(on tour with Mrs. Melchior, early 1940's)

• Met Opera: Walküre. Leinsdorf. Melchior, List, Schorr, Bampton, Varnay, Thorborg.

Sun: "in splendid voice" (Kolodin, p. 18)

• Concert, J.M. Bagby Memorial, Waldorf-Astoria, New York. Melchior and Varnay perform.
  

• Met Opera: Tannhäuser. Leinsdorf. Melchior, Janssen, List, Thorborg, Roman.

Sun: "in particularly good voice" (Kolodin, p. 14)

• Met Opera: Lohengrin. Leinsdorf. Melchior, Janssen, Cordon, Warren, Varnay, Thorborg.
  

New York Herald Tribune: "Mr. Melchior was...in fine vocal trim [but his new costumes were ridiculous]" (Bohm, p. 8)
New York Sun: "preposterous [new costumes]...but the Danish tenor [was] in particularly good voice" (Thompson, p. 20)

• Concert, Met Opera: Melchior sings Siegfried's "forging songs" and Erik's aria from Kaddara by Børresen conducted by Paul Breisach
  

• Concert: Harlem Philharmonic Society, Waldorf-Astoria, New York. Traubel and Melchior perform. 
  

• Met Opera: Lohengrin  See Jan 9 1942. BROADCAST
  

• Met Opera: Tannhäuser. Leinsdorf. Melchior, Janssen, Kipnis, Thorborg, Varnay.

• Red Cross Benefit Concert, Met Opera. Act III, Scene II from Lohengrin (the bridal chamber duet) staged, with Melchior, Varnay, Thorborg, Cordon. Leinsdorf.
  

• Met Opera: Walküre (unabridged Ring). Leinsdorf. Melchior, Kipnis, Schorr, Lehmann, Traubel, Thorborg. 

New York Times: 'Why [does] Mr. Melchior not tire of...holding on to the high note, with the word, "Waelse"[?]....These are details that a stricter direction at the Metropolitan would discourage. But it may be noted by way of compensation that Melchior, although he had sung the night before as Lohengrin, was in remarkably fine voice." (Downes, p. 25)

New York Herald Tribune: "Melchior...sang well. Space does not permit me to discuss what passed for his acting.  My chief objection to this Siegmund, in spite of his heroic tones, was the unmusicality of his approach.  Mr. Melchior could simply not keep time with the orchestra.  I lost track...of the many different tempi the tenor was batting across the footlights [in the "Spring Song"]. Their plenitude overwhelmed me.  A certain rugged sincerity underlay most of his work during the afternoon. But of all the roles Mr. Melchior assumes-and many of them are superbly done-none fits him less becomingly than Siegmund" (Robert Lawrence, p. 12).

New York Sun: "The sense of the drama was conveyed with uncommon directness by the three singers [of Act I]...the dramatic union of Mme. Lehmann and Mr. Melchior was as complete as the musical one." (Kolodin, p. 11)

• Met Opera: Lohengrin. Leinsdorf. Melchior, Huehn, Cordon, Warren, Varnay, Branzell. (Melchior is a last-minute replacement for Maison)
  

New York Herald Tribune: "Mr. Melchior [was] in moderately good vocal condition." (Robert Lawrence, p. 12)

• Recital, Jordan Hall, Boston. Strasfogel is accompanist.

• Recital, Schwab Auditorium, Penn State University. Ignace Strasfogel, accompanist.

• Met Opera: Siegfried (unabridged Ring). Leinsdorf. Melchior, Laufkoetter, Schorr, Olitzki, List, Conner, Branzell, Rethberg [role debut].
  

Brooklyn Eagle: "Two notable portrayals carried this performance: that of Lauritz Melchior as Siegfried, and that of Karl Laufkötter as Mime. It would be difficult to imagine a better giant and dwarf act than the one they stage...." (Kastendieck, p.16)

New York Times: "The tenor sang with fullness of voice and with sweep and authority [but reviewer is embarrassed by Melchior's skimpy costume and disparity of age between the character and the portrayer of said character]" (Taubman, p. 12)

New York Herald Tribune: "Mr. Melchior's well known impersonation of the young Siegfried was presented with its usual spirit; it was dramatically persuasive if not invariably illusive to the eye. The Danish tenor was usually in good voice and seldom departed from a lyric presentation of the music." (Perkins, p. 6)

New York Journal-American: "Lauritz Melchior, who has sung the name part countless times, gave a compelling performance in which excellent vocalism and dramatic acting were artfully merged." (Bennett, p. 14)

New York Sun: "The performance had a single shining merit in the expert singing of Lauritz Melchior as Siegfried" (Kolodin, p. 20)

• 1. Special Appearance: Melchior sells Defense Savings Stamps at Bonwit Teller Department Store in Manhattan from 3:30-4:30 PM.
  
  2. Met Opera: Lohengrin. Leinsdorf. Melchior, Janssen, Cordon, Harrell, Varnay, Branzell.

New York Sun: "once more very much in his element" (p. 20)

• Met. Opera: Götterdämmerung (unabridged Ring). Leinsdorf. Melchior, Janssen, List, Olitzki, Traubel, Thorborg, Jessner
  

New York Herald Tribune: "Lauritz Melchior's Siegfried...[was] sung and acted with distinction." (Bohm, p. 14)

New York Times: "Mr. Melchior was in his best form as Siegfried." (Straus, p. 25)

New York Sun: "Lauritz Melchior had his usual wealth of ringing tones as Siegfried. He sounded baritonal in the scene where Siegfried ought to be mistaken for Gunther and there was even something of a broad-quite broad- resemblance to Herbert Janssen's embodiment [of Gunther]" (Thompson, p. 21)

• Met Opera: Tannhäuser See 23 Jan 1942. BROADCAST
  

• Met. Opera in Philadelphia: Götterdämmerung. Leinsdorf. Melchior, Janssen, Kipnis, Olitzki, Traubel, Thorborg, Jessner

• Met Opera: Lohengrin. Leinsdorf. Melchior, Huehn, List, Warren, Rethberg, Branzell.
  

• Met Opera: Siegfried Leinsdorf.Melchior, Laufkoetter, Huehn, Olitzki, List, Conner, Branzell, Rethberg

New York Herald Tribune: "Lauritz Melchior [was] again a spirited Siegfried" (Perkins, p. 19)

• Met. Opera: Götterdämmerung. Leinsdorf. Melchior, Janssen, Kipnis, Olitzki, Traubel, Branzell, Jessner

New York Herald Tribune: "in good voice" (Perkins, p. 14)

• Met. Opera: Parsifal. Leinsdorf. Melchior, Kipnis, Huehn, Olitzki, Moscona, Thorborg.
  

New York Herald Tribune: "Parsifal has seemed one of the Danish tenor's finest characterizations. But on this occasion he seemed for than a little bored with the procedure until near the close of the opera. His boredom not only evinced itself in his failure to remain constantly on the stage to observe the ceremonies in the second half of the first act, but in a generally lackadaisical attitude toward both his music and the histrionic details of the part." (Bohm, p. 8)

New York Times: "Mr. Melchior was again in good voice, as usually he has been this season. He has a secure mastery of the part and his traditions, which enable him to interpret with equal conviction and elasticity of detail. A Parsifal of a [physical] aspect more spiritual it is easy to imagine. But there are places, such as the second half of the scene with Kundry in Act Two, when the pathos of the interpretation makes the listener forget exterior discrepancies." (Downes, p. 12)

• Met Opera: Tannhäuser. Leinsdorf. Melchior, Huehn, List, Thorborg, Jessner.
  

• Met Opera: Lohengrin. Leinsdorf. Melchior, Janssen, Gurney, Harrell, Varnay, Thorborg.

• Met Opera in Boston: Lohengrin. Leinsdorf. Melchior, Huehn, Cordon, Warren, Varnay (Act I-II)/Stellman (Act III), Thorborg
  

• Met Opera in Boston: Walküre. Leinsdorf. Melchior, List, Schorr, Lehmann, Traubel, Thorborg.

• Recital, Olean, NY. Accompanist: Strasfogel.

Olean Times-Herald: "[Melchior] gave a compelling performance that was enthusiastically received by the large audience....Thrilling his listeners with the amazing amplitude of tone that has made him the outstanding Wagnerian tenor of his day, the artist was, with few exceptions, in fine voice. He gave impressive interpretations both of the aria...and the art song....It was a program of dramatically-potent singing of the kind that the local audience, familiar with his operatic work, expected; and the applause was unusually fervent. It was in the surging power of the tenor's thundering climaxes that the appeal of his program rested, and it was in music that makes such demands on the voice that his artistry found its fullest expression. Music of the essentially lyric style is not his forte; yet the expressive contrasts of last night's program were well set forth....Strauss' "Caecilie"....provided one of the outstanding features of his program. He was called back to sing as an encore "Devotion" [Strauss]....The highlight of the ["American song" group] was [Bransen's] "There Shall Be Music When You Come"....Mr. Melchior sang [Harold Craxton's "Come You, Mary"] twice in response to demands of the audience....[Siegfried's Forging Song] brought forth bravos...[so that Melchior had to sing Siegmund's "Spring Song" as an encore]....Recalled again and again, the artist then offered a new song by Martha Wellington, as yet unpublished, titled "On, On to Victory."  It was well-received and the tenor repeated the song a second time" (A.H. Wakelee, p. 3)

• Met. Opera: Parsifal. Leinsdorf. Melchior, List, Huehn, Olitzki, Moscona, Thorborg.

• Met. Opera: Parsifal. Leinsdorf. Melchior, Kipnis, Huehn, Olitzki, Moscona, Thorborg.

• Met Opera in Cleveland, Ohio: Lohengrin. Leinsdorf. Melchior, Huehn, Cordon, Warren, Varnay, Branzell. Melchior's final performance of the 1941-42 Met season.

"His is the authentic Lohengrin. He has the Wagnerian power plus, sings with ease...reveals a gratifying richness of tone and soft pliable head tones which sometimes are uneven." (E. Bacon)

• Recording sessions: Columbia Records, New York. Lieder and song with Ignace Strasfogel as accompanist; Rienzi, Lohengrin (with Varnay), Tristan (with Janssen), and Otello excerpts, Leinsdorf conducting. On the 16th Melchior flies to the West Coast.
  

• RADIO: Melchior is announced as one of the singers and celebrities taking part in today's CBS' over-the-air dedication of its new Latin American radio stations. Melchior will make an extensive tour of South America this Fall. In June and July he is scheduled to sing at Army camps along the West Coast.

• Special Appearance: Melchior is scheduled to be one of the opera singers at the bond rally at Victory House in Los Angeles today.

• Concert: Mexico City
  

• Concert: Balboa, Panama
  

• Concert: Bogota, Colombia
  

• Concert: Lima, Peru
  

• Concert: Santiago de Chile
  

• Concert: Montevideo, Uruguay
  

• Melchior begins a month of guest appearances at Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires. Fritz Busch conducts all performances. Fellow Met singers Traubel, Bampton, Pauly, Janssen, List, Cordon, Singher play other leading parts in the productions, as well as a few local singers in the minor parts. Melchior is scheduled to sing Lohengrin on the 8th of September, but falls ill and the performance is postponed until September 11.
  

• Teatro Colón: Parsifal. Busch. Melchior, Cordon, Janssen, Bacciato, Zanin, Bampton

"The years pass without leaving their mark on the generosity and timbre of the veteran's voice, and he knows the character backwards and forwards in both its musical and scenic aspects." (La Prensa, 29 August, p. 10)

2 September 1942

• Teatro Colón: Parsifal. Busch. Melchior, Cordon, Singher, Bacciato, Zanin, Pauly

• Teatro Colón: Parsifal. Busch. Melchior, Cordon, Singher, Mattiello, Zanin, Bampton
  

• Teatro Colón: Parsifal. See 2 September 1942.
  

• Teatro Colón: Lohengrin. Busch. Melchior, Janssen, Cordon, Cesari, Jessner, Pauly
  

"Lauritz Melchior's physique is not suited to this role, however he enlightened us with a noteworthy interpretation through his quality acting, singing, and musicianship." (La Prensa, September 12, p. 8)

• Recital, Buenos Aires, Teatro Colón. Melchior sings songs by Jordan, Henneberg, Grieg, Henriques, Schubert, Quilter, Rogers, Craxton, Bransen, R. Strauss and Wagner. Ignace Strasfogel is accompanist.

"In chamber-song this artist revealed himself yesterday to be an interpreter of no mean rank. With plasticity and flexibility he can adapt his beautiful faculties of singing and musicianship to the kind of hall, whose intimacy captures the smallest nuances....Melchior was always in the style and spirit of the works. Without vocal affectations, he met the requirements of the song and attended to clarity and intention of phrasing with supreme art. This combination of qualities, was brought into high relief at the concert which took place in the warm ambiance of an attentive and enthusiastic audience." (La Prensa, p. 12)

• Teatro Colón: Tannhäuser. Busch. Melchior, Janssen, Cordon, Jessner, Bampton.
  

"An expressive Tannhäuser, of great stage confidence, distinguished, he sang his part with musical sense, and generous and secure voice."  (La Prensa, p. 8)

• Teatro Colón: Lohengrin. See 11/13 September 1942.
  

• Teatro Colón: Tannhäuser. See 18 September 1942.

• Recitals: Montevideo, Santiago de Chile, Bogota, Balboa (Panama), San Jose (Costa Rica) and Mexico.
  
  In November, Opera News reports: "[Melchior's] recent Latin-American 20,000 mile tour may be summarized in the record breaking figures of 28 [sic] performances of Lohengrin, Parsifal and Tannhäuser in two months plus 18 concerts, of which 8 were repeats."
  

• Concert: Harrisburg (Pennsylvania) Orchestra.

• Special Appearance: Melchior and Kerstin Thorborg are scheduled to attend (and perform at?) the Swedish-American drive for "Camp Little Norway" in Toronto, Canada at the Waldorf-Astoria (New York City).

• Met Opera: Götterdämmerung. Leinsdorf. Melchior, Janssen, List, Olitzki, Traubel, Thorborg, Jessner. Melchior's 1942-43 season debut. George Szell conducts all Melchior's performances of Tannhäuser, Erich Leinsdorf the rest of his performances. The performances of Tannhäuser occur under Herbert Graf's direction, otherwise Lothar Wallerstein is director.

New York Times: "Mr. Melchior was not in his best voice...There is no helden tenor who nearly equals him, even when he is not at his best, and there is warmth as well as brilliancy in the voice." (Downes, p. 40)

• Met Opera: Tristan und Isolde. Leinsdorf. Melchior, Huehn, Kipnis, Traubel [role debut], Thorborg.
  

New York Times: "[Traubel and Melchior] held the passage ["O Sink Hernieder..."] down dynamically so there was a real impression of intimacy....Last night [Melchior] did some of the best singing that we remember from him at the Metropolitan....such vocal plenitude and authoritative pronouncement..." (Downes, p.13)

New York Sun: "[he sang] with his accustomed power, flatting a bit when he came to the soft phrases of "O sink' herniede," and meeting without sag the exactions of the toilsome final act. He has shown more of fire in various past performances with Mme. Flagstad." (Thompson, p. 16)

• Met Opera in Philadelphia: Tristan und Isolde. See 4 Dec 1942.
  

• Met Opera: Götterdämmerung. Leinsdorf. Melchior, Huehn, List, Olitzki, Traubel, Thorborg, Jessner.

New York Sun: "in particularly good voice" (Kolodin, p. 31)

• Met Opera: Tristan und Isolde Leinsdorf. Melchior, Huehn, List, Traubel, Branzell.

New York Sun: "Mr. Melchior sang one of his huskier Tristans, also departing from the pitch a few times in the second act. However, it was easily the dominant performance of the evening" (Kolodin, p. 19)

• Special Appearance: Melchior sings "On to Victory" in the Police Athletic League benefit at Madison Square Garden, New York City.
  

• Met Opera: Tannhäuser. Szell. Melchior, Janssen, Kipnis, Thorborg, Traubel. BROADCAST
  

New York Sun: "Mr. Melchior was in particularly fine voice for Tannhaeuser, but much of the Venusberg scene between him and Kerstin Thorborg was off pitch" (Kolodin, p. 26)

New York Times: "The most moving performance we have heard given by him or anyone else for seasons of Tannhäuser's tragical narrative...[it had] humanity as well as musicianship...[he was] a Tannhäuser whose agony was the experience of a living being...[the Act III narrative was] the climax of a masterly performance" (p. 41)

• Special Performance: Tribute to Marjorie Lawrence, Met Opera: Melchior and Lawrence sing a staged scene from Tannhäuser, conducted by Leinsdorf.
  

• Met Opera: Lohengrin Leinsdorf. Melchior, Sved, Cordon, Harrell, Varnay, Thorborg. BROADCAST

New York Times: "Mr. Melchior brought to his performance the authority and practiced vocalization that identify him at the Metropolitan with this role." (Downes, p. 45)

• Concert, Montclair, New Jersey: Melchior and Astrid Varnay perform at Montclair High School. However, their scheduled followup joint concert in Westchester, NY must be postponed, due to the wartime ban on gasoline use for non-job-related travels.
  

• Met Opera: Lohengrin. Leinsdorf. Melchior, Sved, Cordon, Warren, Varnay, Thorborg.

• Concert: Montreal, QC
  

• Met Opera: Tannhäuser. Szell. Melchior, Huehn, Kipnis, Lawrence, Bampton.
  

• Met Opera: Lohengrin. Leinsdorf. Melchior, Huehn, Cordon, Warren, Varnay, Branzell.

New York Sun: "The [most "distinctive merit" of the performance was the] Lohengrin of Lauritz Melchior, which had opulence of voice and sober musicianship of the character expected of him." (p. 25)

• Met Opera: Tannhäuser. Szell. Melchior (replacing Maison), Tibbett, Kipnis, Branzell, Lehmann.
  

New York Sun: [everyone including Melchior was in poor voice] (Thompson, p. 16)

• Met Opera: Tristan und Isolde See 4 Dec 1942. BROADCAST

• Met Opera: Tannhäuser. Szell. Melchior, Janssen, List, Lawrence, Bampton.

• Met Opera: Walküre. Leinsdorf. Melchior, List, Huehn, Lehmann, Traubel, Thorborg. (unabridged Ring)

New York Times: "Mr. Melchior, authoritative and experienced, did not fail his audience or his reputation." (Downes, p. 24)

• RADIO: Philco Hall of Fame: Deems Taylor, Guest: Fred Allen, Portland Hoffa, Lou Holtz, Edward Johnson, Helen Forrest, Lauritz Melchior, and Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra and Chorus.
  

• Met Opera: Walküre. Leinsdorf. Melchior, List, Huehn, Bampton, Traubel, Branzell. BROADCAST
  

• Met Opera: Siegfried. Leinsdorf. Melchior, Laufkoetter, Schorr, Olitzki, List, Conner, Branzell, Traubel. (part of unabridged Ring, but abridged) This performance marked Friedrich Schorr's final opera appearance.
  

New York Times: "Mr. Melchior...was under the weather." (Downes, p. 20)

New York Sun: "Mr. Melchior was sparing in the use of his full voice" (Thompson, p. 27)

• Met Opera: Lohengrin. Leinsdorf. Melchior, Sved, Cordon, Warren, Bampton, Branzell.
  

New York Times: "Mr. Melchior's Lohengrin had its customary authority and vocal opulence." (Downes, p. 9)

New York Sun: "An impressive feature of this performance was the free-voiced, pealing richness of Mr. Melchior's Lohengrin. He was in splendid shape at the outset, and even improved as the performance progressed." (p. 16)

• Met Opera: Götterdämmerung (unabridged Ring). Leinsdorf. Melchior, Janssen, Kipnis, Olitzki, Traubel, Thorborg, Jessner.

• Met Opera in Chicago: Tannhäuser. Szell. Melchior, Tibbett, Cordon, Lawrence, Bampton.

Chicago Daily Tribune: [Both Melchior and Tibbett have] the texture of legend in [their] voice[s] and the quality of make believe in [their] presence....Last night these two men gave the opera stage conviction, fire, and the dimensions of tragic beauty. Their meeting in the forest and their duel in the hall of song had the impact of genuine friendship predestined to conflict....Mr. Melchior [sent] [his] superb tenor ringing to the rafters or to touch a phrase with the indescribable magic of tone that gives it infinitely revealing significance." (Cassidy, p. 15)

• Met Opera in Chicago: Tristan und Isolde. See 4 Dec 1942.
  

Chicago Daily Tribune: "Mr. Melchior's Tristan remains one of opera's irreplaceable treasures, a heroic conception, knightly in bearing and blessed with a matchless tenor that can ride triumphantly on a great wave of song, or can haunt the dusk of the love duet with a faint huskiness almost like the feel of deep piled velvet rubbed the wrong way." (Cassidy, p. 22).

• RADIO: Stage Door Canteen, radio program: Jerry Lester, Chico Marx, Lauritz Melchior, Bert Lytell, Cheryl Walker WABC 9:30-10:00 PM.
  

• Special Appearance, Carnegie Hall: Melchior and Kerstin Thorborg are among the singers at the Norwegian War Rally
  

• RADIO: Mary Margaret McBride; Melchior, guest; WEAF 1:00 PM. This is a war bond drive.
  

• Met. Opera in Philadephia: Parsifal Leinsdorf. Melchior, List, Huehn, Olitzki, Moscona, Thorborg.
  

• Met. Opera: Parsifal. Leinsdorf. Melchior, Cordon, Janssen, Olitzki, Moscona, Bampton.

New York Times: "The masterful interpretation of Melchior was a predominant feature and he thoughtfully held down his part in the Kundry scene so that his scale of dynamics was not disproportionate to the tentative style of Miss Bampton [as Kundry in New York debut of role]" (Downes, p. 28)

New York Sun: "Mr. Melchior's ample tones reflected no weariness as the result of his having sung the heroic witling in Philadelphia the night before. Indeed, he got better the longer he sang, and...his last act...surpassed what had gone before." (Thompson, p. 31)

• Met. Opera: Parsifal. Leinsdorf. Melchior, Kipnis, Huehn, Olitzki, Moscona, Thorborg. Melchior's final opera performance of the 1942-43 season.
  

• RADIO: Melchior is a guest on Bill Stern's variety show.

• Concert: West Point Military Academy.
  

• RADIO: Gould Orchestra, Georgia Gibbs, WABC 10:30 PM. (CBS??)
  

• Melchior leaves for Argentina on July 9, in anticipation of six weeks of guest appearances at the Teatro Colón, with casts drawn from the Met. Fritz Busch is conductor until 7 August, when he falls ill and Roberto Kinsky takes over his performances of Tristan und Isolde and Götterdämmerung. Alberto Wolff conducts the performances of Fidelio. Traubel, Bampton, Pauly, List, Janssen, Cordon, Lydia Kindermann, Victorio Bacciato, Amanda Cetera, Alvaro Bandini play other key parts. Helen Traubel also becomes ill, and a performance of Tristan und Isolde scheduled for August 17th has to be cancelled.
  

• Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires: Tristan und Isolde. Busch. Melchior, Janssen, Cordon, Traubel, Kindermann. Director: Josef Gielen. Sets: Hector Basaldua.
  

La Prensa: (reviewing 27 July performance) "vocally and dramatically as superb as ever" (p.12)

• Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires: Tristan und Isolde. Busch. Melchior, Janssen, List, Traubel, Kindermann.

• Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires: Götterdämmerung. Kinsky. Melchior, Janssen, List, Bacciato, Traubel, Kindermann, Bampton. Stage director: Otto Erhardt.
  

La Prensa: (reviewing 24 August performance) "he puts his long experience as an actor and a singer into the role, in a forceful and personal interpretation." (p.10)

• Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires: Tristan und Isolde. Kinsky. See 4/7 August 1943 for cast.
  

• Recording Session: Columbia Records, Buenos Aires. Excerpts from Otello, Pagliacci, and Tosca, most not published or published in Argentina only. J. E. Martino conducts. The Otello excerpts feature Herbert Janssen.

• Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires: Götterdämmerung. Kinsky. Melchior, Janssen, List, Bacciato, Traubel, Kindermann, Pauly.

• Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires: Tristan und Isolde. See 29 August 1943.
  

• Recording Session: Columbia Records, Buenos Aires. Continuation of the excerpt from Tristan & Isolde Act III with Herbert Janssen begun the previous year in New York(!). Kinsky conducts this section. These recordings feature dismal engineering, but are issued commercially nonetheless.

• Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires: Fidelio. Wolff. Melchior, Singher, List, Bandini, Janssen, Bampton, Cetera. Director: Josef Gielen. Sets: Robert Kautsky.
  

La Prensa: "As actor the elder statesman was attentive to the smallest psychological details as always, but vocally he sounded tired out by his work this season." (p. 12)

• Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires: Götterdämmerung. See 1 September 1943.
  

• Recording Session: Columbia Records, Buenos Aires. Continuation of excerpt from Tristan & Isolde Act III with Herbert Janssen. Kinsky again conducts.
  

• Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires: Fidelio. See 7 September 1943. Melchior's final performance of Florestan, 10 years after his first (& in the same theatre). He then flies to Santiago.

• Santiago de Chile: Lohengrin

• Concert: Melchior sings at the Grieg centennial memorial concert at the Chicago Civic Opera House, a concert conducted by Knute Hansen also featuring 14 Scandinavian male choruses.

Chicago Daily Tribune: "[Melchior] was in magnificent voice...a revelation of the lyric style in such beloved songs as "The Swan" and "I Love You." (Cassidy, p.19)

• RADIO: At 9:15 PM, Melchior appears on Jay Summer's radio program "Basin Street" in a comedy sketch with comedienne Patsy Kelly.
  

• Special Performance: Melchior sings the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and "On, on to Victory" at the show for volunteer workers of NYC, committee of National War Fund, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. 
  

• Special Performance: Melchior sings at SDVO Program, Pershing Square, "Drive for Musical Instruments", partially broadcast over RADIO on WNYC, 1:05-1:30, with Edward Johnson, Lucrezia Bori, Olin Downes.
  

• Met Opera: Tristan und Isolde. Beecham. Melchior, Janssen, Cordon, Traubel, Thorborg. Melchior's 1943-44 season debut. Stage direction from Graf and Wallerstein follows the same scheme as last season.

New York Times: "Mr. Melchior was in excellent voice and fettle [but]...more careless than usual, of his entrances...he nearly lost a place or two as the evening went on. He was again remarkable in song and in his highly dramatic recital of the final act." (Downes, p. 40)

• RADIO: Lauritz Melchior appears on "Stage Door Canteen," the wartime radio program (with actors Diana Barrymore, Charles Butterworth, and Joan Fontaine).
  

• Met Opera: Walküre. Szell. Melchior, List, Huehn, Bampton, Traubel, Branzell.
  

New York Times: "Mr. Melchior....[was] up to [his] usual standard." (Straus, p. 26)

New York Sun: "simply was not in voice" (Thompson, p. 30) (Thompson notes unusual new abridgements in Acts II and III, especially in Wotan's scenes).

• Met Opera in Philadelphia: Walküre. Szell. Melchior, List, Janssen, Varnay, Traubel, Thorborg. 

• Met Opera: Tristan und Isolde. See 24 Nov 1943. BROADCAST

• RADIO: Fred Allen Show.

• Met Opera: Walküre. Szell. Melchior, Cordon, Janssen, Bampton, Traubel, Branzell.
  

• Met Opera: Tannhäuser Breisach. Melchior, Janssen, Cordon, Lawrence, Traubel.
  

New York Times: "Mr. Melchior gave one of his better performances of the title role." (Straus, p. 43)

• RADIO: Command Performance. Announcer: Paul Douglas. Fred Allen, Ginny Simms, Lauritz Melchior, Golden Gate Quartet, Benny Goodman Orchestra, Gypsy Rose Lee. Recorded in New York. Melchior sings "The Star" by Rogers and gives two impersonations of crooners.
  

• RADIO: 6 PM: Radio Hall of Fame with Fred Allen; they repeat their popular sketch of two weeks earlier.

• Met Opera: Tristan und Isolde  Beecham.  Melchior, Huehn, Kipnis, Traubel, Thorborg.
  

• Met Opera: Tannhäuser. Breisach. Melchior, Huehn, Kipnis, Lawrence, Varnay
  

• Met Opera: Tristan und Isolde. See 7 Jan 1944.

• RADIO: "Duffy's Tavern" program #113

• Concert, Syria Mosque, Pittsburgh, PA. Reiner, Pittsburgh SO. Melchior and Bampton, in excerpts from Parsifal and Lohengrin.
  

• Recital, Kleinhaus Music Hall, Buffalo, New York. Melchior, Varnay. Accompanist: Strasfogel.
  

Buffalo Eve. News: "Mr. Melchior, a seasoned artist, the golden sheen of whose voice has become somewhat dulled, was not at his best, vocally, last evening. He is still master of the art of projecting a song, however, and he delighted the audience with his personal charm." (Theodolinda C. Boris, p. 26)

• Melchior is announced to be appearing at an Actor's Fund Benefit at the Alvin Theater (New York).

• Met Opera: Tannhäuser See 12 Jan 1944. BROADCAST

• Met Opera: Walküre (unabridged Ring)*. Szell. Melchior, Kipnis, Janssen, Varnay, Traubel, Thorborg. 

New York Times: "Mr. Melchior's eloquence was in his song-in its brilliance and passion, and the fine delivery of [the dialogue with Brünnhilde in Act II]" (Downes, p. 15)

New York Herald Tribune: "It was a pleasure to hear Mr. Melchoir's [sic] voice issue forth with hardly a trace of the fogginess which often dulls its brilliancy, and his characterization of Siegmund was more animated than has sometimes been the case." (Bohm, p. 14)

New York Sun: "Vocally, Siegmund is perhaps Lauritz Melchior's most fortunate role. Save for some blurred soft phrases, he sang resonantly and heroically" (Thompson, p. 22)

*There are abridgements in Wotan's role in Act II

• Special Performance: Met Opera (concert): Lauritz Melchior is "head of the committee" who arranged the concert that took place today for the benefit of the Danish Jews, refugees in Sweden, at the Met; other performers aside from Melchior are Traubel, Branzell, Tibbett, Szell, Beecham, and Melchior's accompanist, Strasfogel.

• Met Opera: Siegfried (unabridged Ring). Szell. Melchior, Laufkoetter, Janssen, Lechner, List, Conner, Thorborg, Traubel.
  

New York Sun: "Lauritz Melchior was in robust good voice for the name part...[one wishes he would] modify his bits of extraneous comedy...[and] not lie down on his tummy and kick his heels....[but] he is a convincing Siegfried." (Thompson, p. 32)

New York Times: "Mr. Melchior was in excellent voice and fettle" (Downes, p. 17)

• Met Opera: Götterdämmerung (unabridged Ring). Szell. Melchior, Janssen, Kipnis, Lechner, Traubel, Thorborg, Varnay.
  

New York Times: "Mr. Melchior...did not produce his most ringing high notes or strive for other bravura effects, [but] his conception of the role was satisfying and was projected with the ease and comfort that bespeak the veteran and the authoritative interpreter. In the duet with the prelude with Miss Traubel his voice was rich and full...." (M.A. S., p. 17)

New York Herald Tribune: "Of late years Mr. Melchoir [sic] has not given so satisfying an account of Siegfried's arduous music as he did on this occasion, including a brilliant high C as he greets his companions in the last act." (J.D. Bohm, p. 15)

New York Sun: "Lauritz Melchior's resonant Siegfried was one of his best" (Thompson, p. 28)

• Met Opera: Tristan und Isolde. Beecham. Melchior, Huehn, Kipnis, Traubel, Branzell

• Met. Opera: Parsifal. Cooper. Melchior, List, Huehn, Olitzki, Moscona, Bampton.

New York Sun: "perfunctory" (Thompson, p. 11)

• Met Opera: Tannhäuser. Breisach. Melchior, Singher, List, Lawrence, Bampton

New York Sun: "not in his best voice" (Thompson, p. 5)

• Concert, Washington, DC, Constitution Hall. All-Wagner. Hans Kindler conducts the National SO. After the concert, Mrs. Evalyn Walsh McLean hosts a dinner in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Melchior.

• Met Opera: Tristan und Isolde. Beecham. Melchior, Huehn, List, Lawrence [Met role debut, seated throughout the performance], Thorborg
  

New York Herald Tribune: "Mr. Melchior [accomplished] as always his most poignant singing in the last act....[But poor stage management] left Mr. Melchior so little room to die that he moved twice after he was supposed to be dead in order to get into a comfortable position...." (Bohm, p. 16)

New York Times: "in fine voice" (M.A.S., p. 17)

• Met Opera: Walküre Szell. Melchior, List, Janssen, Bampton, Traubel, Thorborg.

• RADIO: "Frank Sinatra In Person" radio program (CBS). Axel Stordahl. Lauritz Melchior sings "Op vs. Pop" with Sinatra.

• Met Opera: Siegfried. See 22 Feb 1944.
  

• Met. Opera in Philadelphia: Parsifal. Cooper. Melchior, List, Singher, Olitzki, Moscona, Thorborg.

• Met Opera: Parsifal Cooper. Melchior, Kipnis, Singher, Olitzki, Moscona, Thorborg.

• Met Opera: Götterdämmerung. See April 8 1944.
  

• Met Opera in Chicago: Tristan und Isolde Beecham. Melchior, Janssen, List, Lawrence, Thorborg.
  

Chicago Daily Tribune: "The only Tristan I have heard who sounds and looks like the knight of legend." (Cassidy, p. 17).

• Met Opera in Milwalkee, Wisconsin: Tannhäuser. See 10 Mar 1944.

• Met. Opera in Chicago: Parsifal. Cooper. Melchior, Kipnis, Janssen, Olitzki, Moscona, Thorborg.

Chicago Daily Tribune: "an almost incredibly unselfconscious performance...[before his seduction by Kundry he is] a simple, good natured giant, utterly unaware of his great destiny. Yet out of that simplicity the true stature of Parsifal grows in unforced splendor, matched by one of the few great voices of our time." (Cassidy, p. 22).

• Met Opera in Chicago: Tannhäuser. Breisach. Melchior, Singher, Kipnis, Lawrence, Bampton

Chicago Daily Tribune: "His wig was a red mane that shook in the winds of passion...a true heldentenor,...his voice was in superb form, sounding as mellow as the hunting horn, and as resounding as an unmuted trumpet. There is a graciousness about him too, quite unconscious, but it goes deeper than stage deportment. When he enters the hall of song, his bow has the courtliness of a big man who can afford to be gentle.  That makes the growing impatience with Wolfram's tribute to love all the more vivid by contrast. When he finally leaps up for his paean to Venus, he has set the scene tingling." (Cassidy, p. 15).

• Met Opera in Cleveland, Ohio: Tannhäuser. See 28 April 1944.

• RADIO: 7:30-8:00 WJZ Lauritz Melchior, concert orchestra, Charlie Spivak, trumpet, Nan Wynn, songs.

• Special Appearance: Melchior is scheduled to appear at the United Nations War Bond Show at the Pasadena, CA Rose Bowl.

• Recital, Santa Barbara, CA: Lobero Theater

• Motion Picture: Melchior is shooting his first movie, the MGM musical Thrill of a Romance. This film stars Esther Williams, Van Johnson and swing bandleader Tommy Dorsey.

• RADIO: COMMAND PERFORMANCE #134. Judy Garland (emcee), Lauritz Melchior, Danny Kaye, Helen Forrest. Meredith Willson conducts the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) Orchestra. Melchior sings "Vesti la Giubba," "Home on the Range" with Kaye, and performs a comedy sketch-an opera parody called "Modern Travel"-with Garland and Kaye.

• Special Appearance. Melchior sings "Jag Elsker Dig" at the Hollywood Canteen in Los Angeles.

• Special Appearances: According to Opera News, Melchior has made three recent singing appearances at Oklahoma City's Douglas aircraft plant.

• RADIO: Dinah Shore Show, broadcast at 8:30 PM; the program is also part of the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS), #36.

• Special Appearance: Melchior is one of the performers in a musical revue/war bond rally tonight at Constitution Hall, Washington DC sponsored by the District War Finance Committee.

• Met Opera in Philadelphia: Tristan und Isolde.  Leinsdorf. Melchior, Janssen, Kipnis, Traubel, Thebom. Melchior's 1944-45 season debut. Wallerstein is stage director for all of the productions in which Melchior appears this season.
  

• Met Opera: Walküre. Szell. Melchior, Kipnis, Janssen, Bampton, Traubel, Thorborg. BROADCAST

New York Times: "has no rival" (Downes, p. 56)

• Met Opera: Tristan und Isolde. Leinsdorf. Melchior, Janssen, Cordon, Traubel, Thorborg. (announced as Melchior's 200th)

Brooklyn Daily Eagle: "His dying Tristan has always been of the memorable portrayals in each opera season. Last night the dramatic impact of his characterization was as impressive as ever...Melchior has so identified himself with the part that it would be difficult to imagine another of finer concept. He has always sung the heroic parts better than the lyric, so that the first and third acts go better than the second. That was the story last night." (Kastendieck)

New York Herald Tribune: "Mr. Melchior...[was] in excellent vocal form, voicing his portion of the love duet with an unclouded tonal texture not often achieved by him in the second act and bringing, as always, the necessary poignancy in his delineation of the dying Tristan." (Bohm, p. 19)

New York Times: "He was in good voice, maintaining his high level of accomplishment through the second as well as the first act...as for the third...he is the only tenor today who can cope with Tristan's final scenes" (Downes, p. 19)

• Met Opera: Götterdämmerung. Szell. Melchior, Janssen, List, Lechner, Traubel, Thorborg, Varnay.
  

New York Herald Tribune: "Mr. Melchior was in excellent vocal form and sang throughout the evening with striking effect, projecting a brilliantly pointed high C in the first scene of the last act. This listener has never heard the Danish tenor give a more consistently satisfying interpretation of the arduous role of the "Goetterdaemmerung" Siegfried from either the tonal or dramatic aspects." (Bohm, p. 7)

New York Times: "Mr. Melchior was again at his best...[employing] a degree of histrionism in the scene of Siegfried's death, which companioned the eloquence of his song." (Downes, p. 20)

New York Sun: "The elder Siegfried is very nearly Lauritz Melchior's most fortunate role, and he was in voice to give it of his best" (Thompson, p. 11) (Thompson notes that new abridgements were debuted at this performance)

• RADIO: WEAF, "Variety": Barry Wood, songs; Patsy Kelly, comedy, Lauritz Melchior, guest.

• Met Opera: Walküre. Breisach. Melchior, Kipnis, Janssen, Bampton, Traubel, Thebom [debut]
  

New York Herald Tribune: [Breisach, giving a "static interpretation of the score" in his first conducting of this opera at the Met] had...to struggle with Mr. Melchior's rhythmic vagarities" (Bohm, p. 17)

New York Sun: "Lauritz Melchior has seldom sung Siegmund more dependably well." (Thompson, p. 37)

• Met Opera: Lohengrin. Leinsdorf. Melchior, Sved, Cordon, Harrell, Traubel, Thorborg.
  

New York Times: "The most authoritative and effective singing of the evening was Mr. Melchior's. In fact, there was no one else on the stage so brilliantly equal to the music, so at home in the action, and generally the master of his task." (Downes, p. 16)

New York Sun: "He has rarely of late been in better vocal condition. He treated his adieu to the swan well, the nuptual scene better, and...met the demands of the last-act narrative with consummate skill [although] the farewell was overemotional" (Thompson, p. 24)

• Met Opera: Tristan und Isolde. Leinsdorf. Melchior, Janssen, Kipnis, Traubel, Thorborg BROADCAST

• RADIO: WNYC Radio broadcast: Melchior sings on a Christmas program featuring Mayor La Guardia and Robert Shaw.