Marie Gutheil-Schoder
Encyclopedia
Marie Gutheil-Schoder was one of the most important German soprano
s of her day.
Born Marie Schoder, in 1899 she married Gustav Gutheil, with whom she lived until his death in 1914.
She debuted in the secondary role of the First Lady at the Weimar Court Opera in The Magic Flute
in her native city of Weimar in 1891. Gustav Mahler
engaged her for the Vienna State Opera
in 1900, where she remained until 1926. She appeared at the Royal Opera House
as Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier
in 1913. One of her famous roles was her portrayal of a "strange, Nietzschean" Carmen
. She was seen in the 1914 Vienna premiere of Richard Strauss
's ballet, Josephslegende as Potiphar's Wife. She created Esmeralda in the world premiere of Franz Schmidt
's opera Notre Dame
in the same year.
Gutheil-Schoder created the fiercely difficult single role of Arnold Schoenberg
's monodrama Erwartung
in 1924 in Prague. Mahler termed her "a musical genius," and she was highly regarded as a musician and singing-actress, although she seemed to be, as one Viennese critic wrote, "the singer without a voice." In her later career, she became a stage director of opera.
She was a well-known pedagogue as well, one of her students being the mezzo-soprano Risë Stevens
. She died at the age of sixty-one, in Ilmenau
, Germany.
, an aria from The Merry Wives of Windsor
, and duets from La dame blanche
and The Tales of Hoffmann were performed.
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
s of her day.
Born Marie Schoder, in 1899 she married Gustav Gutheil, with whom she lived until his death in 1914.
She debuted in the secondary role of the First Lady at the Weimar Court Opera in The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute is an opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a Singspiel, a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue....
in her native city of Weimar in 1891. Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...
engaged her for the Vienna State Opera
Vienna State Opera
The Vienna State Opera is an opera house – and opera company – with a history dating back to the mid-19th century. It is located in the centre of Vienna, Austria. It was originally called the Vienna Court Opera . In 1920, with the replacement of the Habsburg Monarchy by the First Austrian...
in 1900, where she remained until 1926. She appeared 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...
as Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier
Der Rosenkavalier
Der Rosenkavalier is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from the novel Les amours du chevalier de Faublas by Louvet de Couvrai and Molière’s comedy Monsieur de Pourceaugnac...
in 1913. One of her famous roles was her portrayal of a "strange, Nietzschean" Carmen
Carmen
Carmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
. She was seen in the 1914 Vienna premiere of Richard Strauss
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till...
's ballet, Josephslegende as Potiphar's Wife. She created Esmeralda in the world premiere of Franz Schmidt
Franz Schmidt
Franz Schmidt was an Austrian composer, cellist and pianist of Hungarian descent and origin.- Life :Schmidt was born in Pozsony , in the Hungarian part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire . His father was half Hungarian and his mother entirely Hungarian...
's opera Notre Dame
Notre Dame (opera)
Notre Dame is a romantic opera by Franz Schmidt, to a libretto by himself and Leopold Wilk , a professional chemist and amateur poet. It is based loosely on the novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo....
in the same year.
Gutheil-Schoder created the fiercely difficult single role of Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School...
's monodrama Erwartung
Erwartung
Erwartung , Op.17 is a one-act opera by Arnold Schoenberg to a libretto by Marie Pappenheim. Composed in 1909, it was not premiered until June 6, 1924 in Prague conducted by Alexander Zemlinsky with Marie Gutheil-Schoder as the soprano. The work takes the unusual form of a monologue for solo...
in 1924 in Prague. Mahler termed her "a musical genius," and she was highly regarded as a musician and singing-actress, although she seemed to be, as one Viennese critic wrote, "the singer without a voice." In her later career, she became a stage director of opera.
She was a well-known pedagogue as well, one of her students being the mezzo-soprano Risë Stevens
Risë Stevens
Risë Stevens is a retired American operatic mezzo-soprano.-Professional life:Stevens studied at New York's Juilliard School for three years. She went to Vienna, where she was trained by Marie Gutheil-Schoder and Herbert Graf. She made her début as Mignon in Prague in 1936 and stayed there until...
. She died at the age of sixty-one, in Ilmenau
Ilmenau
Ilmenau is a town located in the district of Ilm-Kreis, Thuringia, Germany.Ilmenau is situated in the valley of the Ilm river, at an altitude of 431 metres above sea level, and is the biggest town in Ilm-Kreis district, with 6,200 students studying at the Technische Universität Ilmenau. The...
, Germany.
Recordings
In 1902, she recorded for G & T, in Vienna: Two excerpts from CarmenCarmen
Carmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
, an aria from The Merry Wives of Windsor
The Merry Wives of Windsor (opera)
The Merry Wives of Windsor is an opera in three acts by Otto Nicolai to a German libretto by Hermann Salomon Mosenthal, based on the play The Merry Wives of Windsor by William Shakespeare....
, and duets from La dame blanche
La Dame blanche
La dame blanche is an opéra comique in three acts by the French composer François-Adrien Boieldieu. The libretto was written by Eugène Scribe and is based on episodes from no less than five of the works by Scottish writer Sir Walter Scott, including his novels The Monastery, Guy Mannering, and The...
and The Tales of Hoffmann were performed.