Oscar Natzka
Encyclopedia
Early life
Born as Franz Oscar Natzke (as he was sometimes credited earlier in his career) at Wharepuhunga, North Island, New Zealand, he was the son of August Natzke (a native of BrixenBrixen
Brixen is the name of two cities in the Alps:*Brixen, South Tyrol, Italy*Brixen im Thale, Tyrol, AustriaBrixen may also refer to:*Bishopric of Brixen, the former north-Italian state....
, a German-speaking part of Italy), who had emigrated to New Zealand and settled in Otorohanga
Otorohanga
Otorohanga is a north King Country town at the southern end of the Waikato region in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located 53 kilometres south of Hamilton and 18 kilometres north of Te Kuiti, on the Waipa River...
, and Emma Carter Natzke, of Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
, New Zealand, who was a singer.
As a boy, the young Natzke worked on his father's farm, he was encouraged and trained as a singer by his mother. The family was displaced by the recession of the 1920s to Waiheke Island
Waiheke Island
Waiheke Island is an island in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand, located about from Auckland.The island is the second-largest in the Hauraki Gulf after Great Barrier Island. It is the most populated, with nearly 8,000 permanent residents plus another estimated 3,400 who have second or holiday homes...
, where Oscar sang as a boy soprano
Boy soprano
A boy soprano is a young male singer with an unchanged voice in the soprano range. Although a treble, or choirboy, may also be considered to be a boy soprano, the more colloquial term boy soprano is generally only used for boys who sing, perform, or record as soloists, and who may not necessarily...
in concerts. At the age of 15 he was apprenticed to a blacksmith at Freemans Bay
Freemans Bay
Freemans Bay is the name of a former bay and now inner city suburb of Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand. The historical bay was filled in to a large extent, and lost its shoreline to reclamation works...
, Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, where he worked for 3½ years; he later worked for a phosphate company.
When his voice broke, he became a basso profondo and soon became well-known. He was aided early in his career by Homer Samuels, husband of Amelita Galli-Curci
Amelita Galli-Curci
Amelita Galli-Curci was an Italian operatic soprano. She was one of the best-known coloratura singers of the early 20th century with her gramophone records selling in large numbers.-Early life:...
, John Brownlee
John Brownlee (baritone)
John Donald Mackenzie Brownlee was an Australian operatic baritone.-Biography:John Brownlee was born in Geelong, Victoria. As a boy, he became a junior naval cadet in the Royal Australian Navy, serving during World War I. Following service, he studied accounting...
, the Australian baritone, and Anderson Tyrer
Anderson Tyrer
Anderson Tyrer was an English concert pianist, active during the 1920s.Tyrer studied at the Royal Manchester College of Music, where he won a scholarship of four years from the County Council. He served in the Army in 1914 to 1918.He made his debut at a Promenade concert under Thomas Beecham in...
, conductor of the New Zealand National Orchestra. Around this time he changed his name to Oscar Natzka.
London
In 1935 he went to London, England to study under Albert GarciaAlbert García
Albert García Camps is a Spanish footballer. He currently plays as an offensive midfielder for the Spanish team Espanyol B.- Career :...
. In 1938, after being discovered by opera director Vladimir Rosing
Vladimir Rosing
Vladimir Sergeyevich Rosing , aka Val Rosing, was a Russian-born operatic tenor and stage director who spent most of his professional career in England and the United States...
, he made his debut with the Royal Covent Garden Opera
Royal Opera, London
The Royal Opera is an opera company based in central London, resident at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Along with the English National Opera, it is one of the two principal opera companies in London. Founded in 1946 as the Covent Garden Opera Company, it was known by that title until 1968...
, and went on to enjoy a career on the operatic circuit. He appeared in the musical revue Meet the Navy
Meet the Navy
Meet the Navy was a musical revue produced by the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II. Directed by Hollywood producer Louis Silver and Broadway choreographer Larry Ceballos, the production premiered in a private performance for servicemen on 2 September 1943 at Toronto's Victoria Theatre. The...
during the 1940s and its 1946 film adaptation
Meet the Navy (film)
Meet the Navy is a 1946 British musical comedy film based on the Canadian musical revue Meet the Navy. Filmed in England in November 1945, it was directed by Alfred Travers and produced by British National Films. It starred Lionel Murton, Margaret Hurst and John Pratt...
.
Death
After collapsing a week earlier on stage during a performance of Die Meistersinger at the New York City OperaNew York City Opera
The New York City Opera is an American opera company located in New York City.The company, called "the people's opera" by New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, was founded in 1943 with the aim of making opera financially accessible to a wide audience, producing an innovative choice of repertory, and...
, Natzka died on November 4, 1951 in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, aged 39.
His widow, Winifred, later married the Oscar-winning American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor, Charles Coburn
Charles Coburn
Charles Douville Coburn was an American film and theater actor.-Biography:Coburn was born in Macon, Georgia, the son of Scots-Irish Americans Emma Louise Sprigman and Moses Douville Coburn. Growing up in Savannah, he started out doing odd jobs at the local Savannah Theater, handing out programs,...
.
External links
in the Dictionary of New Zealand BiographyDictionary of New Zealand Biography
The Dictionary of New Zealand Biography contains biographies for over 3,000 New Zealanders. It is available in both English and Maori. All volumes of the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography are available online....