An eminent British baritone has died at 88
RIPWe have been notified of the passing of Christopher Keyte, a choral scholar at King’s College, Cambridge, who made more than fifty solo recordings and appeared in leading roles at Covent Garden and elsewhere.
He was the father-in-law of the Canadian baritone Gerald Finley.
Christopher Keyte was a very fine, superbly versatile singer. He sang ‘The Turtle Dove’ very beautifully on a LP of RVW folk song arrangements – one of the first records I purchased as a schoolboy. When I sang the piece my self I tried to emulate his fantastic breath control on the final sustained long note, and failed! It is wonderful he has left such a fine recorded legacy. RIP.
RIP! A fine singer. Here is another link so people have a chance to listen to him not just singing a duet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivVgr0YWxfo
Ooh, that’s a real treat, Jonathan: thank you! I had no idea Keyte was quite such a fine singer: terrific words, really well-supported & bright upper register, lovely mezza voce (sorry if that sounds like marks out of ten: it’s how I do unbridled enthusiasm).
He was King’s, 1955 (as was my late dear friend Philip Brett). So I think he’d have been taught by John Carol Case (King’s, 1941), or perhaps Wilfred Brown – one might hear either. Anybody know?
What a beautiful, well ‘mixed’ voice.
I worked with him in York as a student then in Pro Cantiones Antiqua. An unusually kind and gentle man and a very musical singer. My thoughts are with his family at this sad time.
Just to say how moving it was to read these tributes. I also bought the LP of the Vaughan Williams folk song arrangements, but as an adult, when I didn’t have to save pocket money. I must say, I wish I’d bought it sooner! Did Christopher Keyte take part in the Boult recording of Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music? If so, which of the original singers did he replace?
Yes: he sang the part of one of the two original baritones, Harold Williams (annotation to the first release of Boult’s recording, on ASD 2538).