![Hermann Winkelmann 1895](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Hermann_Winkelmann_1895.jpg)
Hermann Winkelmann (or Winckelmann) (8 March 1849 – 18 January 1912) was a German
Heldentenor
A heldentenor (; English: ''heroic tenor''), earlier called tenorbariton, is an operatic tenor voice, most often associated with Wagnerian repertoire.
It is distinct from other tenor ''fächer'' by its endurance, volume, and dark timbre, which ...
, notable for creating the title role in
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 ...
's ''
Parsifal
''Parsifal'' ( WWV 111) is an opera or a music drama in three acts by the German composer Richard Wagner and his last composition. Wagner's own libretto for the work is loosely based on the 13th-century Middle High German epic poem ''Parzival'' ...
'' in 1882.
Biography
Hermann Winkelmann was born in
Braunschweig
Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( , from Low German ''Brunswiek'' , Braunschweig dialect: ''Bronswiek'') is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the Nor ...
in 1849. His father,
Christian Ludewig Theodor Winkelmann, was the founder of , piano manufacturers, and he himself planned to continue his father's trade. He went to Paris to study piano construction, but while there he decided to become a singer. He had his initial training in Paris, and later with Koch in
Hanover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
.
Winkelmann made his debut as Manrico in
Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...
's ''
Il trovatore
''Il trovatore'' ('The Troubadour') is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto largely written by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play ''El trovador'' (1836) by Antonio García Gutiérrez. It was García Gutiérrez's mos ...
'' in the Court Theatre of
Sondershausen
Sondershausen is a town in Thuringia, central Germany, capital of the Kyffhäuserkreis district, situated about 50 km north of Erfurt. On 1 December 2007, the former municipality Schernberg was incorporated by Sondershausen.
Until 1918 it ...
in 1875.
He then sang in such places as Altenburg, Darmstadt, and Leipzig. He joined the
Hamburg State Opera
The Hamburg State Opera (in German: Staatsoper Hamburg) is a German opera company based in Hamburg. Its theatre is near the square of Gänsemarkt. Since 2015, the current ''Intendant'' of the company is Georges Delnon, and the current ''General ...
in 1878.
The first role he created was that of
Anton Rubinstein
Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein ( rus, Антон Григорьевич Рубинштейн, r=Anton Grigor'evič Rubinštejn; ) was a Russian pianist, composer and conductor who became a pivotal figure in Russian culture when he founded the Sai ...
's ''
Néron'', in a German translation at the Theater am
Dammtor
Dammtor is a zone (''Ort'') of the German city of Hamburg, situated between the quarters of Rotherbaum (in the borough of Eimsbüttel) and Neustadt (in the borough of Mitte).
History
Originally, the ''Dammthor'' was a city gate between the ''Al ...
in Hamburg on 1 October 1879 (it did not have its Russian premiere until 1884).
Winkelmann became a
Heldentenor
A heldentenor (; English: ''heroic tenor''), earlier called tenorbariton, is an operatic tenor voice, most often associated with Wagnerian repertoire.
It is distinct from other tenor ''fächer'' by its endurance, volume, and dark timbre, which ...
specialising in the music dramas of
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 ...
, and was known for the title roles of ''
Tannhäuser
Tannhäuser (; gmh, Tanhûser), often stylized, "The Tannhäuser," was a German Minnesinger and traveling poet. Historically, his biography, including the dates he lived, is obscure beyond the poetry, which suggests he lived between 1245 and 1 ...
'' and ''
Lohengrin
Lohengrin () is a character in Germany, German Arthurian literature. The son of Percival, Parzival (Percival), he is a knight of the Holy Grail sent in a boat pulled by swans to rescue a maiden who can never ask his identity. His story, which fi ...
'', and as Walther von Stolzing in ''
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
(; "The Master-Singers of Nuremberg"), WWV 96, is a music drama, or opera, in three acts, by Richard Wagner. It is the longest opera commonly performed, taking nearly four and a half hours, not counting two breaks between acts, and is traditio ...
''.
![Parsifal_(1882_retuschiert)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Parsifal_%281882_retuschiert%29.jpg)
Wagner himself chose Winkelmann to create the title role of ''
Parsifal
''Parsifal'' ( WWV 111) is an opera or a music drama in three acts by the German composer Richard Wagner and his last composition. Wagner's own libretto for the work is loosely based on the 13th-century Middle High German epic poem ''Parzival'' ...
'' at the
Bayreuth Festspielhaus
The ''Bayreuth Festspielhaus'' or Bayreuth Festival Theatre (german: link=no, Bayreuther Festspielhaus, ) is an opera house north of Bayreuth, Germany, built by the 19th-century German composer Richard Wagner and dedicated solely to the performa ...
in 1882, and he sang it there until 1891,
usually alongside
Amalie Materna, the creator of the role of Kundry.
He was seen at the
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dr ...
, during the Hamburg Opera's London visit in 1882, under
Hans Richter. He created
Tristan
Tristan (Latin/ Brythonic: ''Drustanus''; cy, Trystan), also known as Tristram or Tristain and similar names, is the hero of the legend of Tristan and Iseult. In the legend, he is tasked with escorting the Irish princess Iseult to wed ...
in London; in fact, he and Richter required so many rehearsals of ''Tristan und Isolde'' that this caused the postponement of the premiere of
Hubert Parry
Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, 1st Baronet (27 February 18487 October 1918) was an English composer, teacher and historian of music. Born in Richmond Hill in Bournemouth, Parry's first major works appeared in 1880. As a composer he is b ...
's latest symphony.
He was also the first Walther to be heard in London.
He also sang Lohengrin and Tannhäuser there, and participated in a then-rare performance of
Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...
's
Choral Symphony
A choral symphony is a musical composition for orchestra, choir, and sometimes solo (music), solo vocalists that, in its internal workings and overall musical architecture, adheres broadly to symphony, symphonic musical form. The term "choral s ...
, also under Richter.
[''The Straits Times'', 2 March 1912, A Great Wagner Singer]
In 1883 Winkelmann became a member of the
Vienna Court Opera
The Vienna State Opera (, ) is an opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by August Si ...
, where he was celebrated mainly for his Wagner performances.
He was the first Tristan in Vienna (1883), and also the first
Otello
''Otello'' () is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play ''Othello''. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on 5 February 1887.
Th ...
in that city, where he remained until 1906.
In 1884 he appeared in the United States at Wagner festivals in New York, Chicago, Boston and Cincinnati, some under the baton of
Theodore Thomas. He toured with
Emil Scaria
Emil Scaria (18 September 1838 – 23 July 1886) was an Austrian bass-baritone. Born in Graz, he studied at the conservatory in Vienna before making his debut in Pest in 1860; he sang the role of St. Bris in ''Les Huguenots''. He was a failure ...
and Amalie Materna, with whom he had performed at the Vienna State Opera.
He later sang in concert,
oratorio
An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is mus ...
and
lied
In Western classical music tradition, (, plural ; , plural , ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music to create a piece of polyphonic music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German, but among English and French s ...
er.
He retired from the stage in 1907,
and died at
Mauer, Vienna
Mauer (German for ''"wall"''; Central Bavarian: ''Maua'') is a former village of Lower Austria that has been part of Vienna since 1938. Today's cadastral community belongs to the 23rd District of Vienna, called Liesing. In the west, Mauer border ...
, in 1912, aged 62.
Recordings exist of his voice in his later career, and he appears in ''
The Record of Singing
''The Record of Singing'' is a compilation of classical-music singing from the first half of the 20th century, the era of the 78-rpm record.
It was issued on LP (with accompanying books) by EMI, successor to the British company His Master's Voice ...
''.
His son
Hans Winckelmann
Hans (Johannes) Gustav Winckelmann, also ''Hans Winkelmann'', (14 September 1881 – 9 October 1943) was a German operatic tenor and opera director.
Life
Born in Hamburg, the son of Wagner singer Hermann Winkelmann, whose grandfather was the ...
was also an opera singer.
References
External links
*
Hermann WinkelmannRecording from the archive of the
Austrian Mediathek: ("Loblied der Venus" from ''
Tannhäuser (opera)
''Tannhäuser'' (; full title , "Tannhäuser and the Minnesängers' Contest at Wartburg") is an 1845 opera in three acts, with music and text by Richard Wagner ( WWV 70 in the catalogue of the composer's works). It is based on two German legends: ...
'')
{{DEFAULTSORT:Winkelmann, Hermann
1849 births
1912 deaths
German operatic tenors
Heldentenors
Musicians from Braunschweig
People from the Duchy of Brunswick
Richard Wagner
19th-century German male opera singers