Helmut Zacharias
Encyclopedia
Helmut Zacharias was a German
violinist
and composer
. At the time of his death, he had created over 400 works and sold 14 million records. He also appeared in number of films, usually playing musicians.
, Zacharias' father Karl was a violinist and conductor, his mother was a singer. He started having lessons from his father at the age of 2 and a half and at 6 he played at the Faun club, a cabaret venue on the Friedrichstraße
in Berlin. At the age of 8, Zacharias became the youngest student in Gustav Havemann's masterclass at the Berlin Academy of Music. Aged 11, he played on radio for the first time with a performance of Mozart's Violin Concerto No.3 in G-major
and begun touring in 1934 at the age of 14. At this time, in the 1930s, the records of Django Reinhardt
and Stéphane Grappelli
's all-string jazz band were available in Germany and heavily influenced Zacharias' musical style.
) and in 1941 had his first mainstream success with Schönes Wetter Heute. By the 1950s, he was considered to be one of the best jazz
violinists of Europe
and was dubbed "The Magic Violinist" and "Germany's Mr. Violin". In 1956 he achieved his greatest success in the United States with the release of "When the White Lilacs Bloom Again" which, on September 22, reached number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100
. On 21 November 1964 he reached number 9 in the UK Singles Chart
with Tokyo Melody, following its use as theme music for the BBC
's coverage of the 1964 Summer Olympics
. Zacharias moved to Switzerland
in the late 1950s and continued playing with many other famous artists, including Yehudi Menuhin
. From 1968 to 1973 he appeared in his own television show. In 1985, he was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
in 1995 and retired from public life in 1997 before the fact was publicly acknowledged on World Alzheimer's Day in 2000. He died in 2002 in Brissago
, Switzerland
and is buried in Ohlsdorf Cemetery
in Hamburg.
.
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...
violinist
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
. At the time of his death, he had created over 400 works and sold 14 million records. He also appeared in number of films, usually playing musicians.
Early life
Born in BerlinBerlin
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...
, Zacharias' father Karl was a violinist and conductor, his mother was a singer. He started having lessons from his father at the age of 2 and a half and at 6 he played at the Faun club, a cabaret venue on the Friedrichstraße
Friedrichstraße
The Friedrichstraße is a major culture and shopping street in central Berlin, forming the core of the Friedrichstadt neighborhood. It runs from the northern part of the old Mitte district to the Hallesches Tor in the district of Kreuzberg...
in Berlin. At the age of 8, Zacharias became the youngest student in Gustav Havemann's masterclass at the Berlin Academy of Music. Aged 11, he played on radio for the first time with a performance of Mozart's Violin Concerto No.3 in G-major
Violin Concerto No. 3 (Mozart)
The Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major, K. 216, was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Salzburg in 1775. Mozart was only 19 at the time.- Movements :The piece is in three movements:AllegroAdagioRondeau. Allegro- I. Allegro :...
and begun touring in 1934 at the age of 14. At this time, in the 1930s, the records of Django Reinhardt
Django Reinhardt
Django Reinhardt was a pioneering virtuoso jazz guitarist and composer who invented an entirely new style of jazz guitar technique that has since become a living musical tradition within French gypsy culture...
and Stéphane Grappelli
Stéphane Grappelli
Stéphane Grappelli was a French jazz violinist who founded the Quintette du Hot Club de France with guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1934. It was one of the first all-string jazz bands....
's all-string jazz band were available in Germany and heavily influenced Zacharias' musical style.
Musical career
In 1940, Zacharias was discovered by Lindström-Electrola (then-name of the German branch of EMIEMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
) and in 1941 had his first mainstream success with Schönes Wetter Heute. By the 1950s, he was considered to be one of the best jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
violinists of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and was dubbed "The Magic Violinist" and "Germany's Mr. Violin". In 1956 he achieved his greatest success in the United States with the release of "When the White Lilacs Bloom Again" which, on September 22, reached number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. On 21 November 1964 he reached number 9 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
with Tokyo Melody, following its use as theme music for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's coverage of the 1964 Summer Olympics
1964 Summer Olympics
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...
. Zacharias moved to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
in the late 1950s and continued playing with many other famous artists, including Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin, OM, KBE was a Russian Jewish American violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in the United Kingdom. He was born to Russian Jewish parents in the United States, but became a citizen of Switzerland in 1970, and of the United Kingdom in 1985...
. From 1968 to 1973 he appeared in his own television show. In 1985, he was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Death
Zacharias had been detected as suffering from Alzheimer's diseaseAlzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
in 1995 and retired from public life in 1997 before the fact was publicly acknowledged on World Alzheimer's Day in 2000. He died in 2002 in Brissago
Brissago
Brissago is a municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:An ax and ceramic pieces from the Neolithic era as well as Roman coins and other finds, discovered in 1846 in Brenscino, indicate that the area was prehistorically settled. In 1863, during the...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and is buried in Ohlsdorf Cemetery
Ohlsdorf Cemetery
-External links:* *...
in Hamburg.
Personal life
Zacharias was married to Hella (née Konradat) from 1943 until his death. Together they had two sons, Stephan and Thomas, and a daughter, Sylvia. Stephan, born in 1956, is a composer whose credits include the soundtrack to Academy Award-nominated film DownfallDownfall (film)
Downfall is a 2004 German/Italian/Austrian epic war film directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, depicting the final ten days of Adolf Hitler's life in his Berlin bunker and Nazi Germany in 1945....
.
Partial Discography
- 12 Violin Sonatas, Op.2 (Vivaldi) (1953)
- Ich liebe deinen Mund (1955)
- Hello, Scandinavia (1958)
- Holiday In Spain (1959)
- Songs Of Old Russia (1959)
- Candelight Serenade (1960)
- A Violin Sings (1962)
- On Lovers' Road (1963)
- Candlelight Serenade (1965)
- De Gouden Plaat Van Helmut Zacharias (1967)
- Happy Strings Happy Hits (1967)
- James Last Meets Helmut Zacharias (1967)
- Happy Strings Of Zacharias (1968)
- Light My Fire (1968)
- Mexico Melody (1968)
- Zacharias Plays The Hits (1969)
- Zacharias Plays Verdi & Puccini (1970)
- Zacharias Plays Verdi & Bizet (1970)
- Greatest Hits (1973)
- Buenos Días (1974)
- Swinging Hits (1977)
- Les Belles Années (1978)
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | Hallo, Fräulein! | Musician | |
| 1952 | Heimweh nach dir | Violinist | |
| 1952 | Königin der Arena | Conductor | |
| 1952 | Eine nette Bescherung | TV movie | |
| 1953 | Das singende Hotel | Karli Alten | |
| 1954 | An jedem Finger zehn | Player | |
| 1955 | Wie werde ich Filmstar? | ||
| 1962 | Totò di notte n. 1 | ||
| 1963 | Jolanthe lässt bitten.... | Himself | TV movie |
| 1964 | Silvester Show | Instrumentalist | TV movie |
| 1966 | Von uns - für Sie! | TV movie | |
| 1981 | So schön wie heut', so müßt' es bleiben | Performer | TV movie |