Gertrude Pitzinger

Gertrude Pitzinger (born August 15, 1904 in Mährisch Schönberg , † September 15, 1997 in Frankfurt a. M. ) was a German opera and concert singer ( alto ).

Life

Pitzinger's father came from Brno , his mother from Olomouc . Gertrude Pitzinger wanted to become an elementary school teacher, and her alto voice was discovered during her training. She studied with Glaser at the Vienna Music Academy . She gave her first recital at the Berlin Singakademie . The singer lived in Reichenberg from 1930 until 1945 .

As a song interpreter, she has made guest appearances throughout the German-speaking area. She also took part in Hans Pfitzner's choral work Von deutscher Seele . Wilhelm Furtwängler engaged them several times and on the occasion of the performances for the coronation of George VI. to the King of England (on May 12, 1937 in Westminster Abbey ) she was brought up as a soloist together with Erna Berger , Walter Ludwig and Rudolf Watzke.

Concert tours in 1938 and 1939 took Pitzinger to the USA , Denmark (1935, Copenhagen), Italy, Norway, Holland (1935, Amsterdam) and Belgium (1936 Brussels). In 1937 she sang in London under Wilhelm Furtwängler, and in 1938 in Carnegie Hall and the Town Hall in New York. In 1937 and 1941 she performed in Prague and in 1941 in Holland.

Pitzinger sang frequently under Egon Kornauth as well as under Eugen Jochum , Ferenc Fricsay , Joseph Keilberth and Fritz Rieger . At the Wiener Musikverein she took over under Oswald Kabasta in 1940 at the world premiere of Franz Schmidt's cantata Deutsche Auferstehung. A festive song for the alto part.

Pitzinger had great success with concerts at the Salzburg Festival, including 1934 in the Stabat Mater by Antonín Dvořák , 1951 to 1959 in Mozart's Requiem , 1955 to 1957 in Beethoven's Missa solemnis , and in 1953 in Judas Maccabaeus by Georg Friedrich Händel . Until 1960 she appeared there as a soloist in masses by Haydn and Beethoven.

Gertrude Pitzinger's voice has come down to us on numerous sound carriers, some of which are also available on the Internet.

In 1956 Pitzinger took on a master class for singing at the Hanover Music Academy , three years later she became professor for singing at the State University of Music in Frankfurt am Main .

Pitzinger was married to the Danish concert singer Otto Dupont (born July 26, 1911 in Fredericia ; † April 5, 1981 ibid).

Honor

• 1957 Sudeten German Culture Prize

literature

• Karl-Josef Kutsch , Leo Riemens : Immortal Voices. Small lexicon of singers . 2nd edition Francke Verlag, Bern 1966