Karl Scheidemantel
Encyclopedia
Karl Scheidemantel was a baritone
singer, and later an opera director.
. Among his supporters were Bodo Borchers in Weimar, well known voice teacher Julius Stockhausen
in Frankfurt, and composer Franz Liszt
. At age 25 he joined the ensemble of the Dresden Hofoper where he was named a "Chamber Singer to the Saxon Grand Duke" in 1884. He sang at the 1886, 1888, 1891, and 1892 Bayreuth festival
s. He frequently corresponded with Cosima Wagner about the happenings of the stage. He then sang at most of the great European opera houses, especially the Vienna State Opera, where in April and May 1890 he sang the rolls of Heiling, Renato, Zampa, Wolfram, Luna and, Sachs. He was a guest singer at La Scala in 1892. His closest friend was singer Karl Perron. He married Hedwig Lehnert in June 1897 at the Dresden Annankirche. His final career appearance was on June 8, 1911 as Hans Sachs.
Scheidemantel sang over 170 roles in his career. Notably, he created the role of Herr von Faninal in Strauss's Rosenkavalier in 1911. His German singing translation of Mozart's Don Giovanni was widely used. He also edited a song anthology for music publisher Eulenberg.
After his stage career he returned to Weimar where he taught singing. Among his students was Hermann Uhde
. He returned to Dresden as director of the Dresden Opera in from 1920-1922. Scheidemantel is buried in the Dresden Tolkewitz, and Dresden named a road in his honor.
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
singer, and later an opera director.
Life and career
The son of a Weimar court artist, Scheidemantel found great success in various roles in the operas of Richard WagnerRichard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
. Among his supporters were Bodo Borchers in Weimar, well known voice teacher Julius Stockhausen
Julius Stockhausen
Julius Christian Stockhausen was a German singer and singing master.- Life :Stockhausens' parents, Franz Stockhausen Sr...
in Frankfurt, and composer Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
. At age 25 he joined the ensemble of the Dresden Hofoper where he was named a "Chamber Singer to the Saxon Grand Duke" in 1884. He sang at the 1886, 1888, 1891, and 1892 Bayreuth festival
Bayreuth Festival
The Bayreuth Festival is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of operas by the 19th century German composer Richard Wagner are presented...
s. He frequently corresponded with Cosima Wagner about the happenings of the stage. He then sang at most of the great European opera houses, especially the Vienna State Opera, where in April and May 1890 he sang the rolls of Heiling, Renato, Zampa, Wolfram, Luna and, Sachs. He was a guest singer at La Scala in 1892. His closest friend was singer Karl Perron. He married Hedwig Lehnert in June 1897 at the Dresden Annankirche. His final career appearance was on June 8, 1911 as Hans Sachs.
Scheidemantel sang over 170 roles in his career. Notably, he created the role of Herr von Faninal in Strauss's Rosenkavalier in 1911. His German singing translation of Mozart's Don Giovanni was widely used. He also edited a song anthology for music publisher Eulenberg.
After his stage career he returned to Weimar where he taught singing. Among his students was Hermann Uhde
Hermann Uhde
Hermann Uhde was a German Wagnerian baritone. He was born in Bremen and died on stage of a heart attack during a performance in Copenhagen....
. He returned to Dresden as director of the Dresden Opera in from 1920-1922. Scheidemantel is buried in the Dresden Tolkewitz, and Dresden named a road in his honor.