Mary Hissem
The National Encyclopedia of American Biography Vol
XIV-James F White & Co
Mary Hissem-DeMoss, singer, was born at California, Ky. July 27,
1871, daughter of Martin Luther and Rachel (Galloway) Hissem, and a descendant
of Martin Hissem, a native of Holland who came to American early in the
seventeenth century and settled in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. His
son Levi, born in Pennsylvania in 1816 moved to Campbell County in 1870, along
with his son, Martin L who is the father of the subject of this sketch.
She also traces her descent from Andrew Galloway, her great grandmother, a native of Scotland, who settled in Baltimore, MD, early in the seventeenth century.
Mrs. DeMoss was educated in the public schools of New Richmond, Ohio, and having developed vocal powers at an early age, she was sent to the College of Music in Cincinnati, Ohio and was graduated there in 1895. While at this college she gave instruction in singing and remained until 12 June 1895, having received a scholarship for the voice, and taking a two years post-graduate course.
Her first position was as soloist at Christ Episcopal Church in Cincinnati. In 1900 she moved to New York City and became soloist at the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church. Probably no singer of recent years has made more rapid strides in the oratorio and concert field than Mrs. DeMoss, who since her debut she has become known as one of the best equipped sopranos in America. She has sung under the baton of Theadore Thomas, Walter Damrosch, Emil Paur, Victor Herbert and Frank van der Stucken, and in 1898 she made a tour to the Pacific coast with the New York Symphony orchestra under Walter Damrouch.
Her voice is a clear soprano of excellent quality, full of mellowness with almost unlimited power in the upper register, brilliant in tone, elastic in quality and always under control. H E Krehbiel, musical critic of The New York Tribune has referred to her as "a sympathetic personage with a voice at once lovely in quality, flexible and penetrating, a taste that seems the fruit of musicianly instincts. And although but a few years before the public she has already reached the very first rank of American singers. She has appeared as leading soloist at the Worcester Music Festival, the Cincinnati May Festival and the Bethlehem Bach Festival. She has also sung with the Boston Handel & Baybin, and Apollo club, the Apollo club of Chicago, the St. Cecelia Society of Boston, and with the Boston Symphony, the Cincinnati Symphony, the New York Symphony, Philadelphia Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Brooklyn Symphony, and the Baltimore Symphony orchestras.
She was married at Newport March 29, 1894, to Lacy M DeMoss.
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Cincinnati Enquirer, 3 July 1902, page 8
NEWPORT
L M De Moss and wife, Mrs. Mamie Hissem De Moss, the well known
singer, are here to spend the summer with relatives. Mr. De Moss was formerly
connected with the Newport Post office, but is now in the money order division
of the New York office.
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Cincinnati Enquirer, 23 April 1903, page 9
Mrs. Mamie Hissem DeMoss, of New York, formerly of Newport and a noted singer, is in Newport, the guest of Mrs. J C DeMoss of Maple avenue, en route to Muncie Ind. where she will take part in a recital.
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Kentucky Post, March 14, 1904, page 5
Mrs. Mamie Hissem De Moss, formerly of Newport but now of New York is making a decided hit in concerts. Sig. leno Mattiololi, of the College of Music, Cincinnati, received a list of his former pupils engagements as follows: March 15, Providence RI, recital; March 17, Pittsburg, Mozart Club; March 20, New Haven CT, Bach "Passion"; April 10, Washington, "Elijah"; April 12, Chattanooga, Tenn. "Elijah"; April 15, Covington Ky. Polyshoic Club; April 19, Derby Ct. Choral Club; April 28, Pittsburgh, Appollo Club; April 5, Brooklyn "Persian Garden" Brooklyn Institute.
Mrs. De Moss was formerly a singer in the First Presbyterian Church, Newport and has been the soloist at the Fifth Avenue Methodist Church, New York, and has just been engaged at the Methodist Church at East Orange NJ. She is one of the most popular church and concert singers in the East, and Newport friends are delighted with her success.
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Louisville Courier Journal, 2 May 1906, page 3
ANNIVERSARY LIEDERKRANZ CONCERT FOR FISCO SUFFERERS
Big Musical Event Tomorrow Evening-Mrs. Mary Hissem De Moss To Take Part
The Liederkranz Singing Society will donate the net proceeds of its Anniversary Concert, which will be given at Liederkranz Hall, Sixth and Walnut streets, tomorrow night to the fund for the benefit of the San Francisco earthquake sufferers. Mrs. Mary Hissem de Moss of New York, a famous singer, is to participate and the concert to be one of the musical events of the season. Mrs. de Moss is a singer of national reputation and her conquests are second only to those of the noted start of grand opera. She will be assisted by Mrs. A Molengraft, as accompanist and P J Schlicht, barytone, A Molengraft will lead the singing of the Liederkranz chorus.
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Kentucky Post, Monday, 24 January 1910, page 8
Mrs. Mary Hissem Demoss, who gained distinction in the musical circles of New York as a vocalist of unusual ability, is spending a few weeks at her home in Newport and has arranged to give a song recital at the Sinton Hotel Jan 28.
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MADAME DE MOSS DIES
Former Concert Singer, 89, Was Mrs. Frederick Lyon
Special to the New York Times, 24 August 1960
MONTCLAIR, NJ. 23 Aug. Mrs. Mary Hissem DeMoss Lyon, a former concert singer, died yesterday in the Montclair Nursing Home at the age of 89. She was the widow of Frederick D Lyon, also a singer.
Mrs. Lyon, who sang under the name of Madame
DeMoss received voice training at the College of Music in Cincinnati. Before her
concert career, she was soprano soloist at the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian and the
Washington Square Methodist Churches in New York and the Calvary Methodist
Church in East Orange.