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Elisabeth Schwarzkopf as Donna Elvira of Mozart's Don Giovanni.
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf as Donna Elvira of Mozart's Don Giovanni. Don Giovanni ( K527; complete title Il dissoluto punito ossia il Don Giovanni, literally "The Rake Punish'd or Don Giovanni

Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, DBE (December 9, 1915 – August 3, 2006) was a German-born Austrian/British opera singer and recitalist. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. Events 536 - Byzantine General Belisarius enters Rome while the Ostrogothic garrison peacefully leaves the city Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 8 - Roman Empire General Tiberius defeats Dalmatians on the river Bathinus. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto She was one of the leading sopranos of the post-World War II period, much admired for her performances of Mozart, Strauss and Hugo Wolf. This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Richard Georg Strauss (11 June 1864 &ndash 8 September 1949 was a German Composer of the late Romantic era and early modern era particularly noted Hugo Wolf (March 13 1860 – February 22 1903 was an Austrian Composer of Slovene origin particularly noted for his art songs or Lieder.

Contents

Early life

Olga Maria Elisabeth Friederike Schwarzkopf was born in Jarotschin in the province of Posen in Prussia (since 1919 part of Poland) to Friedrich Schwarzkopf and his wife, Elisabeth nee Fröhling. Jarocin Subcarpathian Voivodeship Jarocin (Jarotschin is a Town in central Poland with 25700 inhabitants (1995 The Province of Posen (Provinz Posen Prowincja Poznańska was a province of Prussia from 1848-1918 and as such part of the German Empire from 1871 to 1918 the whole Prussia ( Latin: Borussia, Prutenia; Prūsija Prūsija Prusy Old Prussian: Prūsa) was most recently a historic state Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Schwarzkopf showed an interest in music from an early age. She performed in her first opera in 1928, as Eurydice in a school production of Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice in Magdeburg, Germany. In Greek mythology, Eurydice ( Eurydíkê, Εὐρυδίκη was an oak nymph or a sweet maiden Orfeo ed Euridice (French version Orphée et Eurydice; English translation Orpheus and Eurydice) is an Opera composed by Christoph Willibald Magdeburg ( Low Saxon: Meideborg ˈmaˑɪdebɔɐx the Capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. In 1934, Schwarzkopf began her musical studies at the Berlin Hochschule für Musik. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. A university school of music or college of music, or academy of music or conservatoire ( French, but used in British English) &mdash However at the suggestion of the baritone Karl Schmitt-Walter, she switched teachers and started working with the celebrated coloratura soprano Maria Ivogün as well as with her husband, the noted pianist Michael Raucheisen. Karl Schmitt-Walter ( December 23, 1900, Germersheim - January 14, 1985, Kreuth) was a German operatic Baritone Coloratura has several meanings The word derives from the Italian colorare (to Colour; to heighten to enliven or colorazione (colouring coloration This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. Maria Ivogün ( 18 November 1891, Budapest - 3 October 1987, Beatenberg, Switzerland was a distinguished soprano singer Translated from German Wikipedia Michael Raucheisen (b Rain am Lech, 9 February 1889 d Ivogün's advice to her new pupil was, "Be noble, my child!"

Early career

Schwarzkopf made her professional debut at Berlin's State Opera on 15 April 1938, as the Second Flower Maiden (First Group) in Act II of Richard Wagner's Parsifal. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Staatsoper Unter den Linden ( Berlin State Opera) is a prominent German Opera company Events 1450 - Battle of Formigny: Toward the end of the Hundred Years' War, the French attack and nearly annihilate English Year 1938 ( MCMXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Parsifal is an Opera, or Music drama, in three acts by Richard Wagner. She sang in Berlin for four years, during which time she became a member of the Nazi Party (a decision which later caused her to be boycotted in the United States for several years). The, officially National Socialist German Workers' Party, ( abbreviated NSDAP) was a Political party in Germany between 1919 and 1945 The United States of America —commonly referred to as the [1] However, she was always welcomed and acclaimed in countries other than the U. S.

In 1942, she joined the Vienna State Opera, where her roles included Konstanze in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Musetta and later Mimì in Giacomo Puccini's La bohème and Violetta in Giuseppe Verdi's La traviata. The Vienna State Opera ( Wiener Staatsoper) located in Vienna, Austria, is one of the most important Opera houses - and opera companies - in Die Entführung aus dem Serail ( K 384; The Abduction from the Seraglio; also known as Il Seraglio) is an Opera Singspiel WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section --> Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini ( December 22, 1858 La traviata is an Opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave.

Post-war career

In 1945, Schwarzkopf was granted Austrian citizenship to enable her to sing in the Vienna State Opera (Wiener Staatsoper). The Vienna State Opera ( Wiener Staatsoper) located in Vienna, Austria, is one of the most important Opera houses - and opera companies - in In 1947 and 1948, Schwarzkopf appeared on tour with the Vienna State Opera at London's Royal Opera House at Covent Garden on 16 September 1947 as Donna Elvira in Mozart's Don Giovanni and at La Scala on 28 December 1948, as the Countess in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, which became one of her signature roles. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. WikipediaWikiProject Opera --> The Royal Opera House is an Opera house and major performing Covent Garden (Pronunciation kɒvʌnt is a district in London, England, located on the easternmost parts of the City of Westminster and the southwest Events 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr is declared Prince of Wales by his followers Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Don Giovanni ( K527; complete title Il dissoluto punito ossia il Don Giovanni, literally "The Rake Punish'd or Don Giovanni The Teatro alla Scala (or La Scala, as it is known in Milan, Italy, is one of the world's most famous Opera houses The theatre was Events 1065 - Westminster Abbey is Consecrated. 1308 - The reign of Emperor Hanazono, Emperor of Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Le nozze di Figaro ossia la folle giornata (Trans The Marriage of Figaro or the Day of Madness) K

Schwarzkopf later made her official debut at the Royal Opera House on 16 January 1948, as Pamina in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, in performances sung in English, and at La Scala on 29 June 1950 singing Beethoven's Missa Solemnis. Events 27 BC - The title Augustus is bestowed upon Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian by the Roman Senate. The Magic Flute (German Die Zauberflöte, K 620 is an Opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Events 512 - A Solar eclipse is recorded by a monastic chronicler in Ireland. Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Ludwig van Beethoven ( English ˈlʊdvɪg væn ˈbeɪtoʊvən, 16 December 1770 &ndash 26 March 1827 was a German Composer and Pianist. The Missa solemnis in D Major Op 123 was composed by Ludwig van Beethoven from 1819-1823 Schwarzkopf's association with the Milanese house in the early 1950s gave her the opportunity to sing certain roles on stage for the only time in her career: Mélisande in Pelléas et Mélisande, Jole in Handel's Eracle, Marguerite in Gounod's Faust, Elsa in Wagner's Lohengrin, as well as her first Marschallin in Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier and her first Fiordiligi in Mozart's Così fan tutte at the Piccola Scala. Biography Gounod was born in Paris, the son of a pianist mother and a draftsman father Faust or Faustus ( Latin for "auspicious" or "lucky" is the protagonist of a classic German Legend in which he makes Lohengrin is a romantic Opera (or music drama in three acts composed and written by Richard Wagner. Richard Georg Strauss (11 June 1864 &ndash 8 September 1949 was a German Composer of the late Romantic era and early modern era particularly noted Der Rosenkavalier ( op 59 ( The Knight of the Rose) is a comic Opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original Così fan tutte ossia La scuola degli amanti ( Thus Do They All or The School For Lovers) K On 11 September 1951, she appeared as Anne Trulove in the world premiere of Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress. Events 9 - The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (Игорь Фёдорович Стравинский) ( &ndash 6 April 1971 was a Russian born Composer, considered by many to The Rake's Progress is an Opera in three acts and an epilogue by Igor Stravinsky. Schwarzkopf made her American debut with the San Francisco Opera on 20 September 1955 as the Marschallin, and her debut at the Metropolitan Opera on 19 December 1964, also as the Marschallin. San Francisco Opera (SFO is the second largest Opera company in North America. Events 451 - The Battle of Chalons takes place in North Eastern France. Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) The Metropolitan Opera Association of New York City, founded in April 1880 is a major presenter of all types of opera including Grand Opera. Events 324 - Licinius abdicates his position as Roman Emperor. Year 1964 ( MCMLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the 1964 Gregorian calendar.

In March 1946, Schwarzkopf was invited to audition for Walter Legge, an influential British classical record producer and a founder of the Philharmonia. Walter Legge (born 1 June 1906, London; died 22 March 1979, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France) was an influential The Philharmonia is an Orchestra based in London. Since 1995 it has been based in the Royal Festival Hall. Legge asked her to sing Hugo Wolf's lied Wer rief dich denn? and, impressed, signed her to an exclusive contract with EMI. Hugo Wolf (March 13 1860 – February 22 1903 was an Austrian Composer of Slovene origin particularly noted for his art songs or Lieder. de Lied (plural de Lieder) (liːt plural) is a German word meaning literally " Song " among English speakers however the word The EMI Group is a British music company comprising the major record company EMI Music – which operates several labels and is based in Kensington in They began a close partnership and Legge subsequently became Schwarzkopf's manager and companion. They were married on 19 October 1953 in Epsom, Surrey; Schwarzkopf thus acquired British citizenship by marriage. Events 202 BCE - The Battle of Zama results in the defeat of Carthage and Hannibal. Year 1953 ( MCMLIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. See also Epsom New Hampshire, and Epsom New Zealand. For the chemical compound see Epsom salts. Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. Schwarzkopf would divide her time between lieder recitals and opera performances for the rest of her career. de Lied (plural de Lieder) (liːt plural) is a German word meaning literally " Song " among English speakers however the word

When invited in 1958 to select her eight favourite records on the BBC's Desert Island Discs, Schwarzkopf famously chose seven of her own recordings as they evoked fond memories of the people she had worked with. Desert Island Discs is a long-running BBC Radio 4 programme It was first broadcast on 29 January 1942 and is said by the Guinness This apparently narcissistic choice was due to the influence of her husband Walter Legge. [2] In private, she remarked that she disliked many of her recordings.

In the 1960s, Schwarzkopf concentrated nearly exclusively on five operatic roles: Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Countess Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Countess Madeleine in Strauss' Capriccio, and the Marschallin. Capriccio is the final Opera by German composer Richard Strauss, subtitled "A Conversation Piece for Music" She also was well received as Alice Ford in Verdi's Falstaff. Falstaff is an Operatic commedia lirica in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, adapted by Arrigo Boito from Shakespeare 's plays However, on the EMI label she made several "champagne operetta" recordings like The Merry Widow and The Gypsy Baron. The Merry Widow (Die lustige Witwe is an Operetta by the Austro-Hungarian Composer Franz Lehár. The Gypsy Baron (In German Der Zigeunerbaron) is an Operetta in three Acts by Johann Strauss II which premiered at the Theater

Schwarzkopf's last operatic performance was as the Marschallin on 31 December 1971, in the theater of La Monnaie in Brussels. Events 406 – Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia. Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. The Koninklijke Muntschouwburg ( de Munt) (Dutch, or le Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie ( la Monnaie) (French (both meaning Royal Theatre Brussels (Bruxelles pronounced; Brussel pronounced) officially the Brussels Capital-Region, is For the next several years, she devoted herself exclusively to lieder recitals.

On 17 March 1979, Legge suffered a severe heart attack. Events 45 BC - In his last victory Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) He disregarded doctor's orders to rest and attended Schwarzkopf's final recital two days later in Zürich. Zürich (, Zürich German: Züri, Zurich, Zurigo; in English generally Zurich) is the largest city in Switzerland and capital of the Three days later, he died.

After retiring, Schwarzkopf taught and gave master classes around the world, notably at the Juilliard School in New York. Master Class is a play by Terrence McNally, with incidental music by Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, and Vincenzo Bellini. The Juilliard School, located in New York City, is a world renowned Performing arts conservatory. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous She was well-known for being an extremely demanding, exacting teacher. Some even called her methods unnecessarily harsh. After living in Switzerland for many years, she took up residence in Vorarlberg, Austria. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation Vorarlberg is the westernmost state ( Land) of Austria. Though it is the second smallest in terms of area ( Vienna is the smallest it borders Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich

She was made a doctor of music by Cambridge University in 1976, and became a Dame of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1992. The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University) located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V.

Schwarzkopf died in her sleep during the night of 2–3 August 2006 at her home in the village of Schruns, in Vorarlberg, western Austria, aged 90. Schruns is the main village of the Montafon valley in Vorarlberg, Austria, in the Bludenz district.

Immediately following her death, an urban myth resurfaced: that she was an aunt of Norman Schwarzkopf. An urban legend or urban myth is a form of modern Folklore consisting of stories thought to be factual by those circulating them General H Norman Schwarzkopf (also known as '''"Stormin' Norman"''' and '''"The Bear"''') (b This myth was published in several obituaries. [3] However, the parents of Norman Schwarzkopf, Sr. were Julius George Schwarzkopf and Agnes Sarah Schmidt whereas Elisabeth's were Friedrich Schwarzkopf and Elisabeth Fröhling. Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf ( August 28, 1895 – November 25, 1958) was the first superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. Also, Elisabeth was an only child.

Legacy

During her career, Schwarzkopf was much admired for her artistry and for her timeless beauty.

She leaves a discography that is considerable both in quality and in quantity and will be mostly remembered for her Mozart and Strauss portrayals, her two commercial recordings of Richard Strauss' Four Last Songs, and her countless recordings of lieder, especially those of Hugo Wolf. Richard Georg Strauss (11 June 1864 &ndash 8 September 1949 was a German Composer of the late Romantic era and early modern era particularly noted The Four Last Songs ( Vier letzte Lieder) for Soprano and Orchestra were the final works of Richard Strauss, composed in 1948 when Hugo Wolf (March 13 1860 – February 22 1903 was an Austrian Composer of Slovene origin particularly noted for his art songs or Lieder.

The Elisabeth Schwarzkopf/Walter Legge Society, chaired by Dr Daphne Kerslake, continues to keep alive her name.

Quotes

Further reading

Recordings

Recordings include the following.

Humperdinck

Lehár

Mozart

Strauss II, Johann

Strauss, Richard

Verdi

Wagner, Richard

Notes and references

  1. ^ The Guardian (Michael H Kater) Triumph of the wilful 24 August 2006
  2. ^ The Independent letters page (Colin Cooper) Schwarzkopf and Callas: no rivalry 7 August 2006
  3. ^ This urban myth was included in, for example, William J. The Guardian (until 1959 The Manchester Guardian) is a British Newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. The Independent is a British compact Newspaper published by Tony O'Reilly 's Independent News & Media. Kole Famed Soprano Elisabeth Schwarzkopf Dies, Associated Press obituary via Forbes, 3 August 2006, and Tom Huizenga, Soprano Schwarzkopf Dies at 90 (link to audio), National Public Radio, 3 August 2006. The Associated Press ( AP) is an American News agency. The AP is a Cooperative owned by its contributing Newspapers radio Forbes is an American Publishing and media company Its flagship publication Forbes magazine is published bi-weekly Events 8 - Roman Empire General Tiberius defeats Dalmatians on the river Bathinus. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 8 - Roman Empire General Tiberius defeats Dalmatians on the river Bathinus. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

External links

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