Joseph Hislop's Costume for Giuseppe in Rigoletto

Category

Museums & Galleries Item

Item no

52649

Title

Costume worn by Joseph Hislop in the title role of Giuseppe Verdi's opera 'Rigoletto'

Description

The costume worn by Joseph Hislop in the title role of Giuseppe Verdi's opera 'Rigoletto', comprising cape and short hose. The cape is in purple velvet, lined with black and trimmed with a double band of gold brocade around the collar and edges. The collar is stiffened to stand up. The hose are cream linen with purple velvet waistband, twelve panels of purple velvet trimmed with gold brocade attached to waistband and leg.

Date

1920

Type

Textile

Accession number

HH4757/1/89

Copyright

The City of Edinburgh Council Museums & Galleries

This costume was worn by Joseph Hislop during his turn as the Duke in Rigoletto, performed at Covent Garden in London. Hislop was a tenor with a voice suited to his role of The Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto. The piece takes the viewer on a journey of desire, secrecy and deceit which were carried by the voices of the Duke of Mantua, Gilda and Rigoletto in their tale. The costume made by Morris Angel and Sons Ltd, a notable costumier who could until very recently could still be found at 119 Shaftesbury Avenue, is very traditional for Rigoletto. Looking at images published by Casa Ricordi of The Dukes costumes from the 1850’s you can see strong similarities to Hislop’s from the 1920’s. This beautiful costume was given to the Museums and Galleries Edinburgh and the people of Edinburgh during a presentation to unveil a commemorative state of Joseph Hislop at the Usher Hall in 1989.

Joseph Hislop started out his career on a very different trajectory, training to become a photo-process engraver. He apprenticed and later worked with Hislop & Day photo engravers in Edinburgh. He then worked in Glasgow; then London and then finally was sent to Europe to train others in the novel processes of the time.

Hislop always desired a different path, a path that years later was realised during a visit to Sweden. He was in Gothenburg sharing new printing processes and techniques, and singing in a choir in his free time, when he was noticed by a vocal soloist from Stockholm. He then worked with Dr Gill Bratt, a fellow singer and a medical throat specialist, on his vocal abilities. He was accepted into the Stockholm Opera School, rare for a non-native at the time, and by all accounts he did exceptionally well. By 1914, he was performing with the Royal Swedish Opera.

By the age of 30 Hislop had completely abandoned his career in printing to pursue his aspirations in music. He went on to train in Milan and ended up with major roles through-out Italy in opera houses such as La Scala in Milan and Teatro Regio in Turin. As well as his international travels he also performed to audiences back home at the Edinburgh Empire Palace Theatre, the now Festival Theatre on Nicolson Street.

In 1928, Hislop starred in Puccini’s “La Boheme” at the Empire Palace Theatre in 1928. This saw him revisit the role of Rodolfo, for which he had become internationally known through his time at Covent Garden in London. In fact, it is said that Puccini himself, after seeing Hislop in his Covent Gardens “La Boheme” debut claimed that Hislop was his “ideal Rodolfo”.

Hislop also took a brief foray into film. Being cast as Robert Burns in Herbert Wilcox's "The Love of Robert Burns" in 1930. This film was poorly received. Hislop settled in Fife with his wife and family and went into tutoring. He had many students who went on to notable careers.

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