Alfred Deller

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alfred Deller (born May 31, 1912 in Margate , † July 16, 1979 in Bologna ) was an English singer ( countertenor ).

Life

Deller's grave in Boughton Aluph, Kent (2013)

Alfred Deller first sang as a boy soprano . He later developed into an altus and performed in the choirs of Canterbury Cathedral and St. Paul . In 1948 he had his first solo appearance in London under his sponsor Michael Tippett . In 1946 he sang for the first time on British radio and since 1947 he has been the choir conductor of St. Paul's Cathedral. He learned his countertenor voice autodidactically by singing his tenor voice in alto position.

In his repertoire, Deller initially placed an emphasis on English baroque music . Around 1950 he founded the Deller Consort , a vocal and instrumental ensemble devoted to early English music. The ensemble toured for more than twenty years and celebrated great success with its interpretations of English Renaissance music. In addition, his repertoire also included other castrati roles , for example from operas by Georg Friedrich Handel . In 1960 he sang the world premiere of A Midsummer Night's Dream by Benjamin Britten , with whom he was friends, Oberon.

Deller, the first counter-tenor of the 20th century to appear again as a soloist , made his voice range popular again outside of England and was largely responsible for the fact that countertenors now play an important role in early music .

He died on a vacation trip in Italy. He is buried with his wife Peggy (1913-2006) in the village cemetery of Boughton Aluph near Ashford , Kent.

literature

  • Michael Powell (Ed.): Alfred Deller. A recorded legacy, 1949-1979. Alfred Deller Memorial Trust, 1979.
  • Michael Hardwick, Mollie Hardwick: Alfred Deller, a singularity of voice. Proteus, 1980.
  • Alfred Deller [media combination]: portrait of a voice (music CD plus DVD video), Harmonia mundi, Arles 2009.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Deller, Alfred, countertenor. In: Karl-Josef Kutsch , Leo Riemens (Hrsg.): Großes Sängerlexikon . Volume 2, Saur, Munich 2004 ISBN 3-598-11598-9 , pp. 1075f .
  2. ↑ Ann-Christine Mecke: Mutantenstadl. Changing Voices and German Choral Practice in the 18th and 19th Centuries. Wissenschaftlicher Verlag Berlin, 2007, ISBN 3-86573-289-5 , p. 246.
  3. ↑ Christoph Wolff : The world of Bach cantatas. Volume 1: Johann Sebastian Bach's Church Cantatas. From Arnstadt to the Köthen time. Metzler, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-476-01425-8 , p. 220.
personal data
SURNAME Deller, Alfred
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English singer (countertenor)
DATE OF BIRTH May 31, 1912
PLACE OF BIRTH Margate
DATE OF DEATH July 16, 1979
Place of death Bologna