scotland, he toured with his wife in an entertainment called "Scottish Song and Story," and later made his one and only film appearance in Rob Roy (1911). He wrote his autobiography, which was sadly never published, although the manuscript still exists.