Lotte Lehmann

Lehmann inBeethoven'sFidelio

Charlotte "Lotte" Pauline Sophie Lehmann(February 27, 1888 – August 26, 1976) was a German-Americanlyric soprano noted for her successful performances with international opera houses, on the recital stage and in teaching.She gave memorable appearances in the operas ofRichard Strauss,Richard Wagner,Ludwig van Beethoven,Puccini,Mozart,andMassenet.The Marschallin inDer Rosenkavalier,Sieglinde inDie Walküreand the title-role inFidelioare considered her greatest roles. During her long career, Lehmann also made almost five hundred recordings in both opera and art song.

Life and career

Lehmann was born inPerleberg,a middle-sized town about halfway between Hamburg and Berlin, in theProvince of Brandenburg,Germany.

Lotte Lehmann bust in her birthplace Perleberg

She studied, unsuccessfully, at two music schools inBerlin,(where her family had moved), before findingMathilde Mallinger(Wagner’s first Eva inDie Meistersinger) who within a year and a half developed Lehmann’s voice to the level at which she could audition for and achieve a beginner’s contract with the Hamburg Opera in 1910.At that time she sang roles of pages and other minor roles. By her third year in Hamburg Lehmann was singing important roles such as Agathe inDer Freischützand Micaëla inCarmen.Her big break came when the absence of the soprano scheduled to sing Elsa inLohengrinallowed Lehmann her first acknowledged success. She was coached in the role by the young assistant conductor at the Hamburg Opera,Otto Klemperer.Thereafter she further sang larger roles such as Irene inRienzi,Antonia inLes contes d’Hoffmann,Dorabella inCosì fan tutteand Gutrune inGötterdämmerung.In 1913, Hans Gregor, the director of the Vienna Court Opera, came to Hamburg to hear a tenor, but noticed Lehmann as Micäela and offered her a contract.

Lehmann began her Vienna career with a trial appearance in 1914 as Eva inDie Meistersinger von Nürnbergat the Vienna Court Opera – the laterVienna State Opera– which she joined in 1916. She quickly established herself as one of the company's brightest stars in roles such as Elisabeth inTannhäuserand Elsa inLohengrin.

She created roles in the world premieres of a number of operas byRichard Strauss,including the Composer inAriadne auf Naxosin 1916 (later she sang the title-role in this opera), the Dyer's Wife inDie Frau ohne Schattenin 1919 and Christine inIntermezzoin 1924. Her other Strauss roles were the title-roles inArabella(she sang in the Viennese premiere on 21 October 1933, even though her mother had died earlier that day)and inDer Rosenkavalier(earlier in her career, she had also sung the role of Sophie and Octavian; when she finally added the Marschallin to her repertoire, she became the first soprano in history to have sung all three female lead roles in that opera).

HerPucciniroles at the Vienna State Opera included the title-roles inTosca,Manon Lescaut,Madama Butterfly,Suor Angelica,Turandot,Mimi inLa bohèmeand Giorgetta inIl tabarro.In her 21 years with the company, Lehmann sang more than fifty different roles, including Marie/Marietta in Korngold'sDie tote Stadt,the title-roles inLa JuivebyFromental Halévy,MignonbyAmbroise Thomas,andManonbyJules Massenet,Charlotte inWerther,Marguerite inFaust,Tatiana inEugene Oneginand Lisa inThe Queen of Spades.

In the meantime she had made her debut in London in 1914, sung on tour in South America in 1922, and from 1924 to 1935 performed regularly at theRoyal Opera House,Covent Gardenwhere aside from her famous Wagner roles and the Marschallin she also sang Desdemona inOtelloand Donna Elvira inDon Giovanni.She appeared regularly at theSalzburg Festivalfrom 1926 to 1937, performing withArturo Toscanini,among other conductors. She also gave recitals there accompanied at the piano by the conductorBruno Walter.

In August 1936, while in Salzburg, she discovered theTrapp Family Singers,later made more famous in the musicalThe Sound of Music.Lehmann had heard of a villa available for let and as she approached the villa she overheard the family singing in their garden. Insisting the children had a precious gift, she exclaimed that the family had "gold in their throats" and that they should enter the Salzburg Festival contest for group singing the following night. Having regard to the family's aristocratic background the Baron insisted performing in public was out of the question; however Lehmann's fame and genuine enthusiasm persuaded the Baron to relent, leading to their first public performance.

On the cover ofTimemagazine
February 18, 1935

In 1930, Lehmann made her American debut inChicagoas Sieglinde in Wagner'sDie Walküre.She returned to the United States every season thereafter making her Metropolitan Opera debut as Sieglinde in 1934. BeforeGermany annexed Austriain 1938, Lehmann emigrated to the United States.There, she continued to sing at theMetropolitan Operauntil 1945 and theSan Francisco Operauntil 1946.

In addition to her operatic work, Lehmann was a renowned singer oflieder,giving frequent recitals throughout her career. She recorded and toured with pianistErnő Baloghin the 1930s. Beginning with her first recital tour to Australia in 1937, she worked closely with the accompanistPaul Ulanowsky.He remained her primary accompanist for concerts and master classes until her retirement fourteen years later.

She also made a foray into film acting, playing the mother ofDanny Thomasin MGM'sBig City(1948), which also starredRobert Preston,George Murphy,Margaret O'BrienandBetty Garrett.

After her retirement from the recital stage in 1951, Lehmann taught master classes at theMusic Academy of the Westin Montecito, California, which she helped found in 1947.She also gave master classes in New York City'sTown Hall(for theManhattan School of Music), Chicago, London, Vienna, and other cities. Some of her most successful students included: Jeannine Altmeyer, Judith Beckmann, Grace Bumbry, William Cochran, Marilyn Horne, Mildred Miller, Norman Mittelman, Carol Neblett, William Olvis, and Benita Valente. For her contribution to the recording industry, Lehmann has a star on theHollywood Walk of Fameat 1735 Vine St. However, her first name is misspelled there as "Lottie."

She was a prolific author, publishing a book of poemsVerse in Prosain 1923, a novel,Orplid, mein Landin 1937, which appeared in English asEternal Flight,and a book of memoirs,Anfang und Aufstieg(1937), which later appeared asOn Wings of Songin the U.K. in 1938 and asMidway in My Songin the U.S. She also publishedMore than Singing(1945), on the interpretation of song, andMy Many Lives(1948), on the interpretation of opera roles. Later books includedFive Operas and Richard Strauss,known asSinging with Richard Straussin the U.K., a second book of poems in 1969, andEighteen Song Cyclesin 1971, consisting of material drawn largely from earlier works.

Lehmann was an active painter, especially in her retirement. Her painting included a series of twenty-four illustrations in tempera for each song of Schubert'sWinterreise.

Lehmann died in 1976 at the age of 88 inSanta Barbara, California.She is interred in theZentralfriedhofinVienna.Her headstone is inscribed with a quote fromRichard Strauss:"Sie hat gesungen, daß es Sterne rührte."(" She sang such that it moved the stars. ")

Personal life

In 1926 Lehmann married Otto Krause, a former officer in the Austrian army. They had no children. Krause, who died of tuberculosis in 1939, had four children from a previous marriage. Lehmann never remarried.

After Krause's death until her own death in 1976 Lehmann shared a home with Frances Holden (1899–1996), a psychologist who specialised in the study of genius, particularly that of classical musicians. The two women named their Santa Barbara house "Orplid" after the dream island described inHugo Wolf's art song "Gesang Weylas".

She held a long correspondence with numismatistDorothy B. Waage.

Legacy

• Lehmann helped establish the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California, where there is a hall named for her.
• TheLotte Lehmann Concert Hallon the campus of theUniversity of California, Santa Barbarawas also named in her honor. She had given many master classes there.
• The Lotte Lehmann Collection at the UCSB Library's Special Collections contains Lehmann's recordings, papers, photos, etc.
• A collection of manuscripts, photos and recordings called the Gary Hickling Collection on Lotte Lehmann is housed at the Stanford Archive of Recorded Sound at Stanford University.
• The bulk of Lehmann's private recordings is held at the Miller Nichols Library Marr Sound Archives at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
• Lehmann's friend Hertha Schuch willed her large collection (now in 18 boxes) of Lehmann recordings, correspondence, photos, etc. to theAustrian Theatre Museumin Vienna (Österreichisches Theatermuseum, Wien).
• TheLotte Lehmann Foundationwas established in 1995 to preserve and perpetuate Lotte Lehmann's legacy and at the same time to bring art song into the lives of as many people as possible. It ceased activity in 2011. In 2011, the Lotte Lehmann League developed a website in her honor.
• In her native city, Perleberg, the Lotte Lehmann Akademie was established in her name in 2009. A summer program for young opera singers wishing to specialize in the German repertoire, the academy's faculty has includedKaran ArmstrongandThomas Moser,both former students of Lehmann.

Honors

• Lehmann received the title of Kammersängerin (the first singer to receive that designation since the collapse of the monarchy), 1926.
• Lehmann was made Ehrenmitglied der Wiener Staatsoper [Honorary Member of the Vienna State Opera], 1928.
• The King of Sweden conferred upon her the golden medalLiteris et Artibusafter a performance ofFidelioin February 1929.
• France awarded her the Légion d’honneur ( “Offizier der Ehrenlegion” ) 1931.
• Lehmann earned the Ehrenring der Stadt Wien [the Honor or Dedication Ring of the City of Vienna], 1962.
• From Germany, Lehmann received the “Großes Deutsches Verdienstkreuz” [the Great German Service Cross], 8 February 1964.
• Salzburg presented Lehmann with the Große Silbermedaille der Stadt Salzburg, [the Great Silver Medal of the City of Salzburg], 1969.

Works

• Eighteen song cycles: studies in their interpretation(London: Cassell, 1971)
• Eternal Flight,translated by Elsa Krauch (NY: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1937)
• Five operas and Richard Strauss.(New York, Macmillan Co. [1964])
• Midway in my Song: The Autobiography of Lotte Lehmann(NY: Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1938)
• More Than Singing: The Interpretation of Songs(Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1945)
• My Many Lives(NY: Boosey & Hawkes, 1948)

Recordings

• Great Recordings of the Century:EMI: CDH 7610422:Lotte Lehmann: Operatic Arias
• Great Opera Recordings:NAXOS: 8.110250-51:Die Walküre:Acts I & II
• Immortal Performances:NAXOS: 8.110034-36:Der Rosenkavalier(live 1939)
• Great Opera Recordings:NAXOS: 8.110191-92:Der Rosenkavalier(1933)
• Great Singers:NAXOS: 8.11244:Lotte Lehmann: Lieder Recordings,Vol. 3
• Masterworks Portrait:Sony Music: MPK 47682:Lotte Lehmann: Songs from Vienna
• Masterworks Portrait:CBS: MPK 44840:Lotte Lehmann/Bruno Walter: Schumann: Frauenliebe und -Leben, Dichterliebe

Sources

• Nigel Douglas,Legendary Voices(London: Deutsch, 1992)
• Beaumont Glass,Lotte Lehmann: A Life in Opera and Song(Santa Barbara, CA: Capra Press, 1988)
• Alan Jefferson,Lotte Lehmann, 1888–1976: A Centenary Biography(London: J. MacRae Books, 1988); German version:Lotte Lehmann: Eine Biographie(1991)
• Michael H. Kater,Never Sang for Hitler: The Life and Times of Lotte Lehmann(NY: Cambridge University Press, 2008)
• Kathy H. Brown, "Lotte Lehmann in America: Her Legacy as Artist Teacher" (Missoula, Montana: The College Music Society, 2012)

Further reading

• Gary Hickling,"Lotte Lehmann & Her Legacy: Volume I - IX “(Apple iBook, 2015–2021)

External links

• LotteLehmannLeague.org
• Lotte Lehmann papersat theUniversity of California, Santa BarbaraLibrary
• Gary Hickling Collection on Lotte Lehmann, Stanford Archive of Recorded Sound
• Excerpt from Lotte Lehmann master class (1961)onYouTube