American opera singer Geraldine Farrar (1882-1967) was a lyric soprano with great vocal skills and dramatic flair. Often paired with tenor Enrico Caruso at New York City's Metropolitan Opera, her career was relatively short-lived because her voice had given out by 1920.

Farrar was born on February 28, 1882, in Melrose, Massachusetts, the only child of Sidney "Syd" Farrar and his wife Henrietta. A professional baseball player with the Philadelphia Phillies, Farrar's father later worked as a storekeeper. Both he and his wife were amateur musicians, and when their young daughter exhibited musical talent at an early age, they encouraged her.

Wanted to Sing

To supplement her natural talent, Farrar began music taking instruction in various instruments from age five. However, when the young girl balked at practicing the piano, lessons stopped and her parents resorted to other means of encouraging their daughter in expressing herself musically. Farrar ultimately found her...