Myron William Whitney was born on September 6, 1836 in Ashby, Massachussets, the fourth child of Fanny (Lincoln) and William Whitney (1798 - 1894). His father, a descendant of John Whitney who settled in Watertown, Massachussets, in 1635, was a shoemaker and later a farmer, and lived to be the oldest citizen of Ashby.
The atmosphere of the Whitney home was musical - the father led the singing at the Ashby Congregational Church and played the bass viol at its services - but Myron found that there was little opportunity in the village for training his talents, and in 1852 went to Boston, where he became a pupil of E. H. Frost.
He soon became bass soloist at the Tremont Temple, and on December 25, 1858, made his début as an oratorio singer in a performance of the Messiah, given at the Tabernacle. For the next ten years he was active as a singer in the neighborhood of Boston. On Christmas of 1861 he made his first appearance as a soloist with the Boston Handel and Haydn Society, again singing the bass rôle in the Messiah. In 1868 he went to Florence to study with Luigi Vannucini. In 1871 he spent a year in England, appearing in London and the provinces, and filling a seven weeks' engagement at Covent Garden. He sang in Elijah at the Birmingham festival and had the rôle of Polyphemus in Handel's Acis and Galatea. After 1876 he confined his appearance and tours to the United States, where he had already gained distinction. He was a soloist at the Cincinnati festivals of 1873 and 1875, as well as those of 1878 and 1880. In 1876 he was the only soloist at the opening of the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. He was engaged for two tours with the Theodore Thomas Orchestra, and during the season 1886-87 was one of the bassos of the American Opera Company, directed by Thomas. After 1879 he was associated with the Boston Ideal Opera Company (later the Bostonians), famous for its productions of light operas. He retired from the concert stage in 1890. He died in Sandwich, Massachussets.
There are many tributes to Whitney's importance as a singer. Elsewhere he has been called "one of the best bass singers ever heard on any stage". During the period of his activity on the American stage he is said to have had but one conspicuous rival, Franz Remmertz, the German. Those who knew Whitney personally invariably spoke of his genial disposition.
Quotes from others about the person
Upton wrote: "He is the soul of geniality and has a quiet humor that makes him a delightful companion. He has always been universally beloved on and off the stage, and respected and honored as few singers have been".
George Putnam Upton wrote: "He had a smooth, rich, resonant bass, admirably schooled, and delivered with refinement, dignity, and classical repose. As an oratorio singer, indeed, he had no equal in his time, and his superior has not yet been found".
On May 4, 1859, he was married to Eleanor Breasha of Boston, by whom he had three children. He was survived by his wife and two sons.
