Bertha Lewis (1887-1931) was an English contralto, one of the great early stars of the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company. She became especially associated with Gilbert and Sullivan roles.

In the Pristine catalogue she appears in early electrical recordings of The Mikado, H.M.S. Pinafore and The Pirates of Penzance, key documents of the Savoy opera tradition.

Lewis’s art combined rich contralto tone, verbal clarity and comic authority. Gilbert and Sullivan require singers who can make music, language and timing snap into place together.

Her early death cut short a remarkable career, but the recordings preserve a commanding personality. Lewis gives the contralto corner of Savoy opera a magnificent mahogany polish.