Julius Günther (1 March 1818 – 22 March 1904) was an opera singer, choral conductor and voice teacher in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

Biography

Julius Günther was born in

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

, the son of organist Georg Günther. He began a career with the

Älvsborg Regiment The Älvsborg Regiment ( sv, Älvsborgs regemente), designation I 15 and I 15/Fo 34, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traces its origins back 1624. It was disbanded in 1998. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from the prov ...

, but after becoming a commissioned officer, he left to pursue a career as a singer instead. He made his debut as Fra Diavolo in ''

Fra Diavolo Fra Diavolo (lit. Brother Devil; 7 April 1771–11 November 1806), is the popular name given to Michele Pezza, a famous guerrilla leader who resisted the French occupation of Naples, proving an "inspirational practitioner of popular insurrect ...

'' by Auber in 1838. Günther sang as a tenor at the Theater Royal from 1839 to 1856, and established a career with an emphasis on French and Italian repertoire. He quickly became a popular singer because of a pleasant and reliable voice. In the early 1840s, he often sang with Swedish singer

Jenny Lind Johanna Maria "Jenny" Lind (6 October 18202 November 1887) was a Swedish opera singer, often called the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she performed in soprano roles in opera in Sweden and a ...

, and by 1844 they became romantically linked. According to Jenny Lind's 1891 ''Memoir'', she and Günther became engaged to marry in the spring of 1848 just before Lind returned to England. However, the two broke off the engagement in October of the same year. The existence of the engagement has been disputed. Günther studied from 1846 to 1847 with Manuel Garcia in Paris, conducting, during that time, a brief but successful career in that city. Afterward, he returned to a position at the Stockholm Opera, where he sang for a further decade, though also making international appearances. From 1850 to 1862, he worked as a vocal coach, teaching the baritone and composer Fritz Arlberg, among others. Günther worked as a teacher at the

Royal Conservatory of Music The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM), branded as The Royal Conservatory, is a non-profit music education institution and performance venue headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1886 by Edward Fisher (musician), Edward ...

from 1858 to 1901 where he was appointed a professor in 1864. He also taught from 1901 to 1902 at the Opera School. He served as conductor of the New Harmonic Society from 1860 to 1878, and was elected as a member of the Royal Academy of Music in 1841. Günther died in Stockholm.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gunther, Julius 1818 births 1904 deaths People from Gothenburg Swedish operatic tenors 19th-century Swedish male opera singers Academics of the Royal Academy of Music Pupils of Manuel García (baritone)