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Joseph Schmidt

Joseph Schmidt Video

January 26, 2013

Joseph Schmidt (1904 – 1942) was one of the greatest singers of the last century. His story is also among the saddest. In my opinion, in addition to his vocal beauty he possessed the most complete technique of any tenor I’ve ever heard. I’ve written about him before and you can easily find these posts. […]

Joseph Schmidt – In English

September 19, 2012

Romanian tenor Joseph Schmidt (1904-42)was one of the vocal wonders of the last century. He had the most complete technique of any tenor in the recorded age. He could do anything, runs, trills, molten beauty and legato – all were his. All he lacked were height and luck. His sad story is well known and has […]

Two That Got Away

October 2, 2010

I wrote this article 14 years ago. It is no longer online; so I decided to republish it here. A few months ago I wrote a piece about tenors. In it, I discussed the nine tenors who I thought were the best of this century. Obviously, I made a very subjective choice that many would […]

Or Son Sei Mesi

September 19, 2010

Puccini’s cowboy opera, La Fanciulla del West, is returning to the Met this season after an absence of 17 years. 2010 is the 100th anniversary of the opera’s world premiere at the Met. Emmy Destinn and Enrico Caruso sang the leads under the direction of Arturo Toscanini. Puccini supervised the production which was directed by […]

Recording of the Week: Joseph Schmidt – Live Recordings

June 7, 2009

The album contains previously unreleased live recordings by one of the 20th century’s greatest tenors. Joseph Schmidt’s career was spent almost entirely in front of a microphone. His small stature, 5 feet +/- an inch, kept him off the opera stage. He did give recitals. His American debut was on March 7, 1937 at Carnegie […]

Glück, Das Mir Verblieb

March 18, 2009

Erich Korngold’s opera Die Tote Stadt (first performed in 1920) is best known for its aria “Glück, das mir verblieb” also known as “Marietta’s Lied”. Actually it’s a duet for tenor and soprano. Less well known is the tenor version of the same tune which closes the opera. The first line is the same but […]