Joseph Schmidt - Che gelida manina (in German)

[MsRuthes]

Halavey

For great cantorial singing, have you listened to Cantor Rosenblatt?

[SHICOFF1]

@ISRAELBAKON WHY WOULD THEY HAVE HELD HIM IF HE WAS NOT A JEW? HE WAS LOVED IN GERMANY, WANTED TO STAY BUT HAD TO LEAVE BECAUSE HE WAS JEWISH AND HIS FILMS WHERE BANNED. HE WAS IN THE STATES AND WENT BACK FOOLISHLY BECAUSE HIS UNCLE LEO ENGEL SAID IT'D FINE. HE HAD TO LEAVE .LOOK HIM UP ON WIKIPEDIA

[byline7844]

Thank you for posting this exquisitely lovely piece.

[trilingual1946]

Yes, by all accounts the great Joseph Schmidt was a Romanian Jew -- he grew up multi-lingual, but at home when he was growing up Romanian was spoken. That may help explain his facility with Italian and French, which he sang beautifully. This is a wonderful rendition of "Che Gelida Manina." He manages to make it sound effortless. . .

[SHICOFF1]

The great Romanian Jewish tenor was unique with terrific high notes. Sad ending too soon. Age 38 just getting into his prime, tragic.

[benny2538]

Joseph Schmidt was born in Austro-Hungarian Empire and not in Romania. Davideni and Chernovitz are in North Buckovina and not Bessarabia. Bessarabia (now Moldova) is populated by ethnic Romanians, but rural North Buckovina was more Ukranian and Chernovitz was a city of mixed population (German, Jewish, Polish, Romanian, Ukranian etc.). In 1940 the Soviet Union required these areas from Romania and got them. And concerning Israel. The country became independent in 1948, before it was Palestine.

[halavey]

His cantorial recordings are very rare and I have a few of them, two from 1934 recorded in Israel according to the label with only piano. So at age 30 he must have been in Israel if thats correct and then 1937 and NY concerts, all available. His birth area was a village Davideni some call Bessarabia, once Romania and yes then later Ukraine. His Synagogue singing first was in the choir in Czernowitz. My grandparents where from that area but i know little about it .

[halavey]

He was a Romanian Jew by birth and sang as a Cantor originally and had he not been Jewish he would have never been in that internment camp Dead at 38 but he was not German at all. Studied in Germany and was very popular in Germany till the war. He made several fine films in German also. Tauber had Jewish backround, his father but he fled to England and continued to live and record in London. Schmidt was not as fortunate.

[israelbakon]

@halavey they would have put him into concentration camp earlier or later, even if he would not have been jew (....!) .

[benny2538]

Regret but it isn't correct to call Joseph Schmidt Ukranian. He had never lived in Ukraine, never performed there and Ukranians hardly knew and know about him. The only fact which links him to Ukraine is that the area of his birth is now inside Ukraine. But it happened in 1940 when Joseph Stalin arranged the trasfer of the North Bukovina from Romania to the Soviet Union. Of course, Joseph Schmidt is Jewish but another word should be Romanian or better German.

[halavey]

Great high C's and a tragic story, died at 38 a sad death but his voice was heard in film and many many concerts in Europe and in NY. He sang in opera in Boheme and his voice had enough power to sing in big Carnegie hall in concert without amplification

[Lovelytenor1]

Many German tenors have sung this in German & it has always ruined it for me. JS sings it & the voice is so beutiful that it just doesn't matter.

[796824]

This is the type of singing that SHOULD be HEARD on PBS TODAY, but NO ONE, on any operatic stage, can sing as Schmidt sang..

[yiliyvaysman]

это лучшии голос всех времен и народов юлий вайсман сша нью йорк

[operasprite]

Thank you for this poignant story & remembrance. It reminds us of all the tragic loss from racial hatred. Being a bit obsessed with tenors, I am discovering so many beautiful voices through your posts & others. Schmidt's voice is so meltingly beautiful and warm. Thank you so much for posting his recordings. He seems to have a rare connection to the listener- thrilling & heartbreaking at the same time! Are there any tenors alive today to even come close?

[herzlybchen]

@operasprite.I agree completely with every single word you wrote (and your english is so much better than mine ;-).You wrote what my heart felt.

And @ GermanOperasinger-indeed- with all of your videos you brought beautiful hours in my life during listening and I also enjoyed your stories.Thank you very much.

[halavey]

Read the description given by german opera singer it is quite good. nice post, great tenor, nice high C also.

[hansquad]

How can he has such wonderful high notes? amazing.

[pearlmuth3]

Beautiful voice, great high notes always.

[dj4ng0l1n0]

It's after ww2 that operas were not sang in german anymore - which on some occasions is a pitty - the color in the voice changes singing in another language then your mother tongue.

[kgus123]

What a treat! Puccini with that little Viennese operetta lilt. Sensational -- thank you.