Willi Domgraf-Fassbaender
Encyclopedia
Willi Domgraf-Fassbaender (February 19, 1897, Aachen
- February 13, 1978, Nuremberg
) was a German operatic baritone
, particularly associated with Mozart and Verdi roles. He is considered to have been one of the best lyric baritones of the inter-war period.
with the prominent Italian dramatic tenor
Giuseppe Borgatti
(who also taught the English tenor Heddle Nash
). His stage debut occurred in 1922 in his native Aachen, as Almaviva in Nozze di Figaro.
He sang at the Deutsche Oper Berlin
from 1923 to 1925, at the Düsseldorf
opera house from 1925 to 1927, at the Staatstheater Stuttgart
from 1927 to 1930, and finally at the Berlin Staatsoper from 1930 until 1948.
Domgraf-Fassbaender was invited regularly to sing at the Glyndebourne Festival in England from the festival's foundation in
1934 until 1937, performing Mozart roles. He also appeared at the Salzburg Festival
in Austria in 1937, as Papageno in The Magic Flute
. After the Second World War, he performed mostly in Vienna, Munich, Hannover, and Nuremberg, where he was resident producer at the latter city's opera house from 1953 to 1962.
In 1954 he began teaching at the Music Conservatory of Nuremberg, where he trained his daughter, the mezzo-soprano
Brigitte Fassbaender
.
Domgraf-Fassbaender had a beautiful voice which he used with sensitive musicianship and an excellent technique. He was an accomplished singer-actor as well, appearing in a few musical films. Domgraf-Fassbaender left a sizeable legacy of audio recordings, many of which are available on CD reissues.
Aachen
Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...
- February 13, 1978, Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
) was a German operatic baritone
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...
, particularly associated with Mozart and Verdi roles. He is considered to have been one of the best lyric baritones of the inter-war period.
Life and career
Domgraf-Fassbaender studied first in Berlin with Jacques Stuckgold and Paul Bruns, and later in MilanMilan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
with the prominent Italian dramatic 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...
Giuseppe Borgatti
Giuseppe Borgatti
Giuseppe Borgatti was an Italian dramatic tenor with an outstanding voice...
(who also taught the English tenor Heddle Nash
Heddle Nash
William Heddle Nash was an English lyric tenor who appeared in opera and oratorio in the middle decades of the twentieth century. He also made numerous recordings that are still available on CD reissues....
). His stage debut occurred in 1922 in his native Aachen, as Almaviva in Nozze di Figaro.
He sang at the 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:...
from 1923 to 1925, at the 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...
opera house from 1925 to 1927, at the Staatstheater Stuttgart
Staatstheater Stuttgart
The Staatstheater Stuttgart ' is an opera house in Stuttgart, Germany. It is also known locally as the Grosses Haus, having been the larger of two theatres of the former Königliche Hoftheater....
from 1927 to 1930, and finally at the Berlin Staatsoper from 1930 until 1948.
Domgraf-Fassbaender was invited regularly to sing at the Glyndebourne Festival in England from the festival's foundation in
1934 until 1937, performing Mozart roles. He also appeared at the Salzburg Festival
Salzburg Festival
The Salzburg Festival is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer within the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...
in Austria in 1937, as Papageno 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....
. After the Second World War, he performed mostly in Vienna, Munich, Hannover, and Nuremberg, where he was resident producer at the latter city's opera house from 1953 to 1962.
In 1954 he began teaching at the Music Conservatory of Nuremberg, where he trained his daughter, the mezzo-soprano
Mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
Brigitte Fassbaender
Brigitte Fassbaender
Brigitte Fassbaender , is a mezzo-soprano opera singer, a stage director and since 1997 Intendant of the Tiroler Landestheater in Innsbruck, Austria...
.
Domgraf-Fassbaender had a beautiful voice which he used with sensitive musicianship and an excellent technique. He was an accomplished singer-actor as well, appearing in a few musical films. Domgraf-Fassbaender left a sizeable legacy of audio recordings, many of which are available on CD reissues.
Sources
- Dictionaire des interprètes, Alain Pâris, (Éditions Robert Laffont, SA, Paris, 1989) ISBN 2-221-06660-X
- The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera [second edition], (Oxford University Press, London, 1980).