Kurt Adler (March 1, 1907September 21, 1977) was an Austrian classical
chorus
Chorus may refer to:
Music
* Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse
* Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound
* Chorus form, song in which all verse ...
master,
music conductor
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance, such as an orchestral or choral concert. It has been defined as "the art of directing the simultaneous performance of several players or singers by the use of gesture." The primary duti ...
, author and pianist. He was best known as the chorus master and lead conductor of the
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is oper ...
in New York City from 1943 to 1973. He conducted in Austria, Germany, Russia, Czechoslovakia, Ukraine, United States, Canada, Mexico, Yugoslavia, Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary.
Early life
Kurt Adler was born in
Jindřichův Hradec
Jindřichův Hradec (; german: Neuhaus) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 21,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument rese ...
/Neuhaus,
Bohemia (now Czech Republic), during the
Austro-Hungarian Empire to a bourgeois Jewish family. He was the only child of Siegfried Adler (born June 26, 1876 in
Luka u Jihlavy, Bohemia), a textile factory owner, and Olga (Fürth) Adler (born April 3, 1882 in
Sušice/Schüttenhofen, Bohemia (now Czech Republic).
[From the Metropolitan Opera Association, Inc., New York Press Bureau Artist's Questionnaire, Nov. 13, 1945] Both parents were murdered by the
Gestapo
The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe.
The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one orga ...
during World War II, after they were deported to
Izbica concentration camp
The Izbica ghetto was a Jewish ghetto created by Nazi Germany in Izbica in occupied Poland during World War II, serving as a transfer point for deportation of Jews from Poland, Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia to Bełżec and Sobibór exterm ...
, which served as a transfer camp, to the
Bełżec extermination camp in Poland on May 15, 1942. His paternal grandparents, Jakob and Eveline Adler are buried in
Neuhaus (now Jindřichův Hradec), Hebrew Cemetery.
[Václav Urban]
''Kurt Adler (1907 Neuhaus – 1977 New York)''
1. vydání, Jindřichův Hradec, Kostelní Radouň, 2007, pp. 11–13, His maternal grandparents, Albert and Katherine Fürth are buried in Sušice (Schüttenhofen), Bohemia (now Czech Republic).
During the 1930s many now-famous musicians, including Adler, emigrated to the United States to escape from
Nazism
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) i ...
. Adler left for the United States on October 9, 1938.
He sailed from
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...
, Holland in 1938 on the "SS Statendam".
[United States of America Declaration of Intention and Petition for Naturalization, National Archives and Records Administration, Northeastern Region, New York, New York] The ship was later destroyed in the
Rotterdam Blitz
Rotterdam was subjected to heavy aerial bombardment by the ''Luftwaffe'' during the German invasion of the Netherlands in World War II. The objective was to support the German troops fighting in the city, break Dutch resistance and force the ...
. He was
naturalized on March 21, 1944.
[
''One of the Props.'' Opera News, January 25, 1969, s. 27]
Life in the arts and humanities
Kurt Adler began his professional career in Germany on the musical staff of the
Berlin State Opera
The (), also known as the Berlin State Opera (german: Staatsoper Berlin), is a listed building on Unter den Linden boulevard in the historic center of Berlin, Germany. The opera house was built by order of Prussian king Frederick the Great from ...
. He later associated with the famous
German Opera Theatre in Prague (where Rudolf, Szell and Schick also served) and with the
Municipal Opera House in Berlin. He joined the
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is oper ...
in 1943, under the management of
Edward Johnson then in conjunction with
Rudolf Bing
Sir Rudolf Bing, KBE (January 9, 1902 – September 2, 1997) was an Austrian-born British opera impresario who worked in Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States, most notably being General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera in New York ...
, General Manager, from 1945 to 1973.
Maestro Adler's press announcement upon his recruitment as Chorus Master of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City said, "That since
Giulio Setti
Giulio Setti (born Treviglio, October 3, 1869 - died Turin, October 2, 1938) was an Italian choral conductor.
Biography
He served as chorus master of opera houses in Italy, Cairo, Cologne, and Buenos Aires prior to coming to the United States in ...
's time, ten years ago, there never has been a single Chorus Master for the entire Italian, French, German, English repertoire and with my appointment, the gradual reorganization and training will again be centralized in one hand."
Education
Kurt Adler began studying music at age six under cantor Jacob Fürnberg
Neuhaus, His first public appearance was at age fourteen.
His entire musical education was in Vienna, Austria. Other teachers include Prof.
Richard Robert Richard Robert (25 March 1861 1 February 1924 in Kaltenleutgeben)
Retrieved 28 August 2013 ...
, Fanny Boehm-Kramer, Prof. Alexander Manhart (1875–1936) (piano); Prof.
Karl Weigl
Karl Ignaz Weigl (6 February 1881 – 11 August 1949) was a Jewish Austrian composer and pianist, who later became a naturalized American citizen in 1943.
Biography
Weigl was born in Vienna, Austria, the son of a bank official who was als ...
(1881–1949), Prof.
Guido Adler
Guido Adler (1 November 1855, Ivančice (Eibenschütz), Moravia – 15 February 1941, Vienna) was a Bohemian-Austrian musicologist and writer.
Biography
Early life and education
Adler was born at Eibenschütz in Moravia in 1855. He moved ...
(1855–1941), Prof.
Wilhelm Fischer (1886–1962) (theory); Prof. Ferdinand Foll (1867–1929), also
Hermann Weigert
Hermann Weigert (20 October 1890 in Breslau – 2 April 1955 in New York City) was a German vocal coach, pianist, and conducting, conductor. He was a vocal coach and accompanist for the Metropolitan Opera for thirteen years. Recognized as an au ...
(1890–1955),
Erich Kleiber
Erich Kleiber (5 August 1890 – 27 January 1956) was an Austrian, later Argentine, conductor, known for his interpretations of the classics and as an advocate of new music.
Kleiber was born in Vienna, and after studying at the Prague Conservato ...
(1890–1956) (conducting). In 1925, he graduated from the classical
Akademisches Gymnasium, Vienna. In 1927, he earned a degree of
Musicology from the
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich hist ...
, corresponding to Master of Arts, Philosophical Faculty of the University of Vienna.
Languages
English, German, Czech, Russian, French, Italian, Spanish, Latin, Greek, Romanian, Yiddish, Hebrew.
Engagements
* 1927–29 Assistant Conductor,
Berlin State Opera
The (), also known as the Berlin State Opera (german: Staatsoper Berlin), is a listed building on Unter den Linden boulevard in the historic center of Berlin, Germany. The opera house was built by order of Prussian king Frederick the Great from ...
. First opera conducted, ''
Peer Gynt'' (Grieg).
* 1929–32 Conductor, Prague
German Opera Theater.
* 1932–33 Conductor, Berlin
Municipal Opera House.
* 1933–38 Conducting symphony concerts and opera all over Europe.
* 1933 Conductor of orchestral concerts,
Vienna Grosser Musikvereinssaal.
* 1933 Founder of the
Unio Opera Company, Vienna.
* 1933–35 First Conductor,
Kiev,
National Opera House of Ukraine.
* 1935–37 Founder, Musical Director, and first conductor of the
Symphonic Orchestra Stalingrad (
U.S.S.R.
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
).
* 1938–43 U.S.A. Conducting concerts and concertizing as pianist all over U.S. and Canada.
* 1938–39 Pianist, three transcontinental tours of the United States.
* 1939–41 Musical Director,
Friendship House
Friendship House was a missionary movement founded in the early 1930s by Catholic social justice activist Catherine de Hueck Doherty, one of the leading proponents of interracial justice in the period prior to the mid-20th-century civil rights m ...
, New York City.
* 1943 Assistant Conductor to
Leopold Stokowski
Leopold Anthony Stokowski (18 April 1882 – 13 September 1977) was a British conductor. One of the leading conductors of the early and mid-20th century, he is best known for his long association with the Philadelphia Orchestra and his appear ...
, Metropolitan Opera, New York City.
* 1943–73 Chorus Master, Conductor, Metropolitan Opera, New York City, New York (USA).
* 1944–47 Musical Director, Opera Nacional and Opera de Mexico, Mexico City.
* 1952 Musical Director, Central City Opera Festival, Central City, Colorado.
* 1954 Musical Director of opera performances at Greek Theatre, Hollywood, California.
Conductor of numerous broadcasts and television performances of operatic and symphonic music.
Teaching positions
* 1929–32 Organizer and Conductor of the Students Orchestra of the German Academy of Music (Deutsche Akademie für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Prag), Prague,
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
.
* 1934–35 Conductor, orchestra of the
Kiev Conservatory
Pyotr Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine ( uk, Національна музична академія України імені Петра Чайковського) or Kyiv Conservatory is a Ukrainian state institution of higher music e ...
of Music, Kiev (
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
).
* 1935–37 Professor of the Opera class at the Conservatory of Music,
Stalingrad (U.S.S.R.)
* 1938–41 Teacher of piano, theory; classes in chamber music; coach; New York City.
Quotes
* Asked, "What do you consider your outstanding achievement?" Response, "Having escaped Hitler, having founded and directed the first Symphonic Orchestra Stalingrad." Asked, "What has helped you most in your career?" Response, "Artistic honesty, sense of humor, treatment of fellow artists (singers, chorus, orchestra) with utmost consideration for their values as human beings." Asked, "What has been your most thrilling musical experience?" Response, "First time when I heard Toscanini conduct with the Scala in 1928." Asked, "If you hadn't chosen your present career what would your second choice be?" Response, "would not have talent for anything else." Asked, "Are most of your friends musicians?" Response, "all kinds of intellectuals."
* "Many instrumentalists and singers insist on putting themselves into the foreground. Yet though they may be strong personalities or have complete mastery of their medium, still I would not call them real artists. A real artist must be humble. Vanity has been the core of many virtuoso careers but it also has been the end of genuine artistic growth. Psychologically, an accompanist and coach must try to search for and understand where the roots of his soloist's artistry lie. These roots are as varied as the individual artists. Faith – religious, metaphysical, or materialistic – is one of the strongest roots; faith in oneself is part of it. Some great artists – Richard Wagner, for instance – were extremely self-centered, compensating for this fault by preaching altruism in their works. This brings us to another root of artistry: compensation for shortcomings in one's makeup – atonement for real or imagined sins and errors. A third very important root is rebellion against family, upbringing, or an adverse fate. Among those who rebel are some of our greatest artists, who have become what they are by surmounting seemingly overwhelming odds. Complacency is not a good stimulus to artistry."
* "In your world of rapidly changing values – welcome changes when they are the results of technical and scientific progress – spiritual, ethical, and artistic values tend likewise to change, but much more slowly, and not always for the better. What the future will bring, no one can say. I should like to venture the opinion that the vistas opening for us will render us more humble, more concerned with inner or spiritual values. Our technological advances should give us more time; we shall need culture and be able to afford it."
[Adler, K.: ''The art of accompanying and coaching.'' Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press 1965, p. 3.]
Publications
* 1943 Adler, K.: ''Songs of many wars, from the sixteenth to the twentieth century.'' New York, Howell, Soskin 1943, 221p. Edited and arranged by Kurt Adler. (A collection of fighting songs which oppressed people of all times and nation have sung in their fight against tyranny.)
* 1953–1956 Adler, K.: ''Operatic anthology: celebrated arias selected from operas by old and modern composers, in five volumes / compiled by Kurt Adler.'' New York, G. Schirmer c1953–1956. Edited and arranged by Kurt Adler.
* 1955 Adler, K.: ''Famous operatic choruses.'' New York, G. Schirmer c1955, Edited and arranged by Kurt Adler.
* 1956 Adler, K.: ''The Prima donna‘s album: 42 celebrated arias from famous operas.'' New York, G. Schirmer c1956, Edited and arranged by Kurt Adler.
* 1960 Adler, K.: ''Songs From Light Operas for soprano.'' New York, G. Schirmer 1960, Edited and arranged by Kurt Adler.
* 1965 Adler, K.: ''The art of accompanying and coaching.'' Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press 1965.
* 1967Adler, K.: ''Phonetics and diction in singing: Italian, French, Spanish, German.'' Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press 1967.
* 1968 Adler, K.: ''Duets from the great operas, for soprano and baritone.'' New York, G. Schirmer 1968, Edited and arranged by Kurt Adler.
* 1968 Adler, K.: ''Duets from the great operas, for soprano and tenor.'' New York, G. Schirmer, Edited and arranged by Kurt Adler.
* 1971 Adler, K.: ''The art of accompanying and coaching.'' New York, Da Capo Press
* 1974 Adler, K.: ''Phonetics and diction in singing: Italian, French, Spanish, German.'' Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press, 2nd ed.
* 1975–1977 Adler, K.: ''Operatic anthology: celebrated arias selected from operas by old and modern composers, in five volumes / Edited and arranged by Kurt Adler.'' Rochester, N.Y., National Braille Association 1975–1977.
* 1976 Adler, K.: ''The art of accompanying and coaching.'' New York, Da Capo Press
* 1980 Adler, K.: ''The art of accompanying and coaching.'' New York, Da Capo Press
* 1985 Adler, K.: ''The art of accompanying and coaching.'' New York, Da Capo Press
Personal life
On March 10, 1948, Adler married Irene Hawthorne (1917–1986) (birth name Irene McNutt), former
prima ballerina
A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on ye ...
soloist of the
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is oper ...
.
On September 16, 1965, Adler married Christiane Tocco. One daughter: Eveline
[
On September 21, 1977, Adler died at home in his sleep, in ]Butler, New Jersey
Butler is a borough in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 8,047, an increase of 508 (+6.7%) from the 2010 census count of 7,539, which in turn reflected an increase of 11 ...
, of uremia
Uremia is the term for high levels of urea in the blood. Urea is one of the primary components of urine. It can be defined as an excess of amino acid and protein metabolism end products, such as urea and creatinine, in the blood that would be no ...
/chronic glomerulonephritis
Glomerulonephritis (GN) is a term used to refer to several kidney diseases (usually affecting both kidneys). Many of the diseases are characterised by inflammation either of the glomeruli or of the small blood vessels in the kidneys, hence the ...
.[Staff]
"Kurt Adler, 70, Conductor Of 20 Different Operas At Met During 22 Years"
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', September 22, 1977. Accessed July 2, 2011. "Kurt Adler, opera conductor and chorusmaster of the, Metropolitan Opera from 1945 through 1973, died yesterday after a long illness. He was 70 years old and lived in Butler, N.J."
His hobbies included stamp and book collecting.
His athletics included soccer, field hockey (All Austrian 1926), Track and Field, swimming, tennis, and ping-pong.
His instruments were piano, organ, harmonica, harpsichord, and celeste
Bibliography
* 2009 Václav Urban: ''Kurt Adler. Ein leben für die Musik.'' Aus dem Tschechischen übertragen, herausgegeben und mit Ergänzungen versehen von Hana Pfalzová. ConBrio Verlagsgesellschaft, Regensburg 2009. (104 p.)
* 2007 Václav Urban
''Kurt Adler (1907 Neuhaus – 1977 New York)''
1. vyd., Jindřichův Hradec, Kostelní Radouň, 2007, 140 p.,
* 2000 ''Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, Centennial Edition.'' New York: Schirmer Reference, 2000, p. 21, (set), (vol. 1)
* 1997 Rudolf M. Wlaschek: ''Biographia Judaica Bohemiae'', 2 vol., Dortmund: Forschungsstelle Ostmitteleuropa, 1997, 75 S.,
* 1995 Walter Pass
Walter Pass (22 January 1942 – 7 March 2001) was an Austrian musicologist.
Born in Feldkirch, Vorarlberg, Pass studied music education, conducting, piano and singing (1960–1964) at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. One year ...
, Gerhard Scheit, Wilhelm Svoboda: ''Orpheus im Exil – Die Vertreibung der österreichischen Musik von 1938 bis 1945'', Wien: Verlag fur Gesellschaftskritik, 1995, 409 p.,
* 1989 Alain Pâris: ''Dictionnaire des interprètes et de l'interprétation musicale au XXe siècle'', Paris: Éditions Robert Laffont
Éditions Robert Laffont is a book publishing company in France founded in 1941 by Robert Laffont. Its publications are distributed in almost all francophone countries, but mainly in France, Canada and in Belgium.
It is considered one of the most ...
, 1989. 906 p.,
* 1982 John L. Holmes: ''Conductors on record'', London: Victor Gollancz, 1982, 734 p.,
* 1979 ''Index to music necrology: supplement to the 1977 necrology'', Notes (Music Library Association), 1979,
* 1978 "Kurt Adler – obituary", in: ''Opera News'', Feb 4, 1978, p. 30
* 1976 Paul Frank, Burchard Bulling, Florian Noetzel, Helmut Rosner: ''Kurzgefasstes Tonkünstler Lexikon – Zweiter Teil: Ergänzungen und Erweiterungen seit 1937'', 15. Aufl., Wilhelmshaven: Heinrichshofen, volume 1: A-K. 1974. ; Bvolume 2: L-Z. 1976.
* 1969 ''One of the props'', in: Opera News, Jan 25, 1969, p. 26–27
* 1951 J.T.H. Mize: ''The international who is who in music'', Fifth (Mid-Century) Edition, Chicago: Who is Who in Music, 1951.
References
External links
Czech home page of Kurt Adler
E-book about Kurt Adler in Czech
( PDF, 29 MB)
Place a picture of Adler's grandparents tomb stone in Neuhaus, Czech Republic
Multi-field search – Adler, Kurt
www.yadvashem.org
Search – Adler, Siegfried and Adler, Olga
Search – Adler, Siegfried and Adler, Olga
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adler, Kurt
1907 births
1977 deaths
Classical accompanists
American classical pianists
American male classical pianists
American male conductors (music)
Austrian classical pianists
Austrian conductors (music)
Male conductors (music)
Austrian Jews
Conductors of the Metropolitan Opera
Czech conductors (music)
Czech Jews
Jewish American classical musicians
Jewish classical pianists
Music directors (opera)
People from Jindřichův Hradec
People from Butler, New Jersey
Jewish emigrants from Austria to the United States after the Anschluss
20th-century classical pianists
American philatelists
20th-century American pianists
20th-century American conductors (music)
20th-century American male musicians
20th-century American Jews