Joseph Schwarz | |
|---|---|
 Schwarz as Sebastiano inTiefland, c. 1916 | |
| Born | (1880-10-10)10 October 1880 Riga |
| Died | 10 November 1926(1926-11-10) (aged 46) Berlin |
| Education | Vienna Conservatory |
| Occupation | Operaticbaritone |
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Joseph M. Schwarz (10 October 1880 – 10 November 1926) was a Russian-born Germanbaritone.[1] He pursued a performance career against the wishes of his parents, running away from home as a teenager to join a band of traveling minstrels. He later trained at theVienna Conservatory and had an active international performance career in operas and concerts during the first quarter of the twentieth century.
After making his professional opera debut as Amonasro in Verdi'sAida at theLinz State Theatre in 1900, Schwarz worked as a resident artist at first theRigaer Stadttheater and then theGraz Opera andMariinsky Theatre. In 1906 he returned to Vienna to join the roster of artists at theVienna Volksoper before being committed to theVienna State Opera from 1909 to 1915. From 1915 to 1921 he was a principal artist at theBerlin State Opera, and from 1921 to 1925 he sang with theChicago Opera Association and its predecessor theChicago Civic Opera. He also appeared as a guest artist with several opera houses, including theParis Opera, theSan Francisco Opera, and theRoyal Opera House in London.
Alcoholism impacted Schwarz's voice during the latter part of his career and he died in Berlin in 1926. His voice is preserved on several recordings made during the first two decades of the twentieth century for a variety of record labels, includingZonophone,Pathé Records, andDeutsche Grammophon. He should not be confused with bass Joseph E. Schwarz who had a career at thePrague State Opera.
Joseph M. Schwarz was born in Riga on 10 October 1880 in what was then part of theRussian Empire and is todayLatvia.[1] His initial studies and performances in music were as a pianist in Riga.[2] He grew up in poverty and had nine siblings.[3] Part of a Jewish family, he attended services at Riga'sGreat Choral Synagogue on Gogol Street where the singing of cantorBaruch Leib Rosowsky had a profound impact on his decision to pursue a career as a vocalist.[4] He joined the choir at that synagogue and had his initial vocal instruction in that ensemble.[3]
Schwarz's father was a tailor and his parents wanted Joseph to pursue this profession as well. Unhappy with the life planned for him by his family, he ran away from home and joined a band of traveling minstrels with whom he toured theBaltic provinces.[5] Still a teenager, he was able to pursue formal education as a singer through the aid of a wealthy Russian nobleman.[3] He studied singing in Berlin with baritone Alexander Heinemann (1873–1919) before entering theVienna Conservatory.[1][3] While studying in Vienna he performed with sopranoOlga von Türk-Rohn in the very first professional concert featuring music composed byRobert Winterberg at Ehrbar Saal (English: Ehrbar Hall) inside the Palais Ehrbar.[6]
Schwarz made his professional opera debut in 1900 in Verdi'sAida at theLinz State Theatre.[1][3] He then returned to Riga where he was a principal artist at theRigaer Stadttheater (precursor to the Latvian National Opera) for two seasons. This was followed by two seasons with theGraz Opera.[7] He then spent time performing with the Imperial Russian Opera at theMariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg.[1]
After leaving St. Petersburg, Schwarz returned to Vienna where he was a leading baritone at theVienna Volksoper from 1906 to 1909.[3] He married Hannah Radon in 1907, divorcing her in 1908.[7] He then worked as a principal artist at theVienna State Opera (VSO) from 1909 to 1915;[1] making his debut with the company as the Conte di Luna in Verdi'sIl trovatore.[3] His repertoire at the VSO included Le Comte de Nevers in Meyerbeer'sLes Huguenots which he performed under the baton ofGustav Mahler.[8] Some of the other roles in his repertoire included Germont inLa traviata, Iago inOtello, Scarpia in Puccini'sTosca, Tonio in Leoncavallo'sPagliacci, Wolfram in Wagner'sTannhäuser, and the title role inRigoletto.[7]
In 1915 Schwarz left the VSO to become a resident artist at theBerlin State Opera where he remained committed until 1921.[1][7] In Berlin he starred in the world premieres ofLeo Blech'sRappelkopf (1917)[3] and Franz Schmidt'sNotre Dame (1918, as the Archdeacon).[9] He also appeared as a guest artist with theParis Opera and theRoyal Swedish Opera, and performed in operas in Milan under conductorArturo Toscanini.[7]
Schwarz left Germany for the United States where he was a principal artist with first theChicago Opera Association and then its predecessor, theChicago Civic Opera from 1921 to 1925.[7] In 1922 he married Clara Sielcken in New York City; she was a German-born widow who had previously been married to the "coffee king" millionaire Hermann Sielcken.[10] Clara was the daughter of sugar manufacturerPaul Isenberg.[10] In 1924 he performed the role of Rigoletto at theRoyal Opera House in London.[1] In 1925 he gave a recital at theSalzburg Festival.[3] On 12 January 1926, he starred as Hou in the United States premiere ofJoseph Redding'sFay Yen Fah at theSan Francisco Opera.[11][12] His last performance was in the role of Rigoletto which he portrayed in Berlin shortly before his death in 1926.[3]
Schwarz battledalcoholism in his later career and his voice began to decline while working in Chicago.[13] He developed a medical problem with his kidneys which required surgery in 1926. He died during that surgery in Berlin on 10 November 1926.[7]
Schwarz made several recordings during his career, the first of which were released in 1906 byZonophone. He made severalphonograph cylinder recordings in 1907 in Vienna. In 1910–1911 he made several recordings released byPathé Records. He also made records withParlophone in Vienna in 1911 and in Berlin in 1913. From 1916 to 1919 he made several recordings with theDeutsche Grammophon label. A planned Christmas record forVox Records was supposed to be recorded in 1926, the year of Schwarz's death, but never happened.[13]
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