Georg Unger (1837 – 1887) was a German operatic

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 ...

most famous for playing

Siegfried Siegfried is a German-language male given name, composed from the Germanic elements ''sig'' "victory" and ''frithu'' "protection, peace". The German name has the Old Norse cognate ''Sigfriðr, Sigfrøðr'', which gives rise to Swedish ''Sigfrid' ...

in '' Der Ring des Nibelungen'' written by Richard Wagner. Unger was born in

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...

(Germany), and as a student studied

Theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and music. He made his singing debut aged 37, going on to make appearances at

Cassel Cassel may refer to: People * Cassel (surname) Places ;France * Cassel, Nord, a town and commune in northern France ** Battle of Cassel (1071) ** Battle of Cassel (1328) ** Battle of Cassel (1677) ;Germany * Cassel, Germany, a city in Hesse renam ...

, Zurich,

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...

, Neustrelitz, Brunn, Elberfeld and

Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's 2 ...

. He was recommended to

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

for the role of

by Hans Richter, and, after close supervision from a singing tutor, he performed the part in ''

'' and '' Götterdämmerung'' with great success at

Bayreuth Bayreuth (, ; bar, Bareid) is a town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtelgebirge Mountains. The town's roots date back to 1194. In the 21st century, it is the capital of U ...

in 1876 and at other venues in the premiere of the complete cycle of '' Der Ring des Nibelungen'', conducted by Richter.'The American History and Encyclopedia of Music: Musical Biographies' Part Two By W. L. Hubbard Published by Kessinger Publishing, (2005) pg 419 In the same cycle, Unger also played Froh in '' Das Rheingold''. He made regular appearances at

from 1877 to 1881. He was married to soprano

Marie Haupt Marie Haupt (18 April 1849 – 1928) was a German operatic soprano who had an active career during the latter half of the 19th century. She is best remembered today for portraying several roles in the first complete presentation of Richard Wagne ...

References

External links

Unger and ''Der Ring des Nibelungen
''">Der Ring des Nibelungen">Unger and ''Der Ring des Nibelungen
''br>Wagner And Scenic Art
{{DEFAULTSORT:Unger, Georg 1837 births 1887 deaths German operatic tenors 19th-century German male opera singers Musicians from Leipzig Heldentenors