Ruzena Herlinger

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ruzena Herlinger
A smiling woman with fair skin and dark hair and eyes, wearing white
Ruzena Herlinger in 1927
Born
Růžena Schwartz

8 February 1890
Tábor, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary
DiedFebruary 19, 1978(1978-02-19) (aged 88)
Montreal, Canada
Other namesRůžena Herlingerová, Rose Schwartz
Occupation(s)Singer, voice teacher

Ruzena Schwartz Herlinger (8 February 1890 – 19 February 1978) was a Czech-born Canadian singer and voice teacher, noted for performing and promoting the works of contemporary European composers in the 1920s and 1930s.

Early life and education[edit]

Schwartz was born on 8 February 1890 in Tábor, Bohemia. She studied piano and voice from childhood, and trained in Vienna and Berlin as a youth.[1]

Career[edit]

Herlinger, described as a soprano[2] and a mezzo-soprano,[3] performed and promoted works by modern European composers,[4][5] including Maurice Ravel, Erik Satie,[6] Paul Pisk, Anton Webern,[7] Ernst Krenek,[8] Gustav Mahler, and Alban Berg; Berg wrote a concert aria, "Der Wein", for her.[9][10] She was active in the International Society for Contemporary Music in Vienna.[11][12] "She has a voice of superior beauty and highly cultivated," wrote one critic in 1934, "while her phrasing and expression bespeak high musicality and taste."[13]

Herlinger lived in England during World War II. After the war, she returned to Prague for a few years, to conduct the Prague Radio Choir.[1]

She moved to Canada in 1949. She taught voice at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec (CMM) from 1957 to 1962, and at McGill University from 1963 to 1970. Her notable Canadian students included Claire Gagnier, Joseph Rouleau, Huguette Tourangeau, and André Turp.[1]

Personal life[edit]

Schwartz married industrialist Alfred Herlinger.[2][10] She became a naturalized Canadian citizen in 1954. She died on 19 February 1978, at the age of 88, in Montreal.[1] There is a collection of her papers in the Oskar Morawetz Collection of the Music Division of the Library and Archives Canada, in Ottawa.[14][15]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Colle, Josèphe. "Ruzena Herlinger". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
  2. ^ a b "Famous Folks in a Famous Street". Musical Courier. 94 (11): 48. 17 March 1927 – via Internet Archive.
  3. ^ "Ruzena Herlinger, Czech Mezzo Soprano (advertisement)". Musical Courier. 101 (6): 9. 1930-08-09 – via Internet Archive.
  4. ^ "Classicism Reigns Supreme in Vienna". Musical Courier. 98 (11): 48. 11 May 1929 – via Internet Archive.
  5. ^ Doctor, Jennifer Ruth (1999). The BBC and ultra-modern music, 1922-1936 : shaping a nation's tastes. Internet Archive. Cambridge, U.K. ; New York: Cambridge University Press. pp. 170–171. ISBN 978-0-521-66117-1.
  6. ^ Bechert, Paul (2 December 1926). "A Rising Soprano". Musical Courier. 93 (23): 18 – via Internet Archive.
  7. ^ Moldenhauer, Hans; Moldenhauer, Rosaleen (1979). Anton Von Webern, a Chronicle of His Life and Work. Knopf. p. 265. ISBN 978-0-394-47237-9.
  8. ^ "Krenek's New Gambols". Musical Courier. 95 (20): 7. 17 November 1927 – via Internet Archive.
  9. ^ "Alban Berg Writes Concert Aria for Ruzena Herlinger". Musical Courier. 98 (24): 11. 15 June 1929 – via Internet Archive.
  10. ^ a b Simms, Bryan R.; Erwin, Charlotte (2021-02-01). Berg. Oxford University Press. pp. 307–308. ISBN 978-0-19-093146-9.
  11. ^ Stefan, Paul (1927-10-08). "Mrs. E. S. Coolidge Carries Premieres to America". Musical America. 46 (25): 8 – via Internet Archive.
  12. ^ "International Society's Vienna Group Votes for Idealism". Musical Courier. 94 (11): 7. 17 March 1924 – via Internet Archive.
  13. ^ "Eminent Songbirds". Musical Courier. 109 (1): 29. 14 July 1934 – via Internet Archive.
  14. ^ "Archives". Oskar Morawetz. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
  15. ^ Oskar Morawetz fonds, Library and Archives Canada.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ruzena_Herlinger&oldid=1225063759"