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

Stockholm Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropo ...

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 countries, Nordic c ...

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, 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'' 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 ...

, 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 Royal Swedish Opera ( sv, Kungliga Operan) is an opera and ballet company based in Stockholm, Sweden. Location and environment The building is located in the center of Sweden's capital Stockholm in the borough of Norrmalm, on the eastern si ...

, 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 Fritz Georg Efraim Arlberg (21 March 1830 in Leksand, Sweden – 21 February 1896 in Christiania, Sweden) was a Swedish baritone, teacher, composer, opera singer, translator of opera libretti and member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. ...

, 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 as The Toronto ...

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)