Carl Ebert
Encyclopedia
Carl Ebert was a German theatre
and opera
producer and administrator.
from 1915 to 1927, directing Brecht
's In The Jungle of Cities
in Darmstadt
in 1927. Between 1935 and 1944 he acted as the director of the newly founded state conservatory for theatre and opera in Ankara
, Turkey
, leading to the foundation of Turkish State Opera and Ballet
. Between 1934 and 1939 he produced the famous series of Mozart opera productions, and Verdi's Macbeth
with Fritz Busch
at Glyndebourne
, England. He also directed during that period performances of Falstaff (Verdi) with the great Baritone, Mariano Stabile in that role, and produced Rigoletto with Marko Rothmuller, both at the Music, Art & Drama Opera Seasons at the Cambridge Theatre, under the Impressario, Jay Pomeroy. He was a professor and head of the opera school at the University of Southern California
from 1948 to 1954. From 1954 to 1961, he served as the general administrator of Deutsche Oper Berlin
, then called Städtische Oper, in Berlin
.
from Germany
during the 1935-36 academic year. Based on his report, state conservatory classes began to be held at the Musiki Muallim Mektebi in the 1935-36 academic term. In addition, all aspects of musical education also included theatre and opera instruction. Carl Ebert, stayed in Ankara and directed the State Conservatory theater school and opera studio for nine years.
At the outset, Carl Ebert’s classes at the Ankara State Conservatory opera studio used standard Western works with Turkish text. Such was the case with Mozart’s one-act opera Bastien und Bastienne
that was staged by students and accompanied by the Presidential Symphony Orchestra. Given the positive reviews received, librettos in Turkish
were experimented with, and in 1940, for the first time in Turkey, the second act of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly was performed in Turkish by the opera studio. In May 1941, this was followed by the second act of Puccini’s Tosca
. Again, the performances were a great success, and this was reflected in the press. By an act of Parliament on May 16, 1940, the State Conservatory’s classes initiated at the Musiki Muallim Mektebi were officially turned into the State Conservatory consisting of music, opera, ballet, and theatre schools. Each year between 1937 and 1957, the Ankara State Conservatory sent out teams of musicologists into the countryside to compile traditional folk melodies. Some 10,000 melodies were compiled and many were recorded on wax records. They are now preserved in the archives of the Ankara State Conservatory at Hacettepe University
.
Carl Ebert set up departments of opera and theatre in the Conservatory as well as founding a "practice theatre" where opera and drama students could appear in public performance. Today, operas are produced regularly in five of Turkey’s cities by the Turkish State Opera and Ballet
, bound to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
and opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
producer and administrator.
Biography
He worked as an actor and theatre director in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
from 1915 to 1927, directing Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
's In The Jungle of Cities
In The Jungle of Cities
In The Jungle of Cities is a play by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht. Written between 1921 and 1924, it received its first theatrical production under the title In the Jungle at the Residenztheater in Munich, opening on 9 May 1923. This production was directed by Erich Engel, with...
in Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
in 1927. Between 1935 and 1944 he acted as the director of the newly founded state conservatory for theatre and opera in Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, leading to the foundation of Turkish State Opera and Ballet
Turkish State Opera and Ballet
The State Opera and Ballet is the national directorate of opera and ballet companies of Turkey, with venues in Ankara, İstanbul, İzmir, Mersin, Antalya and Samsun...
. Between 1934 and 1939 he produced the famous series of Mozart opera productions, and Verdi's Macbeth
Macbeth (opera)
Macbeth is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi, with an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave and additions by Andrea Maffei, based on Shakespeare's play of the same name...
with Fritz Busch
Fritz Busch
Fritz Busch was a German conductor.Busch was born in Siegen, Province of Westphalia. He held posts conducting opera at Aachen, Stuttgart and Dresden. In 1933 he was dismissed from his post at Dresden because of his opposition to the new Nazi government of Germany...
at Glyndebourne
Glyndebourne
Glyndebourne is a country house, thought to be about six hundred years old, located near Lewes in East Sussex, England. It is also the site of an opera house which, with the exception of its closing during the Second World War, for a few immediate post-war years, and in 1993 during the...
, England. He also directed during that period performances of Falstaff (Verdi) with the great Baritone, Mariano Stabile in that role, and produced Rigoletto with Marko Rothmuller, both at the Music, Art & Drama Opera Seasons at the Cambridge Theatre, under the Impressario, Jay Pomeroy. He was a professor and head of the opera school at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
from 1948 to 1954. From 1954 to 1961, he served as the general administrator of Deutsche Oper Berlin
Deutsche Oper Berlin
The Deutsche Oper Berlin is an opera company located in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin, Germany. The resident building is also home to the Berlin State Ballet.-History:...
, then called Städtische Oper, in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.
His work at the Ankara State Conservatory
Carl Ebert was invited to AnkaraAnkara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
during the 1935-36 academic year. Based on his report, state conservatory classes began to be held at the Musiki Muallim Mektebi in the 1935-36 academic term. In addition, all aspects of musical education also included theatre and opera instruction. Carl Ebert, stayed in Ankara and directed the State Conservatory theater school and opera studio for nine years.
At the outset, Carl Ebert’s classes at the Ankara State Conservatory opera studio used standard Western works with Turkish text. Such was the case with Mozart’s one-act opera Bastien und Bastienne
Bastien und Bastienne
Bastien und Bastienne , K. 50 is a one-act singspiel, a comic opera, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart....
that was staged by students and accompanied by the Presidential Symphony Orchestra. Given the positive reviews received, librettos in Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
were experimented with, and in 1940, for the first time in Turkey, the second act of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly was performed in Turkish by the opera studio. In May 1941, this was followed by the second act of Puccini’s Tosca
Tosca
Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900...
. Again, the performances were a great success, and this was reflected in the press. By an act of Parliament on May 16, 1940, the State Conservatory’s classes initiated at the Musiki Muallim Mektebi were officially turned into the State Conservatory consisting of music, opera, ballet, and theatre schools. Each year between 1937 and 1957, the Ankara State Conservatory sent out teams of musicologists into the countryside to compile traditional folk melodies. Some 10,000 melodies were compiled and many were recorded on wax records. They are now preserved in the archives of the Ankara State Conservatory at Hacettepe University
Hacettepe University
Hacettepe University is a major state university in Ankara, Turkey.The University has two main campuses. The first is located in the old town of Ankara and hosts the Medical Centre, and the second is the Beytepe Campus, which is 13 km from the city centre...
.
Carl Ebert set up departments of opera and theatre in the Conservatory as well as founding a "practice theatre" where opera and drama students could appear in public performance. Today, operas are produced regularly in five of Turkey’s cities by the Turkish State Opera and Ballet
Turkish State Opera and Ballet
The State Opera and Ballet is the national directorate of opera and ballet companies of Turkey, with venues in Ankara, İstanbul, İzmir, Mersin, Antalya and Samsun...
, bound to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.