Heinrich Knote
Encyclopedia
Heinrich Knote was an outstanding German
dramatic tenor
with an international reputation.
Born in Munich
, he studied in that Bavarian city with Emmanuel Kirschner before joining the Munich Opera in 1892, debuting in Lortzing's Der Waffenschmied. Munich remained his base for the rest of the 19th century, although he did also appear at other German opera houses during this period.
Gradually Knote's voice, which had begun as a light lyric tenor, grew in size and stamina. By 1900, he was able to undertake Manrico in Verdi's Il trovatore
as well as heavy Wagner roles.
The seeds of Knote's international reputation as a top-flight exponent of Wagnerian operatic parts were planted in 1901 when he sang for the first time at the Royal Opera House
, Covent Garden
. Although his debut season was not an unqualified success, he showed considerable promise, and he was invited back by Covent Garden's management, appearing there again in 1903, 1907-08 and 1913. During these subsequent Covent Garden seasons he sang even more impressively than he had during his first London season, and was now much admired in the Wagnerian roles of Tristan, Siegfried, Tannhauser, Erik, Walther and Lohengrin.
Knote made his American
debut at the Metropolitan Opera
on 3 December 1904 in Die Meistersinger. So successful was he in this and other Wagner operas that during his three seasons with the Met company, his popularity was said to have almost rivalled that of the Met's superstar tenors Enrico Caruso and, from the previous generation, Jean de Reszke
.
Surprisingly enough, Knote never sang at the Bayreuth Festival
. (His legato-based method of singing would not have been a good fit in any case with Bayreuth's then favoured sprechgesang
style of vocalism.) He did, however, enter into a contract with the artistically esteemed Dresden
Opera; but this was cancelled suddenly in 1909 after a dispute with management. Knote spent the First World War period in Germany and became the principal tenor of the Charlottenburg
Opera in 1917. After the war, Munich once again became his artistic home although he was engaged for a short time by the Hamburg
Opera. He sang in the United States for the last time in 1923-24, appearing as Tristan, Walther and Rienzi with a German opera company.
He retired from the operatic stage in Munich in 1932 and taught singing. At the age of 82, he died in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
.
Knote had a handsome stage presence and possessed a strong, smooth, resonant voice with a lively, but rarely intrusive, vibrato. He was additionally praised by music critics of the day for the clarity of his diction. Vocal historians regard him as being one of Germany's best ever Wagnerian tenors.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
dramatic tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
with an international reputation.
Born in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, he studied in that Bavarian city with Emmanuel Kirschner before joining the Munich Opera in 1892, debuting in Lortzing's Der Waffenschmied. Munich remained his base for the rest of the 19th century, although he did also appear at other German opera houses during this period.
Gradually Knote's voice, which had begun as a light lyric tenor, grew in size and stamina. By 1900, he was able to undertake Manrico in Verdi's Il trovatore
Il trovatore
Il trovatore is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play El Trovador by Antonio García Gutiérrez. Cammarano died in mid-1852 before completing the libretto...
as well as heavy Wagner roles.
The seeds of Knote's international reputation as a top-flight exponent of Wagnerian operatic parts were planted in 1901 when he sang for the first time at the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
, Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
. Although his debut season was not an unqualified success, he showed considerable promise, and he was invited back by Covent Garden's management, appearing there again in 1903, 1907-08 and 1913. During these subsequent Covent Garden seasons he sang even more impressively than he had during his first London season, and was now much admired in the Wagnerian roles of Tristan, Siegfried, Tannhauser, Erik, Walther and Lohengrin.
Knote made his American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
debut at the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
on 3 December 1904 in Die Meistersinger. So successful was he in this and other Wagner operas that during his three seasons with the Met company, his popularity was said to have almost rivalled that of the Met's superstar tenors Enrico Caruso and, from the previous generation, Jean de Reszke
Jean de Reszke
Jean de Reszke, born Jan Mieczyslaw, , was a Polish tenor. Renowned internationally for the high quality of his singing and the elegance of his bearing, he became the biggest male opera star of the late 19th century....
.
Surprisingly enough, Knote never sang at the Bayreuth Festival
Bayreuth Festival
The Bayreuth Festival is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of operas by the 19th century German composer Richard Wagner are presented...
. (His legato-based method of singing would not have been a good fit in any case with Bayreuth's then favoured sprechgesang
Sprechgesang
Sprechgesang and Sprechstimme are musical terms used to refer to an expressionist vocal technique between singing and speaking. Though sometimes used interchangeably, sprechgesang is a term directly related to the operatic recitative manner of singing , whereas sprechstimme is...
style of vocalism.) He did, however, enter into a contract with the artistically esteemed Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
Opera; but this was cancelled suddenly in 1909 after a dispute with management. Knote spent the First World War period in Germany and became the principal tenor of the Charlottenburg
Charlottenburg
Charlottenburg is a locality of Berlin within the borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, named after Queen consort Sophia Charlotte...
Opera in 1917. After the war, Munich once again became his artistic home although he was engaged for a short time by the Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
Opera. He sang in the United States for the last time in 1923-24, appearing as Tristan, Walther and Rienzi with a German opera company.
He retired from the operatic stage in Munich in 1932 and taught singing. At the age of 82, he died in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a mountain resort town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the Oberbayern region, and the district is on the border with Austria...
.
Knote had a handsome stage presence and possessed a strong, smooth, resonant voice with a lively, but rarely intrusive, vibrato. He was additionally praised by music critics of the day for the clarity of his diction. Vocal historians regard him as being one of Germany's best ever Wagnerian tenors.