Met Opera Soprano Queena Mario Wrote Three Opera-Themed Mystery Novels

Summary: Met Opera soprano Queena Mario wrote three opera-themed mystery novels: Murder in the Opera House, Murder Meets Mephisto and Death Drops Delilah.

Met Opera soprano Queena Mario penned three opera-themed mysteries (Murder in the Opera House, 1934; Murder Meets Mephisto, 1942; Death Drops Delilah, 1944), with the first published while she was still singing with Met Opera: The Woodlawn Cemetery & Conservancy @WoodlawnCemNY, via Twitter March 26, 2020

Met Opera soprano Queena Mario wrote three opera-themed mystery novels: Murder in the Opera House (1934), Murder Meets Mephisto (1942) and Death Drops Delilah (1944).

Queena Mario, stage name of Queena Marian Tillotson (Aug. 21, 1896-May 28, 1951), made her Met Opera debut Thursday, Nov. 30, 1922, as Micaela in the opera house's 277th performance of Carmen by French Romantic Era composer Georges Bizet (Oct. 25, 1838-June 3, 1875). She stayed with the opera house for 17 seasons, from 1922-1923 through 1938-1939. She sang Gretel as her last Met Opera performance, on Monday, Dec. 26, 1938, in the opera house's 140th performance of Hänsel und Gretel by German composer Engelbert Humperdinck (Sept. 1, 1854-Sept. 27, 1921).

Queena Mario penned her first opera-themed mystery novel while she was still singing with the Metropolitan Opera. Murder in the Opera House was published by E.P. Dutton on Jan. 1, 1934, during her 12th season at the opera house. Queena Mario wove the plot of Murder in the Opera House around Pagliacci by Italian opera composer and librettist Ruggero Leoncavallo (April 23, 1857-Aug. 9, 1919). The book's murder victim, opera singer Consuelo Elvado, plays Nedda and her doomed play-within-a-play character of Colombina. But Consuelo cannot take her curtain call, for, while the stabbing of Nedda as Colombina is theatrical, her brutal killing is real.

Queena Mario had added Nedda to her Met Opera portfolio on Friday, March 9, 1923, in Met Opera's 225th performance of Pagliacci. She appeared as Nedda in 11 seasons (1923-1924 through 1927-1928, 1929-1930, 1931-1932, 1933-1934 through 1936-1937) for a total of 27 performances as Met Opera's Nedda. Her 27th and last Met Opera Nedda took place Monday, Feb. 22, 1937, in the opera's 335th Met Opera performance.

Murder in the Opera House's publication release on Monday, Jan. 1, 1934, occurred during the Metropolitan Opera's 1933-1934 season. In that season, Queena Mario sang Nedda in two (Friday, Feb. 2, 1934 {317}; Saturday, March 10, 1934 {319}) of the season's six Pagliacci performances.

Queena Mario published her second opera-themed mystery three years six days after her last Met Opera performance, on Monday, Dec. 26, 1935. Queena Mario's publisher, E.P. Dutton, released Murder Meets Mephisto, on Thursday, Jan. 1, 1942. Murder Meets Mephisto is associated with Faust by 19th-century French composer Charles-François Gounod (June 17, 1818-Oct. 18, 1893).

On Thursday, Dec. 27, 1923, in Met Opera's 335th performance of Gounod's Faust, Queena Mario had added Marguerite to her Met Opera portfolio. She sang Marguerite in eight seasons, for a total of 19 performances. Her 19th and last Met Opera Marguerite happened Thursday, Dec. 22, 1932, in the opera's 392nd Met Opera performance.

Two years after Murder Meets Mephisto, Queena Mario published her third and last opera-themed mystery novel. E.P. Dutton released Death Drops Delilah on Saturday, Jan. 1, 1944. Death Drops Delilah finds operatic inspiration from Samson et Dalila by French Romantic Era composer Camille Saint-Saëns (Oct. 9, 1835-Dec. 16, 1921). Interestingly, Queena Mario's last opera-themed mystery novel concerned an opera that did not appear in her Met Opera portfolio.

The dust jacket for Queena Mario's first opera-themed mystery novel, Murder in the Opera House, sought to dispel readers' doubts as to the operatic soprano's writing experience. From the age of 16, she had paid for her musical education by writing for newspapers. Her columns on "Looking on the Sunny Side" and "Chats With Mothers" were syndicated by New York newspapers, such as The Globe (Feb. 1, 1904-June 2, 1923) and The Telegram (Sept. 21, 1867-April 24, 1966).

In fact, eight and three-quarters years before publication of Murder in the Opera House, Queena Mario had referenced her writing credentials in a Tuesday, March 24, 1925, interview with Akron Beacon Journal columnist Josephine Van De Grift (Helen Josephine Vandegrift Rigby; Jan. 7, 1895-Aug. 21, 1927). She was able to tackle advice columns because of all the knowledge and "theories" in her 16-year-old mind.

The takeaways for Met Opera soprano Queena Mario's pastime of writing three opera-themed mystery novels are that she released them over 10 years, with Murder in the Opera House in 1934, Murder Meets Mephisto in 1942 and Death Drops Delilah in 1944; that the associated operas were Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, Gounod's Faust and Saint-Saëns' Samson et Dalila, respectively; and that she penned the first installment, Murder in the Opera House, while she was still singing with the Metropolitan Opera.

Queena Mario wove her operatic expertise into her three mysteries, associating Murder in the Opera House with Leoncavallo's Pagliacci; Murder Meets Mephisto with Gounod's Faust; and Death Drops Delilah with Saint-Saëns' Samson et Dalila: Steven Sheil @SSheil, via Twitter Nov. 29, 2019

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Met Opera soprano Queena Mario penned three opera-themed mysteries (Murder in the Opera House, 1934; Murder Meets Mephisto, 1942; Death Drops Delilah, 1944), with the first published while she was still singing with Met Opera: The Woodlawn Cemetery & Conservancy @WoodlawnCemNY, via Twitter March 26, 2020, @ https://twitter.com/hashtag/WoodlawnConnection?src=hashtag_click

Queena Mario wove her operatic expertise into her three mysteries, associating Murder in the Opera House with Leoncavallo's Pagliacci; Murder Meets Mephisto with Gounod's Faust; and Death Drops Delilah with Saint-Saëns' Samson et Dalila: Steven Sheil @SSheil, via Twitter Nov. 29, 2019, @ https://twitter.com/SSheil/status/1200552145432514560

For further information:

Carter, John. "Helen Josephine Vandegrift Rigby." Find a Grave > Find a Grave Memorial 53679156. June 14, 2010.
Available @ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/53679156/helen-josephine-rigby

"Debut: Queena Mario." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 82200 Carmen {277} Matinee ed. Metropolitan Opera House: 11/30/1922.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=82200

Hufford, Bob. "Queena Mario." Find a Grave > Find a Grave Memorial 70647464. May 31, 2011.
Available @ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/70647464/queena-mario

Keegel, Oliver. "Queena Mario, Mario, Mario!" Opera Gazet. Aug. 22, 2020.
Available @ https://operagazet.com/operanieuws/queena-mario-mario-mario/

Mario, Queena. Death Drops Delilah. New York NY: E.P. Dutton, Jan. 1, 1944.

Mario, Queena. Murder in the Opera House. New York NY: E.P. Dutton, Jan. 1, 1934.

Mario, Queena. Murder Meets Mephisto. New York NY: E.P. Dutton, Jan. 1, 1942.

Marriner, Derdriu. "Anima Allegra's 10th, Last Met Opera Performance Was March 28, 1924." Earth and Space News. Monday, May 3, 2021.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/05/anima-allegras-10th-last-met-opera.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Queena Mario Sang Her 10th and Last Met Opera Juliette on Feb. 3, 1933." Earth and Space News. Monday, May 10, 2021.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/05/queena-mario-sang-her-10th-and-last-met.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Queena Mario Sang Gretel in Met Opera's First Broadcast, Dec. 25, 1931." Earth and Space News. Monday, May 24, 2021.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/05/queena-mario-sang-gretel-in-met-operas.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Queena Mario Sang Her 43rd and Last Met Opera Gretel on Dec. 26, 1938." Earth and Space News. Monday, May 17, 2021.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/05/queena-mario-sang-her-43rd-and-last-met.html

"Murder in the Opera House." Facsimile Dust Jackets LLC.
Available @ https://www.dustjackets.com/pages/books/2237/queena-mario/murder-in-the-opera-house

Norris, J.F. "Moonlighters: Queena Mario, A Diva Kills (on Paper)." Pretty Sinister Books. March 9, 2020.
Available @ https://prettysinister.blogspot.com/2020/03/moonlighters-queena-mario-diva-kills-on.html

The Sembrich @The_Sembrich. "Our collection contains a number of gifts given to Madame Sembrich. This incense holder was a gift from her student Queena Mario, who taught alongside her teacher at the @JuilliardSchool and the @CurtisInstitute. Camera: Sembrich and Mario at Bay View, ca 1922. #History #TheSembrich." Twitter. Nov. 5, 2020.
Available @ https://twitter.com/The_Sembrich/status/1324398625452138497

The Sembrich @The_Sembrich. "Queena Mario, soprano and student of Mme. Sembrich, taught @CurtisInstitute students and sang on the @MetOpera stage over 300 times! #TheSembrich #LakeGeorge #BoltonLanding #GlensFalls #Saratoga #AlbanyNY #Adirondacks #LakePlacid #UpstateNY #ClassicalMusic #opera #music #culture." Twitter. Dec. 19, 2018.
Available @ https://twitter.com/The_Sembrich/status/1075347553732972544

Steven Sheil @SSheil. "Favourite cover of today, Murder Meets Mephisto by Queena Mario (1896 – 1951), who combined a career as a soprano opera singer with a sideline in writing opera-related murder mysteries." Twitter. Nov. 29, 2019.
Available @ https://twitter.com/SSheil/status/1200552145432514560

Van De Grift, Josephine. "Famous Opera Singer Born in Akron Will Sing at Armory." The Akron Beacon Journal. Tuesday, March 24, 1925.
Available @ https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14992983/queena-mario-of-akron-1925a/

The Woodlawn Cemetery & Conservancy @WoodlawnCemNY. "A renowned opera singer, #WoodlawnConnection Queena Mario made her debut at the Met in 1922. She became one of the nation’s premier voice teachers and a successful author of mystery fiction. In her books, like 'Murder Meets Mephisto,' her characters were opera performers." Twitter. March 26, 2020.
Available @ https://twitter.com/hashtag/WoodlawnConnection?src=hashtag_click