Herbert John Handt (born May 26, 1926) is an American 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 ...

and later conductor, particularly known for his conducting and editions of rarely performed Italian scores. Handt was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, and studied at the

Juilliard School of Music The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

and the

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

. He made his debut as a singer at the Vienna State Opera in 1949 and his debut as a conductor in Rome in 1960. Handt turned 95 in May 2021.

Roles created

In his career as a tenor, Handt created roles in three 20th-century operas: *Don Giovanni Mediana in

Malipiero Malipiero is a Venetian surname of Bohemian origin, also documented as ''Mastropiero'' or ''Maripiero''. Malipiero can refer to: People * Domenico Malipiero (1428–1515), Venetian naval captain * Felicia Malipiero, Dogaressa of Venice by marriag ...

's ''Venere prigioniera'' (

Teatro della Pergola The Teatro della Pergola is an historic opera house in Florence, Italy. It is located in the centre of the city on the Via della Pergola, from which the theatre takes its name. It was built in 1656 under the patronage of Cardinal Gian Carlo de' Med ...

, Florence, 14 May 1957) *Zuckertanz in

Menotti Menotti may refer to the following people: ;Given name *Menotti Aristone (c.1942–2013), American jockey *Menotti de Tomazzo Sobrinho (born 1943), Brazilian football player *Menotti Del Picchia (1892–1988), Brazilian poet, journalist and painte ...

's '' Maria Golovin'' (Theatre of the US Pavillon, Brussels World's Fair, 20 August 1958) *Primo omuncolo in

Roberto Lupi Roberto Lupi (28 November 1908 – 17 April 1971) was an Italian composer, conductor, and music theorist. Born in Milan and trained at the conservatory there, he began his conducting career in 1937. His compositions of experimental music include ...

's ''Persefone'' (Teatro Comunale, Florence, 9 January 1970)

External Links

Herbert Handt sings Franz Schubert's "Schwanengesang" D. 957
A recital for French radio RTF on 29 January 1961. Hélène Boschi is the pianist.

References

1926 births Living people American male conductors (music) American operatic tenors Juilliard School alumni University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna alumni 20th-century American male opera singers Musicians from Philadelphia Singers from Pennsylvania Classical musicians from Pennsylvania 20th-century American conductors (music) {{Conductor-stub