Wilhelm Eichberger

Wilhelm Eichberger ( February 20, 1830 in Kassel - August 30, 1904 in Oberloschwitz ) was a German opera singer ( bass ), opera director and singing teacher .

Life

Eichberger, the son of the opera singer Josef Eichberger senior , was originally supposed to become an architect because he was good at drawing and mathematics. During his studies he also took lessons on several instruments because he wanted to be trained as a conductor.

His father noticed his voice, however, and so he taught him himself. After successful training, Eichberger became a member of the choir of the city theater in Königsberg on November 1, 1849. Due to the lack of success of the actually committed bass player, the role of "Cardinal" in the Jüdin was assigned to him on a trial basis. With this performance he had such success on July 19, 1850 that from then on he was given responsibility for the first bass division (while the other singer was dismissed at the same time). In Königsberg his fee was 20 thalers a month and 15 silver groschen game fee at the beginning, later 30 thaler fee and 2 thaler game fee.

He caused a stir in 1851 during a guest performance by the Königsberg Opera at the Friedrich Wilhelmstädtische Theater in Berlin, at the Royal Opera House in Berlin and in Potsdam. From 1851 to 1853 he was at the Stadttheater Danzig, from 1853 to 1858 at the Stadttheater Wiesbaden.

In 1858 he went to Dresden and made his debut there on April 1st of that year (inaugural roles: "Plumkett", "Lord Koolburn") and stayed there until his departure on September 1st, 1898 as "Bartolo" in the barber of Seville . From 1874 to 1880 he was also a provisional opera director. He also directed the opera school of the Royal Conservatory and also gave singing lessons as a private teacher. In Dresden he was a member of the Masonic lodge Zum golden Apfel .

At the opening of the new Dresden Court Theater, King Albert awarded him the Knight's Cross 1st Class of the Order of Albrecht .

His siblings were the opera singers Josef Eichberger junior and Livia Eichberger (1837-1931), who was married to the theater actor Caesar Galster . His son Max Eichberger was also an opera singer.

literature

• Adolph Kohut : The Dresden Court Theater in the Present . E. Pierson's Publishing House. Dresden & Leipzig 1888, p. 287 ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive ).
• Ludwig Eisenberg : Wilhelm Eichberger . In: Large biographical lexicon of the German stage in the XIX. Century. Paul List, Leipzig 1903, p. 224 ( daten.digitale-sammlungen.de ).
• KJ Kutsch , Leo Riemens : Large singer lexicon . Unchanged edition. KG Saur, Bern 1993, ISBN 3-907820-70-3 , first volume A – L, column 832 f.