Early years and family Walenn was born in
Islington, London, England. His father
William Henry Walenn was a scientist and worked for many years at the
Patent Office in London. His mother, Skene Charlotte (née Barth, 1837–1927) was musically trained but did not perform professionally. Nevertheless, her interest led to music professions of several of her children: Herbert Walenn was a cellist and professor at the
Royal Academy of Music, Charles was a singer, another brother was an organist, and
Gerald Walenn and a sister were violinists. Two other children found their way into art professions. His brother Cecil, known as Cecil Barth, was a theatrical manager who purchased the rights to the farces
The Private Secretary and ''
Charley's Aunt''. From the age of 9, Walenn was a choir boy and sang solos in some of the principal churches and cathedrals in Britain. When his voice broke he turned his attention to analytical chemistry, but five years later he resumed his career as a singer. He married Amelia Emma Mary Rouseby, a singer and widow, in 1901 in London.
D'Oyly Carte years Beginning in April 1887 Walenn performed with the
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, first in its European tour that ended in February 1888, as a chorister and understudy. His first principal role with the company was a brief stint in the small role of Major Murgatroyd in
Patience in 1888. He continued to sing chorus on tour thereafter. In early 1891 he appeared briefly in the leading role of Giuseppe in
The Gondoliers, and in the middle of that year, he assumed the parts of Pish-Tush in
The Mikado and Antonio in
The Gondoliers, always on tour. Finally, in September 1891, Walenn was promoted to play principal comic roles regularly in one of D'Oyly Carte's touring companies. His roles over the next dozen years were Jack Point in
The Yeomen of the Guard, the Duke of Plaza-Toro in
The Gondoliers, Bumbo in
The Nautch Girl, Bedford Rowe in
The Vicar of Bray, the McCrankie in
Haddon Hall, Bunthorne in
Patience, Scaphio in
Utopia, Limited, Dick Deadeye and later Sir Joseph Porter in
H.M.S. Pinafore, Peter Grigg in
The Chieftain, Pish-Tush and later Ko-Ko and the title role in
The Mikado, Mr. Cox in
Cox and Box, Grand Duke Rudolph in
The Grand Duke, the Lord Chancellor and later Lord Mountararat in
Iolanthe, King Ferdinand and later Boodel in
His Majesty, and John Wellington Wells in
The Sorcerer, Prince Paul in
The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein, King Ouf in
The Lucky Star, the Usher in
Trial by Jury, Hassan in
The Rose of Persia, Pat Murphy and later Professor Bunn in
The Emerald Isle and Mons. Sarsenet in
Bob, a
curtain raiser that played with
H.M.S. Pinafore. In 1904, he played at least two roles in London: Boissy in the
Amorelle at the
Comedy Theatre and as Balthazar in
La Poupee at the
Prince of Wales's Theatre. In between these roles, he toured for the first time with the
J. C. Williamson Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company in Australia, where he appeared in his familiar principal comic roles in
Pinafore, Pirates, Patience, Iolanthe, Mikado, Yeomen, and
Gondoliers from June to December 1914. ==Notes==