Joseph Wilhelm Swoboda
Encyclopedia
Joseph Wilhelm Swoboda was a Czech opera
tic tenor
, actor
, and opera director. He started his career as a stage actor in his native country during the 1820s. He began his opera career in 1836 in Neustrelitz, and after appearing at several German opera houses, became a leading and comprimario
tenor at the Vienna Hofoper
from 1849-1865. He then served as the director of that theatre from 1865-1875; after which he worked in the same capacity at the Deutsches Theater Budapest from 1875-1878.
, Swoboda studied philosophy
in his native city and spent his early career there as a stage actor during the 1820s and 1830s. In 1836-1837 he started singing in operas at the court theatre in Neustrelitz; followed by engagements at the Leipzig Opera House (1837-1838) and the Halle Opera House
(1838-1839). On 22 December 1837 he created the role of the Marquis de Chateauneuf in Albert Lortzing
's Zar und Zimmermann
in Leipzig. In the 1840-1841 season in Düsseldorf
he appeared opposite his wife, dramatic soprano
Angelika Peréchon-Swoboda, under the stage name Joseph Nork. In 1841 both he and his wife were engaged at the opera house in Frankrut am Main. He continued to perform there through 1848 as Joseph Nork, mostly in buffo
and comprimario
roles. In 1846 his wife died at the age of 30. Their son, Albin Swoboda, Sr.
(1836-1901) would later become one of the most famous opera singers in the "Golden Age" of Viennese operetta
, and their other son Karl Swoboda was also an opera singer. Their grandson Albin Swoboda, Jr.
was a successful bass-baritone
.
in Vienna, once again using his real name, Joseph Swobada. He then joined the Vienna Hofoper
in the autumn of 1849 where he was billed as Wilhelm Swoboda. He became one of the main tenors at that house, singing both leading and supporting roles there up into the mid 1860s. Among the parts he sang in Vienna were Beausoleil in Le panier fleuri, Chapelou in Le postillon de Lonjumeau
, Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville
, Count Juliano Le domino noir
, Daniel in Zampa
, Elvino in La sonnambula
, Franz in Faust
, Max in Der Freischütz
, Peter Ivanov in Zar und Zimmermann, Siméon in Joseph
, Tamino in The Magic Flute
, Tybalt in I Capuleti e i Montecchi
, and the title role in Fra Diavolo
. He also appeared as a guest artist during these years in theatres throughout Germany and in Prague, and was frequent performer at the Theater in der Josefstadt
in Vienna.
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...
tic tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, and opera director. He started his career as a stage actor in his native country during the 1820s. He began his opera career in 1836 in Neustrelitz, and after appearing at several German opera houses, became a leading and comprimario
Comprimario
A Comprimario is a supporting role in an opera. Derived from the Italian "con primario", or "with the primary", the term refers to a performer who sings small role pieces....
tenor at the Vienna Hofoper
Vienna State Opera
The Vienna State Opera is an opera house – and opera company – with a history dating back to the mid-19th century. It is located in the centre of Vienna, Austria. It was originally called the Vienna Court Opera . In 1920, with the replacement of the Habsburg Monarchy by the First Austrian...
from 1849-1865. He then served as the director of that theatre from 1865-1875; after which he worked in the same capacity at the Deutsches Theater Budapest from 1875-1878.
Early life and career
Born in PraguePrague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Swoboda studied philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
in his native city and spent his early career there as a stage actor during the 1820s and 1830s. In 1836-1837 he started singing in operas at the court theatre in Neustrelitz; followed by engagements at the Leipzig Opera House (1837-1838) and the Halle Opera House
Halle Opera House
The Halle Opera House is an opera house in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt. Originally named the Halle Town Theatre , the theatre was built in 1886. A bomb attack on 31 March 1945 destroyed much of the original building. Restorative work ensued a few years later, and the theatre reopened in 1951 under the...
(1838-1839). On 22 December 1837 he created the role of the Marquis de Chateauneuf in Albert Lortzing
Albert Lortzing
Gustav Albert Lortzing was a German composer, actor and singer. He is considered to be the main representative of the German Spieloper, a form similar to the French opéra comique, which grew out of the Singspiel.-Biography:Lortzing was born in Berlin to Johann Gottlieb Lortzing and Charlotte Sophie...
's Zar und Zimmermann
Zar und Zimmermann
Zar und Zimmermann is an opera in three acts, music by Albert Lortzing, libretto by the composer after Georg Christian Römer's Der Bürgermeister on Saarlem, oder Die zwei Peter, itself based on a French work entitled Le Bourgesmestre de Sardam, ou Les deux Pierres by Anne-Honoré-Joseph Duveyrier...
in Leipzig. In the 1840-1841 season in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
he appeared opposite his wife, dramatic soprano
Dramatic soprano
A dramatic soprano is an operatic soprano with a powerful, rich, emotive voice that can sing over, or cut through, a full orchestra. Thicker vocal folds in dramatic voices usually mean less agility than lighter voices but a sustained, fuller sound. Usually this voice has a lower tessitura than...
Angelika Peréchon-Swoboda, under the stage name Joseph Nork. In 1841 both he and his wife were engaged at the opera house in Frankrut am Main. He continued to perform there through 1848 as Joseph Nork, mostly in buffo
Opera buffa
Opera buffa is a genre of opera. It was first used as an informal description of Italian comic operas variously classified by their authors as ‘commedia in musica’, ‘commedia per musica’, ‘dramma bernesco’, ‘dramma comico’, ‘divertimento giocoso' etc...
and comprimario
Comprimario
A Comprimario is a supporting role in an opera. Derived from the Italian "con primario", or "with the primary", the term refers to a performer who sings small role pieces....
roles. In 1846 his wife died at the age of 30. Their son, Albin Swoboda, Sr.
Albin Swoboda, Sr.
Albin August Heinrich Emil Swoboda was an Austrian operatic tenor, actor, and opera director of German birth. One of the most famous opera singers of the "Golden Age" of Viennese operetta, he was a leading tenor and dramatic stage actor at the Theater an der Wien from 1859-1878...
(1836-1901) would later become one of the most famous opera singers in the "Golden Age" of Viennese operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
, and their other son Karl Swoboda was also an opera singer. Their grandson Albin Swoboda, Jr.
Albin Swoboda, Jr.
Albin Swoboda, Jr. was a German operatic bass-baritone. Born in Dresden, he was the son of tenor and actor Albin Swoboda, Sr. and soprano Friederike Fischer; both of whom were luminaries of the "Golden Age" of Viennese operetta. His grandfather Joseph Wilhelm Swoboda also had an important career...
was a successful bass-baritone
Bass-baritone
A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three Wagnerian roles: the Dutchman in Der fliegende...
.
Singing in Vienna
In 1848-1849 Swoboda performed at the CarltheaterCarltheater
The Carltheater was a theatre in Vienna. It was in the suburbs in Leopoldstadt at Praterstraße 31 .It was the successor to the Leopoldstädter Theater. After a series of financial difficulties, that theater had been sold in 1838 to the director, Carl Carl, who continued to run it in parallel to his...
in Vienna, once again using his real name, Joseph Swobada. He then joined the Vienna Hofoper
Vienna State Opera
The Vienna State Opera is an opera house – and opera company – with a history dating back to the mid-19th century. It is located in the centre of Vienna, Austria. It was originally called the Vienna Court Opera . In 1920, with the replacement of the Habsburg Monarchy by the First Austrian...
in the autumn of 1849 where he was billed as Wilhelm Swoboda. He became one of the main tenors at that house, singing both leading and supporting roles there up into the mid 1860s. Among the parts he sang in Vienna were Beausoleil in Le panier fleuri, Chapelou in Le postillon de Lonjumeau
Le postillon de Lonjumeau
Le postillon de Lonjumeau is an opéra-comique in three acts by Adolphe Adam to a French libretto by 'Adolphe de Leuven' and 'Brunswick' ....
, Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville, or The Futile Precaution is an opera buffa in two acts by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's comedy Le Barbier de Séville , which was originally an opéra comique, or a mixture of spoken play with music...
, Count Juliano Le domino noir
Le domino noir
Le domino noir is an opéra comique by the French composer Daniel Auber, first performed on 2 December 1837 by the Opéra-Comique at the Salle de la Bourse in Paris. The libretto to the three-act piece is by Auber's usual collaborator, Eugène Scribe. It was one of Auber's most successful works,...
, Daniel in Zampa
Zampa
Zampa, ou La fiancée de marbre is an opéra comique in three acts by French composer Louis Joseph Ferdinand Hérold...
, Elvino in La sonnambula
La sonnambula
La sonnambula is an opera semiseria in two acts, with music in the bel canto tradition by Vincenzo Bellini to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani, based on a scenario for a ballet-pantomime by Eugène Scribe and Jean-Pierre Aumer called La somnambule, ou L'arrivée d'un nouveau seigneur.The first...
, Franz in Faust
Faust (Spohr)
Faust is an opera by the German composer Louis Spohr. The libretto, by Josef Karl Bernard, is based on the legend of Faust; it is not influenced by Goethe's Faust, though Faust: The First Part of the Tragedy had been published in 1808. Instead, Carl Bernard's libretto draws mainly on Faust plays...
, Max in Der Freischütz
Der Freischütz
Der Freischütz is an opera in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Friedrich Kind. It premiered on 18 June 1821 at the Schauspielhaus Berlin...
, Peter Ivanov in Zar und Zimmermann, Siméon in Joseph
Joseph (opera)
Joseph is an opera in three acts by the French composer Étienne Méhul. The libretto, by Alexandre Duval, is based on the Biblical story of Joseph and his brothers. The work was first performed by the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 17 February 1807 at the Théâtre Feydeau...
, Tamino in The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute is an opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a Singspiel, a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue....
, Tybalt in I Capuleti e i Montecchi
I Capuleti e i Montecchi
I Capuleti e i Montecchi is an Italian opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini.The libretto by Felice Romani was a reworking of the story of Romeo and Juliet for an opera by Nicola Vaccai called Giulietta e Romeo. This was based on Italian sources rather than taken directly from Shakespeare...
, and the title role in Fra Diavolo
Fra Diavolo (opera)
Fra Diavolo, ou L'hôtellerie de Terracine is an opéra comique in three acts by the French composer Daniel Auber, from a libretto by Auber's regular collaborator Eugène Scribe...
. He also appeared as a guest artist during these years in theatres throughout Germany and in Prague, and was frequent performer at the Theater in der Josefstadt
Theater in der Josefstadt
The Theater in der Josefstadt is a theater in Vienna in the eighth district of Josefstadt. It was founded in 1788 and is the oldest still performing theater in Vienna...
in Vienna.