Sebastian Hofmüller

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Sebastian Hofmüller as David, role image, in: Richard Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg - Königl. Court Opera, Dresden. Photo by W. Höffert

Sebastian Hofmüller (born January 7, 1855 in Aign , Albaching ; † September 29, 1923 in Gauting ) was a German opera singer ( tenor ) and an important Wagner interpreter. He was the father of the opera singer, general music director and artistic director Max Hofmüller (1881–1981).

Life

The son of a small farmer, who was born in Upper Bavaria, began his career in Munich as a clerk in a municipal office. After joining a small touring stage, he made his debut in 1874 as a craft boy Anton in the operetta Flotte Bursche by Franz von Suppè at the Munich Elysium Theater. After engagements as a choir player at various South German theaters, he caused a sensation in 1878 in the role of the fisherman in the Wilhelm Tell overture by Gioachino Rossini , which he performed at the Mainz City Theater .

After in-depth training, he made his debut in 1879 as a lyric tenor with Lyonel in Friedrich von Flotow's opera Martha or Der Markt zu Richmond at the Stadttheater Trier . From 1880 to 1889 he gave both lyrical and buffalo roles as a soloist at the court theater in Darmstadt . In a guest appearance in 1889 at the Dresden court opera , he successfully offered the coachman Chapelou in Postillon de Lonjumeau of Adolphe Adam represents.

Cosima Wagner engaged Hofmüller as a Wagner interpreter at the Bayreuth Festival of 1888, where he excelled as David apprentice in the Mastersingers of Nuremberg , which was to be one of his great roles. There were also some smaller games from Tristan and Isolde as well as from Parsifal . He also gave these roles in the following year 1889 and 1892, and in 1894 he appeared as a blacksmith Mime in the Ring of the Nibelung . In 1895 Hofmüller was awarded the golden medal of merit for art and science by the “ Duke of the Theater” and sponsor of the Meiningen court theater , Duke Georg II of Saxony-Meiningen .

Sängers Heim , Gradsteg 42

After the successful guest performance in Dresden in 1889 and because of his brilliant Wagner performances, Ernst von Schuch , General Music Director of the Dresden Court Opera, brought Hofmüller to Dresden in 1890 as a royal court opera singer, where he remained a member of the ensemble for the next ten years. At that time Hofmüller lived in the Niederlößnitz in what he called Villa Sängers Heim ( Gradsteg 42), where his son Max spent crucial years of his youth. In 1936 Max returned to Saxony as director and general manager for ten years.

From 1900 to 1902 Hofmüller went to the Hoftheater Schwerin , interrupted by a guest performance in 1901, when he gave his David in the Meistersinger on August 21 in the opening performance of the newly built Prinzregententheater in Munich, designed by Max Littmann .

In 1902 he followed the call to the Munich court opera as a royal chamber singer , where he remained engaged as a valued buffo singer until 1918.

Hofmüller's major roles were Wagner's blacksmith Mime and the apprentice David, as well as Roger in Maurer and Schlosser by Daniel-François-Esprit Auber , Veit in Albert Lortzing's Undine and Georg in his armourer , furthermore Tamino in Mozart's Magic Flute , the Duke in Rigoletto by Verdi and Barbarino in the opera Alessandro Stradella by Friedrich von Flotow .

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Baptismal register Albaching-St. Nikolaus, CB005, M136, fol. 37. ( link to facsimile )
  2. ↑ a b c Frank Andert: Golden theater souvenirs. (PDF; 233 kB) Part 53. In: Kötzschenbrodaer stories. January 2012 accessed July 28, 2012 .
  3. ↑ Address book and housing and business manual of the Lößnitz localities, including the following communities: Kötzschenbroda with the district of Fürstenhain, Niederlößnitz, Naundorf, Zitzschewig and Lindenau, as well as Radebeul, Serkowitz, Oberlößnitz and the residents of the Lößnitzgrund. Kötzschenbroda 1895. p. 48.
personal data
SURNAME Hofmüller, Sebastian
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German opera singer (tenor) and important Wagner interpreter
DATE OF BIRTH January 7, 1855
PLACE OF BIRTH Aign, Albaching
DATE OF DEATH September 29, 1923
Place of death Gauting