into a tragic dramatic context. The Thomas Moore traditional Irish melody "The Last Rose of Summer", introduced for Martha in act 2, was a successful inclusion. Popular airs were then often introduced informally to operas as show-pieces by sopranos, for example "Home! Sweet Home!" in the lesson scene of The Barber of Seville. Singers such as Jenny Lind or Adelina Patti made much of them. In Martha the custom is formally perpetuated, and the melody then appears as a leitmotif to represent Lyonel's longing. Recordings 1944 Erna Berger (Harriet), Else Tegetthoff (Nancy), Peter Anders (Lyonel), Josef Greindl (Plumkett), Eugen Fuchs (Tristan); Chor der Staatsoper Berlin / Staatskapelle Berlin; Johannes Schüler (conductor) – Berlin Classics 1954 Elena Rizzieri (Harriet), Pia Tassinari (Nancy), Ferruccio Tagliavini (Lyonel), Carlo Tagliabue (Plunkett), Bruno Carmassi (Tristan); Orchestra Sinfonica e Coro di Torino della RAI; Francesco Molinari-Pradelli (conductor) – Fonit Cetra (in Italian) 1955 Wilma Lipp (Harriet), Hetty Plümacher (Nancy), Waldemar Kmentt (Lyonel), Kurt Böhme (Plumkett), Rudolf Wünzer (Tristan); Chor der Bayerischen Rundfunks / Münchner Rundfunksorchester; Hans Gierster (conductor) – Cantus Classics 1956 Teresa Stich-Randall (Harriet), Hilde Rössel-Majdan (Nancy), Waldemar Kmentt (Lyonel), Walter Berry (Plumkett), Hans Braun (Tristan); Chor der Wiener Staatsoper / Wiener Symphoniker; Franz Salmhofer (conductor) – Gala (excerpts) 1960 Sonja Schöner (Harriet), Gisela Litz (Nancy), Donald Grobe (Lyonel), Karl-Christian Kohn (Plumkett), Walter Dicks (Tristan); Chor und Orchester des Hamburger Rundfunks; Walter Martin (conductor) – Cantus Classics 1960 Anneliese Rothenberger (Harriet), Hetty Plümacher (Nancy), Fritz Wunderlich (Lyonel), Gottlob Frick (Plumkett), Georg Völker (Tristan); Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin / Berliner Symphoniker; Berislav Klobučar (conductor) – EMI (excerpts) 1961 Victoria de los Ángeles (Harriet), Rosalind Elias (Nancy), Richard Tucker (Lyonel), Giorgio Tozzi (Plunkett), Lorenzo Alvary (Tristan); Chorus and Orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera House; Nino Verchi (conductor) – Celestial Audio (live in English) 1965 Erika Köth (Harriet), Elisabeth Steiner (Nancy), Rudolf Schock (Lyonel), Walter Kreppel (Plumkett), Manfred Röhrl (Tristan); Der Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin / Berliner Symphoniker; Wilhelm Schüchter (conductor) – Eurodisc (excerpts) 1968 Anneliese Rothenberger (Harriet), Brigitte Fassbaender (Nancy), Nicolai Gedda (Lyonel), Hermann Prey (Plumkett), Dieter Weller (Tristan); Der Chor der Bayerischer Staatsoper München / Der Orchester der Bayerischer Staatsoper München; Robert Heger (conductor) – EMI 1977 Lucia Popp (Harriet), Doris Soffel (Nancy), Siegfried Jerusalem (Lyonel), Karl Ridderbusch (Plumkett), Siegmund Nimsgern (Tristan); Chorus of the Bavarian Radio / Munich Radio Orchestra; Heinz Wallberg (conductor) – RCA 2016 Maria Bengtsson (Harriet), Katharina Magiera (Nancy), AJ