100 Greatest Singers: FRIEDRICH SCHORR

[odnoforpb]

Schorr's actual birthyear was 1888.

Friedrich Schorr was indeed a very great artist. He and Rudolf Bockelmann were the two greatest Wagner baritones of the 1920-1945 era, and two of the most magnificent Wagner baritones of all time. Schorr's voice did not record particularly well (Bockelmann's recorded better), but one can still discern from this recording of the Dutchman's monologue the greatness of the voice and of the vocal artist. O tempores! O mores!

[Agorante]

Sorry, I don't hear it - never did. To me Schorr is only average, not great. I heard Morris in this role at Covent Garden. Morris is better. I heard London live several times but alas not in this role. But on records London is vastly better. Terfel has a much prettier basic sound and I forgive him his ocassional excesses. Schorr is short on both the top and the bottom. Nentwig was better in these roles, as was Van Dam. Schorr isn't a top 100 singer.

[stuartliff]

Growing up in the 30s, Schorr's recordings were my constant diet. I stupidly expected to hear something approaching this standard when Covent Garden opened again after the war. Vain hope. We will never hear his like again. He was a true vocal God and totally unique. Better even than the bass baritones of Wagner's own time. Can anyone suggest a finer Sachs, Dutchman, Wotan etc.? Vivian

[MrSkylark1]

AN ARTIST SURPASSING ALL THE BASS-BARITONES/BARITONES TODAY who do nothing more than bellow in their attempts to increase the size of their voice which is not only impossible but foolish because the voice will only resonate according to their physiology.

[legatofancier]

Wagner with a true legato! Fabulous! Thank heaven Schorr escaped Germany! What could have been left there for him after the Holocaust? How i wish I cold have heard him live! How I wish I could hear Wagner sung this way today!

[mozart200657]

One can here the real wagnerian LEGATO liste...today, this exists no more...only cries!

[stevevandien]

A great critic once described and praised Schorr's "autumnal beauty" of tone. That quality is evident here. It is a warm, masculine and lovely sound -- more baritone than bass-baritone, although Schorr's comfortable range clearly leans toward the former --

[quakercub]

Why don't we have Wagner singers like this now?

[796824]

Because the Voice (?) teachers are incompetent, being accoustically challenged, possessed solely by college/university degrees rather than steeped in the Art of Bel Canto. Enrico Rosati was the greatest teacher of the past era-Gigli, Melton, Lanza, being the result.among others.Schorr was brilliant and representative of a lost era of superb singing..

[raigekimaru]

@quakercub

teachers these days are scared of big voices. they give large voiced singers instructions like "lighten up" and end up closing off the voice, and thus the career of magnificent large voices like Schorr or Flagstad. my teacher is a dramatic coloratura and she allows me to sing at full comfortable volume, whatever that might be for me (I have a very large voice and hope to sing Wagner one day, and she allows me to sing without holding back)

[stevevandien]

We have half-hearted, mediocre voice teachers and similarly sloppy stage directors, neither of whom understand the sheer damn importance of substantial VOICES in opera -- PLUS that of singers who can act, have powerful stage presences, or both. Note the hyperpolitical productions so common in Europe today. Apparently NO ONE cares about the singers and drama, so long as the production makes a politically correct point, however silly and irrelevant -

[RickM5199]

As Wotan, Schorr was incomparable.

His Magic Fire from June 1927 with Leo Blech is hard to find but certainly worth the effort in tracking it down.

Schorr was just as outstanding as Melchior, Flagstad and Leider (what an era...), but he does not seem to have received the same degree of recognition.

There was no better Wotan.

[raigekimaru]

his accent is extremely dark

[meltzerboy]

I don't have the reference available but it had something to do with a German lied, I think, in which Shirley-Quirk was more telling in rhythm than Schorr. I don't believe Steane was in any way suggesting that Shirley-Quirk is a better all-round singer than Schorr. I'm sure it does happen on occasion that a less renowned artist gives a better performance than a more celebrated one.

[MrCafiero]

Schorr was also the voice teacher of Cornell MacNeil.

[stevevandien]

I've heard that, too, but has MacNeil ever confirmed it?

[MrCafiero]

Yes. He studied with Schorr at Hartt School of Music in Hartford Connecticut.

[stevevandien]

But has MacNeil himself confirmed this? Has he ever said "I studied with Friedrich Schorr?" I'm just curious, because I know how often misinformation can spread. I have read that certain singers studied with certain teachers who actually never met them and said so:) -

[MrCafiero]

Yes, he has. It was in a feature article in Opera News.

[courthousedoc]

I was a student at Hartt in the early to mid 70's and MacNeil gave a talk to the voice and opera students (and sang Si Puo and Nemico della Patria). I remember distinctly in the talk that he did talk about studying with Friedrich Schorr.

[MrCafiero]

Right, and he talks about it in that article in Opera News. I am sure he also studied with some other people as well along the way.

You are SO FORTUNATE to have heard him in person. It must have been tremendous!!!

[stevevandien]

Thanks very much:) --

[stevevandien]

Thank you, my friend. Do you happen to recall the date of this ON? If not, no biggie; I trust your judgment:) --

[AulicExclusiva]

An incomparable performance of total vocal command and spiritual understanding.

[LLehmannfan]

How wonderful to hear this great Wagnerian singer in one of his signature roles.

This is a really great collection of opera singers...

[meltzerboy]

All in all, Schorr was probably the most famous as well as the finest Wagnerian baritone on record, and he certainly perfected his portrayal of Hans Sachs. Nonetheless, I have read some minor criticism of his singing by John Steane, who compares him to Shirley-Quirk. Yet I'm sure the name of Schorr will endure.

[AulicExclusiva]

Shirley-Quirk??????? He was a light concert baritone (a fine artist) but absolutely no Schorr.

[meltzerboy]

I think also of Flagstad, whose voice was incomparable, but who at times lacked the imagination of less gifted singers in her performances. That is not to say Schorr (and Flagstad) were mere vocalists; they were artists in the full sense of the word.

[stevevandien]

I very much respect Steane, one of our best critics of classical singing. But the comparison is preposterous. Shirley-Quirk is an excellent artist. I especially admire his recording of Brahms' "Vier ernste gesange." But his voice is two or three calibers below that of Schorr. To continue the firearm metaphor (using handguns), S-Q is a plus-P.38 Special versus Schorr's .45 ACP or (perhaps) .44 Magnum. Also, as far as I can tell, S-Q has never sung Wagner --