Elisabeth Radó (29 October 1899 – 3 April 1986) was a

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

n singer and singing teacher from

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

Biography

Born in

Mostar Mostar (, ; sr-Cyrl, Мостар, ) is a city and the administrative center of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the historical capital of Herzegovina. Mostar is sit ...

, which in the days before

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

was still part of the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

. She studied singing with her adoptive mother, the singer Maria Rado, and like many singers, was attracted to the capital city of

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, where she started her career as a concert and opera singer in the 1920s. She began giving singing lessons in 1931 and became one of the most respected singing teachers in the city. From 1950–1966, she taught singing at the Academy (now: University) of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. She died in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, on 3 April 1986. Elisabeth Radó was a woman with strong features, a rather square jaw, and a professorial demeanor. She was a teacher who obviously took her work quite seriously and was highly respected as a voice teacher in Vienna by such professional musicians as

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

specialist Dr. Ernst Reichert. At one time, she had over 83 students singing in opera theaters throughout

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. Not only was Elisabeth Radó a well-known teacher, she also had an excellent reputation as the teacher of many famous singers, among them

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

Eberhard Waechter and

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

s Fritz Uhl,

Waldemar Kmentt Waldemar Kmentt (Vienna, 2 February 1929 Vienna, 21 January 2015) was an Austrian operatic tenor, who was particularly associated with the German repertory, both opera and operetta. Born in Vienna, Kmentt studied at the Vienna Music Academy, firs ...

and

Werner Krenn Werner Krenn (born 21 September 1943 in Vienna) is an Austrian tenor. Krenn received his first musical training as a member of the boys' choir Wiener Sängerknaben. He later studied bassoon and was principal bassoonist of the Wiener Symphoniker fr ...

, singers who were in great demand as leading men at the Wiener Staatsoper and in all the major German opera houses. South African baritone George Fourie was one of her students, as was mezzo-soprano Gertrude Jahn or soprano Dorit Hanak. She also taught the Americans

Kieth Engen Kieth Engen (5 April 1925 – 2 September 2004) was an American operatic bass who was a member of Munich's Bavarian State Opera for decades. Although his career was based in Munich, he appeared internationally as a guest singer at major opera h ...

, Emile Belcourt, Frederick Guthrie, and Joseph Meyers. These last were part of the large groups of Americans who came to Vienna after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

to study

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

, both because of the high quality of education found in that city and the low cost compared to study in the United States, as well as the abundant opportunities to start a career by singing in one of the many opera houses in the German-speaking countries of Austria, Germany and Switzerland. All of these singers recommended her highly.

Biography

References

Further reading