Violet Mount

Violet Mount was an Australian soprano, active in Australia from at least 1902 and afterwards Britain around 1910.

In 1907, she left Australia for London, having sung oratorio in Melbourne and Sydney for several years. The Sydney Mail claimed she was "doubtless Australia's best soprano". By May 1908, London critics were praising her in the guise of a masked soprano calling herself "L'Incognita". This disguise followed a suggestion by George Byng, conductor at the Alhambra Music Hall, at which she was singing arias from opera since March 1908. In this hall, she appeared on the same bills as marionettes and a musical dog. Her choice of arias mirrored the work at the time of Luisa Tetrazzini at Covent Garden, and there was some speculation that that diva was in fact L'Incognita. Mount also appeared at the Hippodrome in programmes of similar content to that of the Alhambra, billed simply as "soprano soloist", and billed lower than two performing monkeys, despite her talent. She was still active in 1921, when she was working with the distinguished Australian flautist John Amadio.

She recorded extensively for the Zonophone label around 1910 as L'Incognita, and her identity was unknown for years.

She toured the Moss Empire circuit for two years and was by one critic found to be a "first class artist with a very pleasing and graceful stage presence". This latter detail was related in a letter of 1943 to The Gramophone magazine signed by F. W. Gaisberg (Fred Gaisberg), a major executive from EMI.

Listening now to the recordings reveals that she possessed a bright, open voice, and that she had no fear of high notes, some of which are added ad lib. Her pitch was just occasionally insecure.