{{short description|American opera singer (1884-1938)}} {{Infobox person | name = Alma Gluck | image = File:Almagluck.jpg | birth_name = Reba Feinsohn | birth_date = {{Birth date|1884|5|11}} | birth_place = Iași, Romania | death_date = {{Death date and age|1938|10|27|1884|5|11}} | death_place = Manhattan, New York City, New York | spouse = Bernard Glick<br>Efrem Zimbalist Sr. | children = Marcia Davenport<br>Maria Virginia Zimbalist<BR>Efrem Zimbalist Jr. | relatives = Stephanie Zimbalist (granddaughter) }}
[[File:Victor-74442-c16082.ogg|thumb|Alma Gluck, "Old Black Joe" (Stephen Collins Foster), recorded 1915]]
'''Alma Gluck''' (May 11, 1884{{spaced ndash}}October 27, 1938) was a Romanian-born American lyric soprano.<ref name=obit/>
==Biography== Gluck was born as '''Reba Feinsohn''' to a Jewish family in Iași, Romania, the daughter of Zara and Leon Feinsohn.<ref name=marston>{{cite web|url=http://www.marstonrecords.com/gluck/gluck_liner.htm |title=MARSTON - Alma Gluck |publisher=Marstonrecords.com |access-date=2015-08-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303185512/http://www.marstonrecords.com/gluck/gluck_liner.htm |archive-date=2016-03-03 }}</ref> Gluck moved to the United States at a young age in 1889. Although her initial success came at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, Gluck later performed widely in America and became an early recording artist. Although various sources claim that her recording of "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny" for the Victor Talking Machine Co. was the first celebrity recording by a classical musician to sell one million copies, Victor ledgers do not support the claim—nor did Gluck ever make such a claim herself. It was awarded a gold disc, only the seventh to be granted at that time.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book | first= Joseph | last= Murrells | year= 1978 | title= The Book of Golden Discs | edition= 2nd | publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd | location= London | page= [https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/10 10] | isbn= 0-214-20512-6 | url= https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/10 }}</ref> Gluck was a founder of the American Woman's Association.
Her daughter Marcia Davenport was the child of her first marriage (to Bernard Glick, an insurance man).<ref name=marston/> Gluck later married violinist Efrem Zimbalist and had two children, the actor Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. (1918–2014)<ref>{{cite book|last=Malan|first=Roy|title=Efrem Zimbalist: A Life|publisher=Amadeus Press|date=May 2004|page=[https://archive.org/details/efremzimbalistli00roym/page/n20 1]|url=https://archive.org/details/efremzimbalistli00roym|url-access=registration|isbn=1-57467-091-3}}</ref> and Maria Virginia Zimbalist (1915–1981). Gluck evidently adopted her professional surname as a variation of her first husband's surname ("Glick").
Gluck retired to New Hartford, Connecticut, to raise her family in 1925. Although by background an assimilated and nonpracticing Jew who continued to consider herself ethnically Jewish, she found herself attracted, along with her husband Efrem, to Anglican Christianity, and they regularly attended the Episcopal Church in New Hartford. Efrem Jr. and Maria were both christened there, and the couple placed Efrem in an Episcopal boarding school in New Hampshire. Efrem Jr. later became active in evangelical circles and was one of the founders of Trinity Broadcasting Network.<ref name="Efrem Zimbalist: A Life">{{cite book|title=Efrem Zimbalist: A Life|last=Malan|first=Roy|year=2004|publisher=Amadeus Press|isbn=978-1-57467-091-2|pages=[https://archive.org/details/efremzimbalistli00roym/page/139 139–142]|url=https://archive.org/details/efremzimbalistli00roym/page/139}}</ref><ref name="EZimablist Jr ">{{cite journal|last=Stanford|first=Monty|year=2008|title=EZimablist Jr|journal=Christus Rex}}</ref><ref name="Lives Charmed: Intimate Conversations with Extraordinary People">{{cite book|title=Lives Charmed: Intimate Conversations with Extraordinary People|last=Silversten|first=Linda|year=1998|publisher=HCI|isbn=978-1-55874-593-3|pages=173–94}}</ref><ref name="Efrem Zimbalist Jr. Revitalized His Faith Through Christian TV">{{cite news|title=Efrem Zimbalist Jr. Revitalized His Faith Through Christian TV|first=Pugh|last=Jeannie|newspaper=St. Petersburg Times|date=23 April 1979}}</ref> Gluck recorded several Christian hymns in duet with Louise Homer, among them "Rock of Ages",<ref>{{YouTube|ZmX7-oamAcY|Gluck's rendition of "Rock of Ages"}}</ref> "Whispering Hope",<ref>{{YouTube|VAAiRE0mPZM|Gluck's rendition of "Whispering Hope."}}</ref> "One Sweetly Solemn Thought",<ref>{{YouTube|VZ7FmoYRyy8|Gluck's rendition of "One Sweetly Solemn Thought"}}; retrieved 2011-04-08</ref> and "Jesus, Lover of My Soul".<ref>{{YouTube|aF18GdC8dsA|Gluck's rendition of "Jesus, Lover of My Soul"}}</ref>
After a long illness, she was taken to the Rockefeller Institute Hospital in Manhattan, New York City, but died from liver failure several days later, on October 27, 1938, at the age of 54.<ref name=obit>{{cite news |title=Alma Gluck Dead. Operatic Soprano. Former Star of Metropolitan Was Among Most Popular Recitalists of Her Day. Helpe Musical Causes. Aided in Launching of Many Music Organizations. Wife of Efrem Zimbalist. Gave Famous Musical Parties. Sang Eleven Roles First Season. Made Popular Records |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1938/10/28/archives/alma-gluck-dead-operatic-soprano-former-star-of-metropolitan-was.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=October 28, 1938 }}</ref>
==Legacy== Gluck is the grandmother to actress Stephanie Zimbalist,<ref>{{cite news|last=Szul|first=Barbara|title=Zimbalist Brings A Note Of Mystery To 'Caroline?'|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1990-04-29-9002070008-story.html|access-date=March 24, 2011|work=The Chicago Tribune|date=April 29, 1990}}</ref> the daughter of her son the actor Efrem Zimbalist Jr.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Archival records|title=Alma Gluck Scrapbook & other materials, 1902-1940|location= Music Division, Library of Congress|description_URL=https://lccn.loc.gov/2010561029}} {{Commons category}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070608054902/http://www.enter.net/~rrm/agluck.htm Fan site with photos and biographies]
'''Recordings''' *{{Discogs artist|Alma Gluck}} *[https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/105471 Alma Gluck recordings] at the Discography of American Historical Recordings. *[https://archive.org/details/AlmaGluck Collected Recordings] of Alma Gluck available for download at Internet Archive *[http://www.78s2cd.com/Alma_Gluck.html MP3s of every known Alma Gluck recording that exists].
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gluck, Alma}} Category:1884 births Category:1938 deaths Category:Musicians from Iași Category:Jewish Romanian musicians Category:Romanian emigrants to the United States Category:American people of Romanian-Jewish descent Category:Converts to Anglicanism from Judaism Category:American operatic sopranos Category:Jewish American classical musicians Category:Deaths from liver failure in the United States Category:20th-century American singers Category:20th-century American women singers Category:20th-century American Episcopalians Category:Victor Records artists