Theodor Habelmann
Theodor Habelmann ( April 20, 1834 in Berlin - June 6, 1920 in Indian Orchard near Honesdale , Pennsylvania , United States ) was a German opera singer ( tenor ) and opera director .
Life
Habelmann's father served as an officer in the army and was later a secret secretary in the war ministry. His son was also to embark on a military career and, after graduating from high school, entered the naval service, where he remained from 1850 to 1856. However, as a result of a broken arm, he had to quit duty.
His voice was already noticed during his service and he was repeatedly honored to sing in a quartet before King Otto in Athens when his ship was anchored in Piraeus . When he had left active service, he was trained as a tenor singer at royal expense after an audition by General Director Botho von Hülsen .
He made his debut in 1856 on the royal stage in Berlin. Then he was engaged in Stettin, Lübeck, Braunschweig, Magdeburg, Zurich and Danzig, was won over for the first German opera in New York and also sang in London.
Moved into the field of hero tenor, he sang Lohengrin first , with such extraordinary success that he had to repeat the role (1871) eighteen times in a month. Habelmann also sang at German and English operas.
In 1885 he also took on directing work, first at the German opera at the Met . He made particular merits with his Wagner productions. He directed not only German operas, but also Italian and French operas in America (1891–1892).
After his return to Europe, Habelmann was hired by the director Theodor Loewe at the Stadttheater Breslau as senior director. He stayed there until 1902 and then went back to the USA, where he opened an opera school. He died there in early June 1920 in his country house near Honesdale, Pa.
literature
- Ludwig Eisenberg : Theodor Habelmann . In: Large biographical lexicon of the German stage in the XIX. Century. Paul List, Leipzig 1903, p. 378 ( daten.digitale-sammlungen.de ).
- Wilhelm Kosch : German Theater Lexicon, Biographical and Bibliographical Handbook . 1st volume. Klagenfurt / Vienna 1953, p. 657
- German stage yearbook , 32nd year 1921, detailed. Obituary on p. 145
Web links
- Theodor Habelmann at Operissimo on the basis of the Great Singer Lexicon
Individual evidence
- ↑ Obituary. In: The New York Times , June 8, 1920, p. 11
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Habelmann, Theodor |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German opera singer (tenor) and opera director |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 20, 1834 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Berlin |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 6, 1920 |
| Place of death | Indian Orchard at Honesdale , Pennsylvania , United States |