Johann Baptist Hoffmann (9 July 18635 July 1937) was a German operatic

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

and voice teacher. A long-term member of the Berlin Court Opera, he performed leading roles in Europe, such as Verdi's

Rigoletto ''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play ''Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had cont ...

and Wagner's Dutchman in ''

Der fliegende Holländer ' (''The Flying Dutchman''), WWV 63, is a German-language opera, with libretto and music by Richard Wagner. The central theme is redemption through love. Wagner conducted the premiere at the Königliches Hoftheater Dresden in 1843. Wagner claim ...

''. He took part in several world premieres in Berlin.

Life and career

Born Johann Baptist Hoffmann in Garitz, Hoffmann was the fifth child of Wolfgang Melchior Hoffmann (died 1880), a proprietor of a material goods shop from

Ochsenfurt Ochsenfurt () is a town in the district of Würzburg, in Bavaria, Germany. Ochsenfurt is located on the left bank of the River Main and has around 11,000 inhabitants. This makes it the largest town in Würzburg district. Name Like Oxford, the t ...

and part-time trombonist in the , and Margarethe Hoffmann, ''née'' Guck, a talented alto singer in the church choir. He was noticed as a boy soprano. He first worked as a salesman but decided for a singing career.

August Kindermann August Kindermann (6 February 1817 – 6 March 1891) was a German bass-baritone singer and regisseur, particularly noted for his performances in the operas of Richard Wagner. He was born in Potsdam. He began his career singing in the chorus of ...

in Munich and other singing teachers judged him unsuitable for opera singing, but he was accepted by Weinlich-Tipka in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

. He made his operatic debut as a hunter in Kreutzer's ''

Das Nachtlager in Granada ''Das Nachtlager in Granada'' (''The Night Camp in Granada'') is a romantic opera in two acts by Conradin Kreutzer. The libretto is by based on Johann Friedrich Kind's 1818 drama of the same name. Performance history The premiere of a first vers ...

''. He got an engagement at the

Graz Opera The Graz Opera (German: Oper Graz) is an Austrian opera house and opera company based in Graz. The orchestra of the opera house also performs concerts as the Graz Philharmonic Orchestra (''Grazer Philharmonisches Orchester''). History Opera h ...

, followed by a four-year engagement at the Cologne Stadttheater from 1888, where Valentin in Gounod's ''

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroads ...

'' and the title role in Wagner's ''

'' (''The Flying Dutchman'') were among his successes. In 1890, the director of the then Deutsche Oper in New York wanted to engage Hoffmann but without success. In 1892 and 1893, Hoffmann refined his vocal skills with

Julius Stockhausen The gens Julia (''gēns Iūlia'', ) was one of the most prominent patrician (ancient Rome), patrician families in ancient Rome. Members of the gens attained the highest dignities of the state in the earliest times of the Roman Republic, Republic ...

in Frankfurt. He was a member of the

Hamburg 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 ''Gener ...

from 1894 to 1897. From 1895, he made guest performances in Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands, including as Hans Sachs in Wagner's ''

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 ...

'' at the Berlin Court Opera and soon afterwards as Lysiart in Weber's ''

Euryanthe ''Euryanthe'' ( J. 291, Op. 81) is a German grand heroic-romantic opera by Carl Maria von Weber, first performed at the Theater am Kärntnertor in Vienna on 25 October 1823.Brown, p. 88 Though acknowledged as one of Weber's most important operas, ...

''. The audience regarded him as a successor of

Franz Betz Franz Betz (19 March 1835 – 11 August 1900) was a German bass-baritone opera singer who sang at the Berlin State Opera from 1859 to 1897. He was particularly known for his performances in operas by Richard Wagner and created the role of Hans S ...

, the first Wotan at the

Bayreuth Festival The Bayreuth Festival (german: link=no, Bayreuther Festspiele) is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of operas by the 19th-century German composer Richard Wagner are presented. Wagner himself conceived ...

. In 1897, Hoffmann almost moved to 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 ...

with

Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism ...

Kapellmeister (, also , ) from German ''Kapelle'' (chapel) and ''Meister'' (master)'','' literally "master of the chapel choir" designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians. Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel, the term ha ...

at the Hamburg Opera, but instead moved to the Berlin Court Opera as first baritone, and he remained there until 1919. He took part in several world premieres there, including Chabrier's ''

Briséïs or (''Briséïs, or the Lovers of Corinth'') is an operatic by Emmanuel Chabrier with libretto by Catulle Mendès and Ephraïm Mikaël after Goethe's . Composition and performance history It seems likely that Catulle Mendès (who had already ...

'' (in German) in 1899, Lortzing's '' Regina'' the same year, d'Albert's ''Kain'' in 1900, Leoncavallo's ''

Der Roland von Berlin ''Der Roland von Berlin'' is a historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fict ...

'' in 1904, and Humperdinck's ' in 1905. In 1906, he appeared as Jochanaan in the house's first production of ''

Salome Salome (; he, שְלוֹמִית, Shlomit, related to , "peace"; el, Σαλώμη), also known as Salome III, was a Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II, son of Herod the Great, and princess Herodias, granddaughter of Herod the Great, an ...

'' by Richard Strauss. His mother's death in 1908 plunged him into a deep life crisis. He wanted to give up singing after the end of his engagement in Berlin scheduled for 1910 but found new energy through an extended stay at Schloss Hornegg on Neckar. In November 1910, he appeared as the Minstrel in the German premiere of Humperdinck's opera ''

Königskinder ' (German for ''King's Children'' or “Royal Children”) is a stage work by Engelbert Humperdinck that exists in two versions: as a melodrama and as an opera or more precisely a '' Märchenoper''. The libretto was written by Ernst Rosmer (pen n ...

'' after Humperdinck had insisted on casting the role with Hoffmann. He extended his engagement to 1915 and again to 1919. He created roles in several world premieres in Berlin. After the end of his stage career in 1919, Hoffmann began to train young singers. In 1928, he was appointed teacher at the

Stern Conservatory The Stern Conservatory (''Stern'sches Konservatorium'') was a private music school in Berlin with many distinguished tutors and alumni. The school is now part of Berlin University of the Arts. History It was founded in 1850 as the ''Berliner Musi ...

. Hoffmann's last public appearance was part of a charity event in Bad Kissingen. On 5 July 1937, Hoffmann died of a heart attack there. His grave is at the . The archive of the Berlin College of Music contains vocal recordings by Hoffmann. In 1995, a CD with Hoffmann's role as mayor in Leoncavallo's ''

'' was published by Diji-Rom, New York.

Repertoire

Hoffmann's total of 103 roles, which covered both lyrical and heroic opera, included: * Amonasro (''

Aida ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 December ...

'') * Bürgermeister (''

'') * Figaro, the barber ('' Der Barbier von Sevilla'') * Freudhofer (''

Der Evangelimann ''Der Evangelimann'' (''The Evangelist'') is an opera in two acts by the Austrian composer Wilhelm Kienzl. The libretto, by the composer, is based on short story "". It was adapted in 1924 as a silent film '' The Evangelist''. Composition hist ...

'') * Friedrich von Telramund (''

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

'') * Hans Heiling (''

Hans Heiling ''Hans Heiling'' is a German Romantic opera in 3 acts with prologue by Heinrich Marschner with a libretto by Eduard Devrient, who also sang the title role at the première at the Königliche Hofoper (now Berlin State Opera), Berlin, on 24 May 1 ...

'') *

Hans Sachs Hans Sachs (5 November 1494 – 19 January 1576) was a German ''Meistersinger'' ("mastersinger"), poet, playwright, and shoemaker. Biography Hans Sachs was born in Nuremberg (). As a child he attended a singing school that was held in the churc ...

(''

'') * Hans Stadinger (''

Der Waffenschmied ''Der Waffenschmied'' (The Armourer) is an opera (Singspiel) in three acts by Albert Lortzing. The German-language libretto was by the composer after Friedrich Wilheim von Ziegler's ''Liebhaber und Nebenbuhler in einer Person'' (Lover and Rival i ...

'') * Holländer (''

'') * Jago (''

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 ...

'') * Lothario (''

Mignon ''Mignon'' is an 1866 ''opéra comique'' (or opera in its second version) in three acts by Ambroise Thomas. The original French libretto was by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, based on Goethe's 1795-96 novel '' Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre''. The ...

'') * Lysiart (''

'') * Nelusco (''

L'Africaine ''L'Africaine'' (''The African Woman'') is an 1865 French ''grand opéra'' in five acts with music by Giacomo Meyerbeer and a libretto by Eugène Scribe. Meyerbeer and Scribe began working on the opera in 1837, using the title ''L'Africaine'', bu ...

'') *

Orestes In Greek mythology, Orestes or Orestis (; grc-gre, Ὀρέστης ) was the son of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon, and the brother of Electra. He is the subject of several Ancient Greek plays and of various myths connected with his madness and ...

('' Elektra'') * Papageno (''

Die Zauberflöte ''The Magic Flute'' (German: , ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a ''Singspiel'', a popular form during the time it was written that includ ...

'') * Pizarro (''

Fidelio ''Fidelio'' (; ), originally titled ' (''Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love''), Op. 72, is Ludwig van Beethoven's only opera. The German libretto was originally prepared by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly, with ...

'') * Rigoletto (''

'') * Simeon (''

Joseph Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

'') * Spielmann (''

'') * Valentin (''

'') *

Wolfram von Eschenbach Wolfram von Eschenbach (; – ) was a German knight, poet and composer, regarded as one of the greatest epic poets of medieval German literature. As a Minnesinger, he also wrote lyric poetry. Life Little is known of Wolfram's life. There are ...

(''

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 ...

'')

Honours

In 1913, Hoffmann was awarded the rare title "Königlicher Preußischer

Kammersänger Kammersänger (male) or Kammersängerin (female), abbreviated Ks. or KS, is a German honorific title for distinguished singers of opera and classical music. It literally means "chamber singer". Historically, the title was bestowed by princes or ...

" on the occasion of his 25th stage anniversary.

References

External links

*
Hoffmann, Baptist
Bayerisches Musiklexikon Online *
Baptist Hoffmann, Rollenbild, Brustbild, in: Richard Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer
(images) performing-arts.eu {{DEFAULTSORT:Hoffmann, Baptist German operatic baritones 1863 births 1937 deaths People from Bad Kissingen

Life and career

Repertoire

Honours

References

Further reading

External links