Oscar Natzka (15 June 19124 November 1951) was a
New Zealand operatic singer.
Early life
Born as Franz Oscar Natzke (as he was sometimes credited earlier in his career) at
Wharepuhunga,
North Island, New Zealand, he was the son of August Natzke (a native of
Brixen, a German-speaking part of Italy), who had emigrated to New Zealand and settled in
ÅŒtorohanga, and Emma Carter Natzke, of
Christchurch, New Zealand, who was a singer.
As a boy, the young Natzke worked on his father's farm; he was encouraged and trained as a singer by his mother. The family was displaced by the recession of the 1920s to
Waiheke Island, where Oscar sang as a
boy soprano in concerts. At the age of 15 he was apprenticed to a blacksmith at
Freemans Bay
Freemans Bay is the name of a former bay and now inner city suburb of Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand. The bay has been filled in to a considerable extent, with the reclamation area now totally concealing the ancient shoreline. Hist ...
,
Auckland, where he worked for 3½ years; he later worked for a phosphate company.
Career
When his voice broke, he was encouraged to study overseas. He became a
basso profondo and soon became well-known. He was aided early in his career by Homer Samuels, husband of
Amelita Galli-Curci
Amelita Galli-Curci (18 November 1882 – 26 November 1963) was an Italian coloratura soprano. She was one of the most popular operatic singers of the 20th century, with her recordings selling in large numbers.
Early life
She was born as Am ...
;
John Brownlee, the Australian baritone; and
Anderson Tyrer
Frank Anderson Tyrer (17 November 1891 – 16 December 1962) was an English concert pianist, composer and first conductor of New Zealand's National Orchestra.
Biography
Tyrer was born in Accrington, Lancashire in 1891 and studied at the R ...
, conductor of the
New Zealand National Orchestra. Around this time he changed his name to Oscar Natzka.
In 1935 he went to
London,
England to study under Albert Garcia, grandson of
Manuel Garcia Jr. and former pupil of his great-aunt
Pauline Viardot. In 1938, after being discovered by opera director
Vladimir Rosing, he made his debut with
The Royal Opera,
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...
, and went on to enjoy a career on the operatic circuit. He appeared in the musical revue ''
Meet the Navy
''Meet the Navy'' was a musical revue produced by the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II. Directed by Hollywood producer Louis Silver and Broadway choreographer Larry Ceballos, the production premiered in a private performance for serviceme ...
'' during the 1940s and its
1946 film adaptation.
Personal life
He married Winifred Jean Clements, from
Auckland, in 1941.
Natzka died on 4 November 1951 in
New York City, aged 39, after collapsing on stage on 23 October 1951 during a performance of ''
Die Meistersinger'' at the
New York City Opera.
His widow, Winifred, later married the Oscar-winning
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
actor,
Charles Coburn.
References
External links
*
* in the ''
Dictionary of New Zealand Biography''
Definitive collection of Natzka's recordings*''
Meet the Navy
''Meet the Navy'' was a musical revue produced by the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II. Directed by Hollywood producer Louis Silver and Broadway choreographer Larry Ceballos, the production premiered in a private performance for serviceme ...
'' Singing on film in 1946
{{DEFAULTSORT:Natzka, Oscar
1912 births
1951 deaths
20th-century New Zealand male opera singers
Operatic basses
New Zealand basses
New Zealand people of German descent
People from Auckland