Ludwig Schnorr von Carolsfeld (singer)

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Joseph Albert : Ludwig and Malvina Schnorr von Carolsfeld 1865 as Tristan and Isolde

Ludwig Schnorr von Carolsfeld (born July 2, 1836 in Munich , † July 21, 1865 in Dresden ) was a German opera singer ( hero tenor ).

Life

Ludwig Schnorr von Carolsfeld came from the respected Saxon artist family Schnorr von Carolsfeld . His father was the well-known painter Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld . The young Ludwig first attended the Kreuzschule in Dresden, the home of the Dresden Kreuzchor . That may have been the reason why, contrary to family tradition, he did not want to be a painter, but a singer. After graduating from school, he therefore attended the Leipzig Conservatory .

In 1858 he made his debut at the Karlsruhe Court Theater , in 1860 also at the Dresden Court Theater and the National Theater in Munich . On April 25, 1860, he married the ten years older soprano Eugénia Malvina Garrigues (December 7, 1825 - February 8, 1904). She was born in Copenhagen as the youngest daughter of the Magdeburg Commercial Councilor Jean Antoine Henri Garrigues (1782-1857). The Huguenot descendant (a grandson of Moyse Garrigue ) who emigrated to Denmark was also the Portuguese consul general in Denmark. Malvina put her own career on hold after the wedding to support her husband.

Malvina Schnorr-Carolsfeld

During these years Schnorr von Carolsfeld made a name for himself as an intelligent and reliable tenor, especially in Verdi and Wagner roles. In 1861 the Bavarian King Ludwig II heard him as Lohengrin . This performance is said to have been one of the triggers for the king's enthusiasm for Wagner and his works and was therefore also a decisive moment for the singer's career.

In 1862 Ludwig and Malvina Schnorr von Carolsfeld met Richard Wagner in Biebrich . On this occasion the composer had the two passages from his new opera Tristan und Isolde sung to him; he accompanied on the piano himself. That this meeting had impressed Wagner became apparent three years later: Tristan und Isolde was to be premiered at the Vienna Court Opera in the 1862/63 season . However, this undertaking was canceled after 77 rehearsals as impracticable, not least because the tenor intended for the main role was not up to the challenge.

Grave in the old Annenfriedhof in the southern suburb of Dresden

In 1865 Ludwig II made a new attempt to perform the opera in Munich possible. At Wagner's instigation, the two main roles were cast with Ludwig and Malvina Schnorr von Carolsfeld. And although the first performance of the work on June 10, 1865 was anything but an unanimous success - the critics called the work, among other things, "indecent" - it made the leading actors internationally known in one fell swoop and would have marked the beginning of a great career for both of them can. In addition, Ludwig Schnorr von Carolsfeld was supposed to "take on an important task" in a school for Wagner singers, which was to be founded after consultation with Ludwig II.

Six weeks and three performances of Tristan later, Ludwig Schnorr von Carolsfeld was dead: suddenly and completely unexpectedly, he died in Dresden at the age of just 29. His early and mysterious death made him a legend - and was long regarded as the result of the enormous efforts that Wagner demanded of his singers, and especially the singer of Tristan. Research today suggests that the cause of death was likely an infectious disease such as typhoid or meningitis . Ludwig Schnorr von Carolsfeld is buried next to his father in the Alten Annenfriedhof in the southern suburb of Dresden . After the early and unexpected loss, his widow Malvina ended her career for good.

literature

  • Franz Schnorr von Carolsfeld :  Schnorr von Carolsfeld, Ludwig (opera singer) . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 32, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1891, p. 190 f.
  • Richard Wagner: My memories of Ludwig Schnorr von Carolsfeld. In: Richard Wagner: Collected writings and seals. Volume 8. 4th edition. Fritsch, Leipzig 1907, p. 181ff.
  • Wendelin Weißheimer: Experiences with Richard Wagner, Franz Liszt and many other contemporaries. Stuttgart, Leipzig 1898 (this also contains letters from Schnorr von Carolsfeld).
  • Schnorr von Carolsfeld, Ludwig. In: Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon. Volume 17. Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig 1909, p. 935.
  • CHN Garrigues: An ideal pair of singers - Ludwig Schnorr von Carolsfeld and Malvina Schnorr von Carolsfeld geb. Garrigues. Levin & Nunksgaard, Copenhagen 1937.
  • Kurt Pahlen: Richard Wagner. Tristan and Isolde. Text book. Introduction and commentary by Kurt Pahlen with the assistance of Rosmarie König. Schott, Mainz 2010, ISBN 978-3-254-08036-3 .
  • Schnorr von Carolsfeld, Ludwig , in: Großes Sängerlexikon , 3rd edition, CD-ROM, 2000, pp. 21879–21882

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ CHN Garrigues:  Silhouettes of Garrigues and some other profiles . Orbis Publishing House, Prague 1930.
  2. ^ Theater album for Ludwig Schnorr von Carolsfeld: Collection of drawings 1860-1868 by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld with the leading roles of his son Ludwig , Deutsche Fotothek, accessed on October 2, 2014
  3. ↑ Pahlen, p. 321
personal data
SURNAME Schnorr von Carolsfeld, Ludwig
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German opera singer (hero tenor)
DATE OF BIRTH July 2, 1836
PLACE OF BIRTH Munich
DATE OF DEATH July 21, 1865
Place of death Dresden