Maria Müller
Encyclopedia
Maria Müller was a Czech-Austrian operatic soprano
.
Müller was born in Terezín
, Bohemia
. She studied in Vienna
with Erik Schmedes
, and debuted in Linz in 1919 as Elsa in Lohengrin. She also sang at the Deutsches Theater in Prague
1921-1923 (where she sang the role of Nettchen in the premiere of the revised version of Alexander Zemlinsky's opera Kleider machen Leute
) and at the Staatsoper Munich
1923-1924.
On 21 January 1925, she made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera
in New York
as Sieglinde in Walküre. The next day, Olin Downes
wrote in the NY Times: “young Czeck soprano .. was warmly welcomed. She has a fresh and youthful voice, a little small for the demands of her role, much grace and sincerity as an actress. Not often is the figure of Sieglinde so human, so tender and so appealing to the beholder." The same year she sang Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni
. She sang a total of 196 performances at the Met between 1925 and 1935. She sang there in a number of American premieres including Alfano
’s Madonna Imperia (8 February 1928), Pizzetti’s Fra Gherardo (29 March 1929), the opera Švanda the Bagpiper
by the Czech-American composer Jaromír Weinberger
(11/7/1931), and Simon Boccanegra
(29 January 1932).
In 1930-1939, she was a steady Wagnerian singer in Bayreuth. Some of her major roles were Eva in Meistersinger in 1933, Sieglinde and Elsa in 1936. The NY Herald Tribune wrote in 1936 from Bayreuth: "Müller's voice is fresher and more beautiful then when she was at the Metropolitan".
At Salzburg, she appeared as Eurydice (1931), Reiza (1933) and Donna Elvira (1934). She made her Covent Garden debut as Eva in 1934 and sang Sieglinde in the 1937 Ring cycles. Her large repertory included the title roles in Die agyptische Helena, Jenufa and Gluck’s Iphigenie en Tauride, Djula in Gotovac’s Ero the Joker, Pamina, Tosca and Marguerite. Müller possessed a warm, vibrant voice and sang with a rare purity of tone. (Harold Rosenthal)
After World War II she retired to live at Bayreuth, where she died.
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
.
Müller was born in Terezín
Terezín
Terezín is the name of a former military fortress and adjacent walled garrison town in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic.-Early history:...
, Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
. She studied in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
with Erik Schmedes
Erik Schmedes
Erik Anton Julius Schmedes was an operatic tenor, particularly known for his roles in operas by Richard Wagner. He was the brother-in-law of Vaslav Nijinsky....
, and debuted in Linz in 1919 as Elsa in Lohengrin. She also sang at the Deutsches Theater in Prague
Prague
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...
1921-1923 (where she sang the role of Nettchen in the premiere of the revised version of Alexander Zemlinsky's opera Kleider machen Leute
Kleider machen Leute (opera)
Kleider machen Leute is a comic opera in a prologue and two acts by Austrian composer Alexander Zemlinsky. The libretto was written by Leo Feld, based on the short novel by Gottfried Keller....
) and at the Staatsoper Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
1923-1924.
On 21 January 1925, she made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
as Sieglinde in Walküre. The next day, Olin Downes
Olin Downes
Olin Downes was an American music critic.He studied piano, music theory, and music criticism in New York and Boston, and it was in those two cities that he made his career as a music critic—first with the Boston Post and then with the New York Times...
wrote in the NY Times: “young Czeck soprano .. was warmly welcomed. She has a fresh and youthful voice, a little small for the demands of her role, much grace and sincerity as an actress. Not often is the figure of Sieglinde so human, so tender and so appealing to the beholder." The same year she sang Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
. She sang a total of 196 performances at the Met between 1925 and 1935. She sang there in a number of American premieres including Alfano
Alfano
Alfano is a village and small comune in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. As of March 1, 2009 the comune had a population of 1128.-History:There is little reliable evidence on the ancient history of Alfano...
’s Madonna Imperia (8 February 1928), Pizzetti’s Fra Gherardo (29 March 1929), the opera Švanda the Bagpiper
Švanda the Bagpiper
Švanda the Bagpiper , written in 1926, is an opera in two acts , with music by Jaromír Weinberger to a Czech libretto by Miloš Kareš, based on the story Strakonický dudák aneb Hody divých žen by Josef Kajetán Tyl. Its first performance was in Prague at the Czech National Opera on 27 April 1927...
by the Czech-American composer Jaromír Weinberger
Jaromír Weinberger
- Biography :Weinberger was born in Prague, from a family of Jewish origin. He heard Czech folksongs from time spent at his grandparents' farm as a youth. He started to play the piano at age 5, and was composing and conducting by age 10. He began musical studies with Jaroslav Křička. Later teachers...
(11/7/1931), and Simon Boccanegra
Simon Boccanegra
Simon Boccanegra is an opera with a prologue and three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the play Simón Bocanegra by Antonio García Gutiérrez....
(29 January 1932).
In 1930-1939, she was a steady Wagnerian singer in Bayreuth. Some of her major roles were Eva in Meistersinger in 1933, Sieglinde and Elsa in 1936. The NY Herald Tribune wrote in 1936 from Bayreuth: "Müller's voice is fresher and more beautiful then when she was at the Metropolitan".
At Salzburg, she appeared as Eurydice (1931), Reiza (1933) and Donna Elvira (1934). She made her Covent Garden debut as Eva in 1934 and sang Sieglinde in the 1937 Ring cycles. Her large repertory included the title roles in Die agyptische Helena, Jenufa and Gluck’s Iphigenie en Tauride, Djula in Gotovac’s Ero the Joker, Pamina, Tosca and Marguerite. Müller possessed a warm, vibrant voice and sang with a rare purity of tone. (Harold Rosenthal)
After World War II she retired to live at Bayreuth, where she died.
Recordings
- Tannhauser 1930 .
- Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
- Lohengrin
- Walküre
- Der Freischütz