Elisabeth Schwarzkopf

Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf DBE (b. 9 December 1915), a German opera singer who later took British citizenship, is one of the leading sopranos of the post-World War II period, much admired for her performances of Mozart and Strauss. She is the aunt of the United States General in the Gulf War, Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (418x617, 34 KB) Summary from Sandys opera gallery Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Diva Elisabeth Schwarzkopf ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (418x617, 34 KB) Summary from Sandys opera gallery Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Diva Elisabeth Schwarzkopf ... Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these... December 9 is the 343rd day (344th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Sydney Opera House: one of the worlds most recognizable opera houses and landmarks Opera refers to a dramatic art form, originating in Europe, in which the emotional content or primary entertainment is conveyed to the audience as much through music, both vocal and instrumental, as it is through the... Look up Soprano in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total dead: 12 million World War II... Mozart drawing by Doris Stock, 1789 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart; January 27, 1756 – December 5, 1791) is among the most significant and enduringly popular composers of European classical music. ... Richard Strauss (June 11, 1864 – September 8, 1949) was a German composer of the late Romantic era, particularly noted for his tone poems and operas. ... A General is an officer of high military rank. ... Combatants U.S.-led coalition Iraq Commanders George H. W. Bush, Norman Schwarzkopf, Colin Powell Saddam Hussein, Ali Hassan Al-Majid, Hussein Kamel Strength 660,000 ~545,000 Casualties 345 dead, 1,000 wounded 25,000 - 100,000 dead, 100,000 - 300,000 wounded The 1991 Gulf War (also Persian... Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. ...

Christened Olga Maria Elisabeth Frederike Schwarzkopf in Jarotschin in Prussia (now part of Poland), Schwarzkopf showed an interest in music from the very beginning. She performed in her first opera in 1928, as Eurydice in a school production of Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice in Magdeburg, Germany. In 1934, Schwarzkopf began her musical studies at the Berlin Hochschule für Musik, initially as a mezzo-soprano, however when her mother objected, she switched teachers for another one who trained her as a coloratura soprano. Jarocin is a town in central Poland with 25,700 inhabitants (1995). ... The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Prussia, 1701-1918 The word Prussia (Old Prussian: PrÅ«sa, German: Preußen, Polish: Prusy, Lithuanian: PrÅ«sai, Latin: Borussia) has had various (often contradictory) meanings: The land of the Baltic Prussians (in what is now parts of southern Lithuania, the Kaliningrad... Orfeo ed Euridice is an opera by Christoph Willibald Gluck. ... View of Magdeburg with the cathedral, from the tower of the Johanniskirche. ... Berlin is the capital city and a single state of the Federal Republic of Germany. ... A mezzo-soprano (meaning medium soprano in Italian) is a female singer with a range usually extending from the A below middle C to the F an eleventh above middle C. Mezzo-sopranos generally have a darker (or lower) vocal tone than sopranos, and their vocal range is between that... Look up Soprano in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Schwarzkopf made her professional debut at Berlin's Berlin State Opera on 15 April 1938, as the Second Flower Maiden (First Group) in Act II of Richard Wagner's Parsifal. She sang in Berlin for four years, during which time she became a member of the Nazi Party (a decision which later caused her to be boycotted in the United States for several years). However, she was always welcomed and acclaimed in countries other than the United States. Staatsoper Unter den Linden, 2003 Berlin State Opera (in German: Staatsoper Unter den Linden) is a prominent German opera company. ... April 15 is the 105th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (106th in leap years). ... 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... right|260px|thumb|Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813 in Leipzig[1] – February 13, 1883 in Venice[2]) was an influential German composer, conductor, music theorist, and essayist, primarily known for his operas (or music dramas as he later came to call them). ... Amalie Materna Emil Scaria and Hermann Winkelmann in the 1882 premiere production of Parsifal Parsifal is an opera in three acts by Richard Wagner. ... The Nazi swastika symbol The National Socialist German Workers Party ( German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei), better known as the NSDAP or the Nazi Party was a political party that was led to power in Germany by Adolf Hitler in 1933. ...

After the war, she joined the Theater an der Wien in Vienna, where her roles included Mimi in Giacomo Puccini's La Bohème and Violetta in Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata. From 1947 to 1948, Schwarzkopf made a European tour with the Vienna State Opera, performing at London's Royal Opera House at Covent Garden on 16 September 1947 as Donna Elvira in Mozart's Don Giovanni and at La Scala on 28 December 1948, as the Marschallin in Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier, which became one of her signature roles. The Theater an der Wien is a historic theater in Vienna. ... Vienna (German: Wien [viːn]; Slovenian: Dunaj, Croatian and Serbian: Beč Romanian: Viena, Hungarian: Bécs, Czech: Vídeň, Slovak: Viedeň, Romany Vidnya, Russian: Вена) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ... Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini (December 22, 1858 – November 29, 1924) is regarded as one of the great operatic composers of the late 19th and early 20th century. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Giuseppe Verdi, by Giovanni Boldini, 1886 (National Gallery of Modern Art, Rome). ... La traviata, an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, takes as its basis the novel La dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas, fils, published in 1848. ... Vienna State Opera (German: Wiener Staatsoper), located in Vienna, Austria, is one of the most important opera companies in Europe. ... This article is about the British city. ... The Floral Hall of the Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House is a performing arts venue in London. ... Covent Garden is a district in central London and within the easterly bounds of the City of Westminster. ... September 16 is the 259th day of the year (260th in leap years). ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte. ... La Scala by night This article is about the opera house. ... December 28 is the 362nd day of the year (363rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 3 days remaining. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... Der Rosenkavalier (The Cavalier of the Rose) is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, loosely adapted from the novel Les amours du chevalier de Faublas by Louvet de Couvrai and Molière’s comedy Monsieur de Pourceaugnac. ...

Schwarzkopf later made her official debut at the Royal Opera House on 16 January 1948, as Pamina in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte and at La Scala on 29 June 1950 singing Beethoven's Missa Solemnis. On 11 September 1951, she appeared as Anne Trulove in the world premiere of Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress, Schwarzkopf made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera on 13 October 1964, as the Marschallin. January 16 is the 16th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... Die Zauberflöte (en: The Magic Flute) is an opera in two acts composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. ... June 29 is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 185 days remaining. ... 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Ludwig van Beethoven by Carl Jäger (Date unknown). ... Missa Solemnis is Latin for solemn mass, and is a name which has been applied to a number of musical settings of the mass, especially particularly serious or large-scale ones. ... September 11 is the 254th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (255th in leap years). ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (Russian: И́горь Фёдорович Страви́нский Igor Fëdorovič Stravinskij) (June 17, 1882 – April 6, 1971) was a Russian-born composer of modern classical music. ... The Rakes Progress is an English opera in three acts and an epilogue by Igor Stravinsky. ... The Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, seen from Lincoln Center Plaza A full house at the old Metropolitan Opera House, seen from the rear of the stage, at the Metropolitan Opera House for a concert by pianist Józef Hofmann, November 28, 1937. ... October 13 is the 286th day of the year (287th in leap years). ... For the Nintendo 64 emulator, see 1964 (Emulator). ...

In March 1946, Schwarzkopf was invited to audition for Walter Legge, a classical music producer. She sang Hugo Wolf's Lied "Wer rief dich denn?" and Legge signed her to an exclusive contract with EMI. They began a close partnership and Legge subsequently became Schwarzkopf's manager and companion. They were married on 19 October 1953, in Epsom, England. Schwarzkopf would divide her time between lieder recitals and opera performances for the rest of her career. Walter Legge (June 1, 1906 - March 22, 1979) was an influential British classical record producer, most notably for EMI. Legge first joined HMV in 1927 mainly to work for the editorial of the companys retailing magazine, but he caught the eye of another famous record producer, Fred Gaisberg, and... Photograph of Hugo Wolf Hugo Wolf (March 13, 1860 – February 22, 1903) was an Austrian composer of Slovene origin, particularly noted for his art songs, or Lieder. ... The EMI Group is a major record label, based in Kensington in London, in the United Kingdom. ... October 19 is the 292nd day of the year (293rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1953 calendar). ...

In the 1960s, Schwarzkopf concentrated nearly exclusively on five operatic roles: Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Countess Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro, Countess Madeleine in Strauss' Capriccio, and the Marschallin. She also was well received as Alice Ford in Verdi's Falstaff (opera). However, on the EMI label she made several "champagne operetta" recordings like The Merry Widow and The Gypsy Baron. Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte. ... QPAC poster for The Marriage of Figaro Le nozze di Figaro ossia la folle giornata (Trans:The Marriage of Figaro ), K. 492, is an opera buffa (comic opera) composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte, based on a stage comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais, Le... A capriccio or caprice is a piece of music, usually fairly free in form and of a lively character. ... Giuseppe Verdi, by Giovanni Boldini, 1886 (National Gallery of Modern Art, Rome). ... Falstaff is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, adapted by Arrigo Boito from Shakespeares play The Merry Wives of Windsor. ... For the ballet, see The Merry Widow (ballet). ... The Gypsy Baron (In German: Der Zigeunerbaron) is an operetta in three Acts by Johann Strauss II which premiered at the Theater an der Wien on 24 October 1885. ...

Schwarzkopf's last operatic performance was as the Marschallin on 31 December 1971, in Brussels. For the next several years, she devoted herself exclusively to lieder recitals. December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... La Monnaie (Dutch: De Munt) is an opera house in Brussels. ... Lied (plural Lieder) is a German word, literally meaning song; among English speakers, however, it is used primarily as a term for European classical music songs, also known as art songs. Typically, Lieder are arranged for a single singer and piano. ...

On 17 March 1979, Legge suffered a severe heart attack. He disregarded doctor's orders to rest and attended Schwarzkopf's final recital 2 days later in Zürich. Three days later, he died. March 17 is the 76th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (77th in Leap years). ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... Location within Switzerland (help· info) (German pronunciation IPA: ; in English often Zurich, without the umlaut) is the largest city in Switzerland (population: 366,145 in 2004; population of urban area: 1,091,732) and capital of the canton of Zürich. ...

Since retiring, Schwarzkopf has been teaching and giving master classes. She is well-known for being an extremely demanding, exacting teacher. Some have even called her methods unnecessarily harsh. After living in Switzerland for many years, she now resides in Vorarlberg, Austria. Vorarlberg is the westernmost federal state of Austria. ...

During her career, Schwarzkopf was much admired for her artistry and for her timeless beauty, but some critics found her singing mannered and her acting coquettish.

Quotes

• (after being asked about Peter Sellars) "There are names I do not want mentioned in my home. Do not say that name in my presence. I have seen what he has done, and it is criminal. As my husband used to say, so far no one has dared go into the Louvre Museum to spray graffiti on the Mona Lisa, but some opera directors are spraying graffiti over masterpieces." — Newsweek interview, 15 October 1990

• "Many composers today don't know what the human throat is. At Bloomington, Indiana, I was invited to listen to music written in quarter tones for four harps and voices. I had to go out to be sick." — Newsweek interview, 15 October 1990