Reginald Goodall facts for kids

Sir Reginald Goodall (born July 13, 1901 – died May 5, 1990) was an English music conductor and a coach for singers. He was well-known for leading performances of operas by Richard Wagner. He also conducted the very first performances of several operas by Benjamin Britten.

Early Life and Music Studies

Goodall was born in Lincoln, England. He studied music at the Royal College of Music and in other places in Europe. In 1929, he became the organ player and choir leader at St Alban's Church, Holborn.

A Career in Music

During World War II, Goodall conducted an orchestra called the Wessex Philharmonic. In 1944, he joined the Sadler's Wells company, which later became the English National Opera.

A big success for him was conducting the first performance of Benjamin Britten's opera Peter Grimes in 1945. He later conducted this opera again at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. He had first conducted there in 1947. In the late 1940s, he also worked as an assistant conductor at the Royal Opera House.

Goodall spent much of his career conducting at the Royal Opera House and Sadler's Wells Opera. At Covent Garden, another conductor named Georg Solti was often more in the spotlight. When Solti became the music director in 1961, Goodall stopped conducting there for a while. He moved to an upper room, which was jokingly called "Valhalla". From there, he helped singers with their coaching whenever they needed him.

Goodall found more conducting success at Sadler's Wells. From 1967, he worked closely with Leonard Hancock, who was in charge of the music staff.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Goodall conducted several famous Richard Wagner operas at Sadler's Wells. These performances helped him become known as one of the best Wagner conductors of his time. He conducted The Mastersingers in 1968. He also conducted the full Ring Cycle of operas from 1970 to 1973. Both of these productions were sung in English.

His last public performance was in 1987. He led the English National Opera Company in a part of Wagner's Parsifal at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Controversial Views

In the 1930s, Goodall was very interested in German culture. He openly supported the Nazi government, believing it protected German traditions. He also supported a British political group called the British Union of Fascists. He even joined this group shortly after Britain declared war on Germany. During World War II, he continued to share his pro-Nazi views. He was even questioned by the police because of his strong opinions. Goodall was known to say that the the Holocaust was a "BBC Jewish plot," which means he denied that it happened.

His Impact on Music

Goodall became very well-known later in his life. He was able to shine on his own after working for many years under other famous German and Austrian conductors. He helped them with rehearsals and coached singers. People valued Goodall for how much attention he paid to details in music. He also spent a lot of time in rehearsals to make sure everything was perfect.

A book about Goodall's life was published in 1993 by John Lucas.

See also

In Spanish: Reginald Goodall para niños