Elena Gerhardt facts for kids
Elena Gerhardt (born November 11, 1883 – died January 11, 1961) was a German singer known for her beautiful mezzo-soprano voice. She was especially famous for singing German classical songs called lieder. Many people thought she was one of the best at performing these songs. She moved to London in October 1934.
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Early Life and Music Training
Elena Gerhardt was born in Connewitz, near Leipzig, Germany. Her father owned a restaurant in Leipzig. She studied music at the Leipzig Conservatory from 1899 to 1903. She first learned from Professor Carl Rebling, then from Marie Hedmondt, who became a lifelong friend and vocal coach.
After a year of just learning vocal techniques, she started practicing parts from operas. These included roles like Cherubino from The Marriage of Figaro and Dorabella from Così fan tutte. She also worked on lieder. Elena won a special scholarship called the Carl Reinecke Scholarship. Leipzig was a great place for her to hear many famous international artists.
In 1902, Arthur Nikisch became the director of the Leipzig Conservatory. He gave Elena permission to sing publicly in Leipzig, which she did for the first time in November 1902. He also gave her a solo part in a piece by Franz Liszt.
First Concerts with Arthur Nikisch
After finishing her studies in 1903, Elena had many concert offers. She wanted to give a lieder concert, and Nikisch offered to play the piano for her. Their first very successful performance together was in Leipzig on her 20th birthday.
After that, many concert invitations came in. She sang lieder in almost every university town. She often performed alongside famous musicians like Eugène Ysaÿe and Max Reger. By 1905, she performed with Nikisch in Hamburg and Berlin. In Berlin, she became friends with the famous composer Richard Strauss. From 1905, she spent her holidays with the Nikisch family.
International Success Before 1914
Elena Gerhardt first sang at the Leipzig Opera in June 1905. She also performed in other operas there. Nikisch helped her arrange and accompanied her for her first performance in London in 1906. She first sang in a concert with violinist Mischa Elman, then gave a lieder recital at the Bechstein Hall. She sang songs by famous composers like Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, and Wolf.
In April 1907, she sang at the Royal Albert Hall with an orchestra led by Nikisch. After this, she returned to England every year until 1914 for autumn concerts. She often toured different parts of England with Hamilton Harty or her loyal piano player, Paula Hegner.
Elena and Nikisch made recordings together in Berlin in 1907 and 1911. A big success was their performance in London in 1908. She was even invited to sing for the royal guests at the Coronation of King George V and Queen Mary in 1911. Nikisch helped her meet important people, including those at the famous Villa Wahnfried.
She sang in many European cities, including Vienna, Budapest, Prague, and Paris. Nikisch usually played for her first lieder concert in each city, and then other piano players took over. Alexander Siloti arranged her first trip to Russia in 1909, where she sang in Moscow and St Petersburg until the war started.
Elena made her first performance in the USA at Carnegie Hall in January 1912, with Paula Hegner. She also sang in Cincinnati and Philadelphia with Leopold Stokowski. In London in 1912, she performed a role in Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius. Her second American tour was in early 1913. She visited cities like Boston, New York, and Washington.
The First World War and Its Impact
When the First World War began in August 1914, Elena had to cancel her tours in England. However, she continued to sing in Germany and triumphantly returned to America in 1915. That winter, she sang in Denmark and Norway.
In August 1916, she sang for German soldiers on the Western Front in France. Her brother, Reinhold Gerhardt, who was also a singer, helped arrange this. Later in 1916, she went back to the USA for a tour. When America joined the war, she was sent back to Germany with many other artists. She visited the Front again in summer 1918. She continued to tour in various countries even after the war ended.
Between the Wars
In early 1920, Elena toured Spain with Paula Hegner. Later that year, she went to the USA again, where she began working with the excellent piano player Coenraad V. Bos. They worked together again in New York in 1921-22.
In March 1922, Elena bravely returned to London (Queen's Hall) with Paula Hegner. Her German songs were met with great applause. This marked the beginning of her strong connection with England, which later became her home. For many years, she toured the USA every winter and also performed widely in the UK, Europe, and Germany. She sang Schubert's Winterreise, a collection of songs, which she made especially famous as a female singer.
In 1929, she became the head singing teacher at the Leipzig Conservatory. After October 1930, she stopped her American tours but continued to tour a lot in Britain and Europe.
In 1928, she met and fell in love with Dr. Fritz Kohl, who worked at a radio station in Leipzig. They married in November 1932. In London, she performed again in January 1931, singing Wolf songs and Mahler's Kindertotenlieder. She made recordings for the Hugo Wolf Song Society in 1932.
After Adolf Hitler came to power, Dr. Kohl faced difficulties and was held for a time. He was later cleared in June 1935. Meanwhile, with help from Landon Ronald at the Guildhall School of Music, Elena found a place in London in 1934. After a last visit to Germany, London became the permanent home for Elena and her husband. As the world became more unstable, Elena gave concerts in the Netherlands, France, and Britain, often with Gerald Moore playing the piano. She also started teaching singing to many students.
Wartime Concerts in England
When World War II began, Elena thought her singing career was over. She believed people in Britain wouldn't want to hear German music, especially since she only sang in German. Also, the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) did not allow German to be broadcast on its home radio programs.
However, Myra Hess, a famous pianist, insisted that Elena join her in the National Gallery mid-day concerts. Elena first performed there in December 1939. She later performed in 22 concerts with Myra Hess or Gerald Moore, and people loved her performances. With Myra Hess and Lionel Tertis, she sang Brahms's viola songs and other lieder in many parts of England and Scotland. She even performed a complete Winterreise in Reading. In 1942, she gave BBC lieder broadcasts to Argentina. Her teaching career also picked up again after 1941. She gave a special concert for her 60th birthday at the Wigmore Hall in 1943. News of the destruction of Leipzig and Dresden made her very sad.
Later Career
In 1946, when the BBC Third Programme (a classical music radio station) started, Elena gave three broadcasts. These included lieder concerts and talks about her career and how to interpret Winterreise. She also recorded Schumann's Frauenliebe und -leben that year. She broadcast Brahms's songs in May 1947. This was soon after she officially retired from performing in March 1947.
Her husband, Dr. Kohl, died in May 1947. After this, Elena spent the rest of her professional life teaching in London. One of her first students was Marina de Gabaráin. She also managed to help her brother Reinhold and his family escape from Eastern Germany. He later joined the staff at the Guildhall School of Music.
Elena Gerhardt was one of the greatest performers of German lieder. She built her career almost entirely around this type of music. She wrote her autobiography, a book about her life, in 1953.
She passed away on January 11, 1961, in London, at the age of 77.
Recordings
Elena Gerhardt made many recordings throughout her career. These recordings help us remember her amazing voice and her interpretations of lieder. She recorded with famous piano players like Arthur Nikisch, Bruno Seidler-Winkler, Paula Hegner, Coenraad V. Bos, and Gerald Moore. Her recordings include songs by Wolf, Brahms, Strauss, Schumann, Schubert, and Wagner. She also recorded complete song cycles like Winterreise and Frauenliebe und -leben.
See also
In Spanish: Elena Gerhardt para niños
