René Jacobs facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
René Jacobs
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René Jacobs in Salzburg 2011
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| Born | 30 October 1946 Ghent, Belgium
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| Nationality | Belgian |
| Occupation | Countertenor and conductor |
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René Jacobs (born October 30, 1946) is a famous Belgian musician. He first became well-known as a countertenor. A countertenor is a male singer who sings in a very high voice, similar to a female alto. Later in his career, he became famous as a conductor. He is especially known for leading orchestras that play Baroque music and classical opera.
Contents
René Jacobs' Musical Journey
Early Life and Singing Career
René Jacobs was born in Ghent, Belgium. He started his music journey as a boy singer in a cathedral choir. Later, he studied old languages like Latin and Greek at the University of Ghent. He also kept singing in cities like Brussels and The Hague.
Famous musicians like the Kuijken brothers, Gustav Leonhardt, and Alfred Deller encouraged him. They helped him become a professional countertenor. He quickly became one of the best countertenors of his time. He recorded many less-known Baroque songs by composers such as Antonio Cesti and William Lawes. He also sang in important recordings of music by Johann Sebastian Bach, like the St Matthew Passion.
Becoming a Conductor
In 1977, René Jacobs started his own music group called Concerto Vocale.
As a conductor, Jacobs has recorded many operas. Operas are plays where the story is told mostly through singing. He also recorded many sacred (religious) and secular (non-religious) musical works. These works were from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries.
His recording of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro is very famous. It won many awards, including Gramophone magazine's Record of the Year in 2004. It also won a Grammy Award for "Best Opera recording" in 2005. Other award-winning recordings include George Frideric Handel's Rinaldo and Joseph Haydn's The Seasons.
Jacobs has won many awards for his recordings and work. These include the Grammy Award and several European awards. His recording of Mozart's The Magic Flute was named Record of the Year in 2011.
He is known for being a conductor who understands singers very well. He is also praised for how he handles recitative. Recitative is a style of singing that sounds like talking, often used in operas.
Jacobs often conducted famous orchestras and groups. These include the Concerto Köln and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin. He led them for recordings and concert tours. In 1992, the Berlin State Opera invited him to conduct there.
From 1991 to 2009, Jacobs was the artistic director for opera programs. This was at the Festwochen der Alten Musik in Innsbruck, a festival for early music. He also taught about Baroque singing style at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis.
Notable Recordings
René Jacobs has made many important recordings both as a singer and a conductor. Here are some of his well-known works:
As a Countertenor
- Marc-Antoine Charpentier: 3 Leçons de Ténèbres
- François Couperin: 3 Leçons de Ténèbres
- Christoph Willibald Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice
- Georg Friedrich Händel: Tamerlano, Alessandro, Admeto, Partenope
As a Conductor
- Bach – Mass in B minor, Christmas Oratorio, The Motets
- Cavalli – La Calisto, Giasone, Xerxes
- Gluck – Orfeo ed Euridice
- Handel – Giulio Cesare, Messiah, Rinaldo, Saul, Orlando
- Haydn – Die Jahreszeiten (The Seasons), Die Schöpfung (The Creation)
- Monteverdi – L'Orfeo, Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria, L'incoronazione di Poppea
- Mozart – Così fan tutte, Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), La clemenza di Tito, Don Giovanni, Idomeneo
- Purcell – Dido and Aeneas
- Scarlatti – Il primo omicidio, Griselda
- Schubert – Symphonies Nos. 1, 2, 3, 6
- Schütz – Christmas Oratorio
See also
In Spanish: René Jacobs para niños
