Pinza sang on Brdway late when his operatic career was at the end. south pacific (1949) and also put a song over very well (some enchanted evening) Melchior was older here but still had the great voice, big and a dramatic sound. Melton a rather light lyric did pop and opera . Peerce started with popular music, sang and played violin at weddings . His 1930's live radio stuff of popular songs on you tube and is wonderful. Vinyl to video has posted many recordings. Even Corelli recorded this.
Interesting about Lanza. I would say he had an operatic lyric spinto tenor later, early pure lyric but died at age 38. He sang in opera once in New Orleans and sang the role of Fenton in Merry Wives Of Windsor a light opera but was not a really opera singer in the sense of Melchior etc. He did many concerts (Bowl etc) Great voice but others also sang Broadway songs well And Sang Opera. Peerce Sop Kirsten, Farrell, Stevens and Bob Merrill, Baritone too name a few. Lanza? A Great Tenor Voice!
how beautiful we thank almighty god for the wonderful gift of voice. TO THOSE WHO HAVE BEING BLESED WITH IT please put it to good use. No one is better than the other all are just different expressions and variations of gods gift.
This is a remarkably controlled piece of singing - with forte, mezzo-forte and piano, and after all that career in heavy roles, a decent legato. He is a model.
@gf1001 His son ib melchoir wrote a book on him also science fiction novels like robinson caruso [ not enrico] on mars directed the perry como show and science fiction movies and tv shows also captured a german general in ww2 they made him a colonel
@Jgraif: Your assertion that a heldontenor's range should include the 'F' above high 'C' is ludicrous as that's reserved for light lyric or colorutura tenor voices. The typical staple high notes for heldentenors in operatic works do not usually extend beyond that of the tenor's high 'A' which is a third below the high 'C' you refer to in your assessment of Maestro Melchior. His performance here is classically near perfection!
Tecnica di abilità e astuzia straordinarie; l'ultima nota l'ha costruita lo stesso anche se chiaramente non l'aveva più di suo. Certo che fa un po' ridere sentire il timbro nibelungico di Melchior cantare ...Because. Tutto vestito da vagheggino, ma ancora con quel suo martellare su ogni parola che ricorda ancora Sigfried che pesta sulla sua spada.
how many times must i apologize? i will NOT go back and edit every comment i posted that was based upon incorrect information i received from an otherwise creditable source. HAVE NONE OF YOU EVER MADE A MISTAKE?? i have asked MANY times for any of you "know-it-alls" to provide me with the correct definitions of the various types of tenors. NONE OF YOU EVER BOTHERED TO RESPOND, but you all continue to criticize. actually, i have done the research and know the answers. so, go to hell, all of you.
@jgraif melchior was called the king of the high c's, he COULD hit a high C - that's the real point, not only that a heldentenor doesn't even have to do that.
Im sorry if I sounded sarcastic, but you probably should have changed the description of the piece after you were corrected. No, I do not know everything and I don't think that I do, but as a vocalist and professional musician, I know enough about the different fachs that I felt the need to comment because whoever told you that was off their rocker.
Ich kann den Bewunderern nur recht geben: welch ein Sänger, der in diesem Alter noch so eine unglaubliche Spannkraft und Stimmschönheit hatte......Einfach grandios!
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
with all due respect to melchior and his talent, this performance is in c major, a major step LOWER than the original key of d major. a "heldentenor" is supposed to be capable of achieving notes as high as f ABOVE high c. the highest note in this performance is g BELOW high c. melchior was incapable of hitting anything close to that high register when he recorded this performance. give credit where credit is due but not here. mario lanza's recordings are far better.
@jgraif F above high C for a Heldentenor? What are you talking about? Name one Wagner opera where the tenor sings an F, or even D. The highest note is Siegried singing a High C in Götterdämmerung. Not even Gedda or Kraus are able to sing an F with full voice; they use falsetto (reinfoced, but falsetto nonetheless). Why are you asking a dramatic tenor to have those sopra-acuti? Do you ask a tenore leggero to sing mid or bass notes like a tank, as dramatic tenors can do? Of course not!
@Astradamors i neglected to reply to you directly. obviously, i am greatly mistaken regarding the various "types" of tenors, despite my musical training. can you help me mere, or offer a place where i can study the definitions? i would greatly appreciate it. thanx! i do not dislike melchior and i am not trying to be a snob. i apologize if i was.
you have no idea what you are talking about. There are only a handful of Dram/helden tenor role that even have a C let alone an F... Maybe you are thinking leggero? This isn't the only recording Melchior dropped a step, and he is not the only one to lower the key from the original. It dosn't make him a bad singer.
@jgraif he was capable to sing higher, sorry you don't know him at all...and what is this a Heldentenor sings a f above the high c??? this is simply wrong!
@jgraif With all due respect Melchior was actually about 63 here. His voice sounds completely intact except for a receding top. After having sung a steady relentless diet of Wagner for 35 years we should be remarking on how beautiful his voice still is here. And it is still beautiful instrument. In his heyday he had a HUGE and brilliantly produced high C by the way.
@jgraif Are you out of your mind? A Heldentenor singing an F above high C??? Most tenors are required to sing up to High C, the only operatic literature that requires anything higher than that are found in Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini and since Heldentenors are "baritonal" tenors who sing Wagner they rarely if ever sing anything above a high A. Give credit where it's due, get your facts straight first.
@Chanteuredelopera yes, i am sorry. i have already apologized for this mistake as i clearly received bad information. i am not properly familiar with the different classifications of tenors and i would very much like to learn. is there, in fact, a tenor voice that can achieve notes above high c in "full" voice? i would appreciate your help in this regard. thank you.
@jgraif Ok, well the tenors who do sing above high C are the Leggero tenors, Tenore di Grazia & sometimes Lyric Tenors. Here are some names of good ones (in my opinion): Luigi Alva, Nicolai Gedda, Alfredo Kraus, Pavarotti (when younger), William Matteuzzi, Juan Diego Florez, Gregory Kunde. These are light tenors who sing mainly Rossini, Donizetti & Bellini but some do sing heavier repertoire like Pavarotti did later on. I'm sorry if I sounded insulting towards you, not my intention.
@Chanteuredelopera no apology necessary. i realize that i am among many individuals who possess a wealth of knowledge in this regard. despite my formal musical training, i lack this knowledge. however, any day that i can learn something new is a good day for me. i am going to listen to the artists you recommended and get back back to you, if you don't mind. best regards...
A heldentenor or "heroic Tenor" is usually a baritone who has an unusally high tessitura and has been trained to sing with a very metalic, virile sound. The range is not supposed to be up to F above C5. The Heldentenor as laid out in the german fach system is only called to sing only to a B natural and sometimes C as the fach was basically created by Wagner for his heroic tenors roles of Siegfried and Lohengrin. Get your facts straight.
@msarnold1990 i appreciate your considered reply. however, you ruined it by not being able to resist adding a little sarcasm at the end. if you read the entire string, you will see that i have apologized more than enough for my mistake,which, by the way, was the result of taking the word of someone like you who thinks he knows it all.
@jgraif A heldentenor or "heroic Tenor" is usually a baritone who has an unusally high tessitura and has been trained to sing with a very metalic, virile sound. The range is not supposed to be up to F above C5. The Heldentenor as laid out in the german fach system is only called to sing only to a B natural and sometimes C as the fach was basically created by Wagner for his heroic tenors roles of Siegfried and Lohengrin. Get your facts straight.
@jgraif A heldentenor or "heroic Tenor" is usually a baritone who has an unusally high tessitura and has been trained to sing with a very metalic, virile sound. The range is not supposed to be up to F above C5. The Heldentenor as laid out in the german fach system is only called to sing only to a B natural and sometimes C as the fach was basically created by Wagner for his heroic tenors roles of Siegfried and Lohengrin. Get your facts straight.
@denidowi yes, i agree that range is not the issue here. however, i would propose, that in some fantasy world, if i could re-create my wedding in the 1950's, melchior would not be the soloist.
@jgraif how do you know he was not capable of this? you do know he was called the king of the high c's? also, did you know he left the MET at 67, but only to sing at another opera house because he was fired for "insubordination"?
@jgraif heldentenors are deeper tenor voices. They dont as high as the others. CERTAINLY DONT NATURALLY GO ABOVE TOP C. No normal tenor does sing this high. There arent any parts written that high these days. Tenors can go up there but rarely do it in public!
@jgraif heldentenors are deeper tenor voices. They dont as high as the others. CERTAINLY DONT NATURALLY GO ABOVE TOP C. No normal tenor does sing this high. There arent any parts written that high these days. Tenors can go up there but rarely do it in public! also he isnt a helden tenor!
@jgraif From Wikipedia: "Often the heldentenor is a baritone who has transitioned to this fach or tenors who have been misidentified as baritones. Therefore the heldentenor voice might or might not have facility up to high B or C. The repertoire, however, rarely calls for such high notes"
@jgraif apart from the fact that you are completely wrong, what the hell has the key got to do with whether this music is good or not? what a stupid comment!
@jgraif Actually, that's completely untrue. Often Heldentenors, especially one of extreme vocal weight as Melchior was, don't even have good high C's, let alone anything above that. See the scores to all of the Wagner operas... The role of Siegmund in Die Walkure for the entire first act looks like a baritone role.
@aroncooker as i have posted earlier, i was given incorrect information regarding the definition of a helden tenor and apologized many, many times for relying upon it. i will do so one more time, as well as ask, once again, for someone to lay out the definitions, which no one has done.
@jgraif Yet another Mario Lanza groupie. Lanza had his voice and virtues, but to compare him with Melchior whose technqiue (and taste) was well nigh perfect is not correct. I've nopthing against Lanza but at least have some objective standards.
@jgraif I'm a huge fan of Lanza and I think that his recordings give totaly differenr sensation of love and passion. But you mistakenly taken Lanza for an opera singer, which he was not. Lanza also was a liric tenor, though he sounded darker then most liric tenors. Then you make a mistake saying that helden tenor should be able to sing above high C? Official range of a helden tenor is from low Bb to B. Of course nobody can sing broadway better then Lanza did, but Melchior did a great job too
@Cesaare thank you for your response. i have long since learned of my error regarding the range of helden tenors and, for that, i apologize. however, i am going to "push back" a little bit on your other comments. lanza's talent as an "opera singer" was recognized by more than a few "major players" in the art music world. respectfully, i would propose that if lanza was not an "opera singer", then melchior was not a "pop singer", as his interpretation is stiff and devoid of emotion.
Memories - memories; I still have the Victrola with the steel needle that I remember from my childhood, plus a few large 78 RPM records of Lauritz Melchior, who was a family favorite.
The airwaves may be inundated with rap and such, but videos like these are worth their weight in platinum. Thank you for sharing this one with us.
I was going to say that this is squillo defined, but then I was not so sure, because it doesn seem "pushed". It sounds more like he puts the note out there and THEN fills it out... I'm not sure how to describe this technically. In any case, it would seem this requires a lot of assurance- placing the hight notes this way is like a high wire act with no net.
this is amazing singing but you should try and listen to andrea bocelli's version though many of you guys may be haters but he is a pretty good tenor his bocelli's last note on because is a Db and its amazing
What a mighty voice! And such precise diction: I can hear every word. The way he swells on the note to create a continuous wall of power is utterly thrilling. Thank you so much for this posting!
If you've only discovered Melchior, you have much to look forward to. He made a TON of records, and many are accessible online. Enjoy this great, true Heldentenor:)!
WHOA! Now THAT, folks, defines Heldentenor! There was never another like him, and it is unlikely there ever will be. That voice could be heard over a phalanx of trumpets! The technique, as others here have mentioned, was superb. He gave a lot of the credit for that to Jean de Reszke, whom he greatly admired.
I agree and gave Melchior 5 stars. Whatever he sings he deserves 5 stars. The greatest heldentenor ever and also a man with a great sense of humour. And character, he refused to perform at Bayreuth for the Nazi's even before his native country - Denmark - was occupied.
tenore di forzas are always looked over for being too forceful. However, he's mastered it and will always be remembered as one of the greatest dramatic tenors to ever be recorded.
When I was a little girl, after seeing Luxury Liner, Lauritz Melchoir became "my favorite movie star" and I wanted so much to grow up, have a yellow dress and sing like Jane Powell, so that I could one day sing with Melchoir. I only got the yellow dress, but I have a DVD of Luxury Liner so I can relive the dream. Tristan and Isolde is my favorite opera and I now have several recordings including the one made at Covent Garden in l936.
I had always heard of Melchior and knew about him and his penchant for vocal and subsequently aural magic, but never actually heard him sing till today. Probably for obvious reasons, but I prefer him singing German the best. His technique is sublime. This post saw one of my boyhood dreams come to pass. Thank you ever so much.
Could you expand a bit about the Cotogni/Rosati connection? My teacher's teacher was taught by them so I am always interested to learn more about what, who, and how they taught. Thanks!
@8032gesang I listened to him sing Morgenlich leuchtend. He was much faster than the orchestra.Perhaps afraid of the many high notes in the aria.....Lot of good singing ,BUT a problem in high register......NOT A GOD!!! Caruso sang Che gelida manina and Di quella pira lower... Schipa sang some arias lowered also. (Not with a great HIGH C , any of them.) Melchior has STRONGER MIDDLE than HIGH NOTES. (BARITENOR ? ) Old tenors ,NOT with a HIGH C. Bla bla bla.....old tenors......Stay alive!!!
@8032gesang I listened to him sing Morgenlich leuchtend. He was much faster than the orchestra.Perhaps afraid of the many high notes in the aria.....Lot of good singing ,BUT a problem in high register......NOT A GOD!!! Caruso sang Che gelida manina and Di quella pira lower... Schipa sang some arias lowered also. (Not with a great HIGH C , any of them.) Melchior has STRONGER MIDDLE than HIGH NOTES. (BARITENOR ? ) Old tenors ,NOT with a HIGH C. Bla bla bla.....old tenors......Stay alive!!!
One must keep in mind that Bing came from the German theater tradition of rehearsing everything to death to insure tired singers and a total lack of spontaneity. Melchior didn't care to rehearse much...
Tremendous! Trying to imagine the date of this - possibly mid-50s when he would have been around 65. What a voice, what control, what diction, what a presence!!
Thanks for this clip!Melchior was one of the great singers "kicked out" of the Met by the incoming Rudolph Bing.Melchior went to Hollywood so we now have preserved some of his singing beside TV appearances.
Pinza sang on Brdway late when his operatic career was at the end. south pacific (1949) and also put a song over very well (some enchanted evening) Melchior was older here but still had the great voice, big and a dramatic sound. Melton a rather light lyric did pop and opera . Peerce started with popular music, sang and played violin at weddings . His 1930's live radio stuff of popular songs on you tube and is wonderful. Vinyl to video has posted many recordings. Even Corelli recorded this.
SHICOFF1 1 month ago
Interesting about Lanza. I would say he had an operatic lyric spinto tenor later, early pure lyric but died at age 38. He sang in opera once in New Orleans and sang the role of Fenton in Merry Wives Of Windsor a light opera but was not a really opera singer in the sense of Melchior etc. He did many concerts (Bowl etc) Great voice but others also sang Broadway songs well And Sang Opera. Peerce Sop Kirsten, Farrell, Stevens and Bob Merrill, Baritone too name a few. Lanza? A Great Tenor Voice!
SHICOFF1 1 month ago
Punchy punchy punchy...minimal knowledge of his translations or pronunciation...stick to Wagner.
tykun101 2 months ago
Just brilliant Lauritz cheers buddy nice version just loved it..
MrJohnathon17 2 months ago
how beautiful we thank almighty god for the wonderful gift of voice. TO THOSE WHO HAVE BEING BLESED WITH IT please put it to good use. No one is better than the other all are just different expressions and variations of gods gift.
helenadirijal 2 months ago
what a force, strength and warmth. Magnificent. Thank you eternally, Lauritz Melchior, you're one of the greatest.
derseltsameGraf 3 months ago
This is a remarkably controlled piece of singing - with forte, mezzo-forte and piano, and after all that career in heavy roles, a decent legato. He is a model.
JackRance1910 3 months ago
It is an absolutely beautiful song. I am 73 and I've never tired of it. Lauritz, the grandest!
bernalor1 3 months ago
Amazing life and singer. PS Did you see the metals, thats an honourable man.
Sambosingo 4 months ago
I absolutely love this song by Lauritz i am 30
MrJohnathon17 4 months ago
I think he sings very very well for an older man Terrific, I have become a fan recently, thanks for posting.
gf1001 7 months ago
@gf1001 His son ib melchoir wrote a book on him also science fiction novels like robinson caruso [ not enrico] on mars directed the perry como show and science fiction movies and tv shows also captured a german general in ww2 they made him a colonel
spacepatrolman 6 months ago
@spacepatrolman Thank you for all the info so interesting.
gf1001 6 months ago
@Jgraif: Your assertion that a heldontenor's range should include the 'F' above high 'C' is ludicrous as that's reserved for light lyric or colorutura tenor voices. The typical staple high notes for heldentenors in operatic works do not usually extend beyond that of the tenor's high 'A' which is a third below the high 'C' you refer to in your assessment of Maestro Melchior. His performance here is classically near perfection!
unotenore 8 months ago
Congratulations Denmark!!! 10 points! Wasn´t he 70 here?
suffes 9 months ago
@suffes Tusind tak. He was definitely among our finest efforts. :-D
9873459872134234 9 months ago
very proud to be a Melchior :D:D My last name is Melchior aswell. I'm very proud of it. Also when i don't like this music. I respect it :)
000Zeke 10 months ago
A true treasure, thanks for uploading! Superb heldentenor, loved his voice always ever since I started listening to lyric voices.
TheRealmOfAsgard 11 months ago
Tecnica di abilità e astuzia straordinarie; l'ultima nota l'ha costruita lo stesso anche se chiaramente non l'aveva più di suo. Certo che fa un po' ridere sentire il timbro nibelungico di Melchior cantare ...Because. Tutto vestito da vagheggino, ma ancora con quel suo martellare su ogni parola che ricorda ancora Sigfried che pesta sulla sua spada.
bellinianodoc 11 months ago
Glorious Voice !
montsyblackmadonna 1 year ago
how many times must i apologize? i will NOT go back and edit every comment i posted that was based upon incorrect information i received from an otherwise creditable source. HAVE NONE OF YOU EVER MADE A MISTAKE?? i have asked MANY times for any of you "know-it-alls" to provide me with the correct definitions of the various types of tenors. NONE OF YOU EVER BOTHERED TO RESPOND, but you all continue to criticize. actually, i have done the research and know the answers. so, go to hell, all of you.
jgraif 1 year ago
@jgraif melchior was called the king of the high c's, he COULD hit a high C - that's the real point, not only that a heldentenor doesn't even have to do that.
calowned 1 year ago
Im sorry if I sounded sarcastic, but you probably should have changed the description of the piece after you were corrected. No, I do not know everything and I don't think that I do, but as a vocalist and professional musician, I know enough about the different fachs that I felt the need to comment because whoever told you that was off their rocker.
msarnold1990 1 year ago
Ich kann den Bewunderern nur recht geben: welch ein Sänger, der in diesem Alter noch so eine unglaubliche Spannkraft und Stimmschönheit hatte......Einfach grandios!
GuidoKaiserBariton1 1 year ago
¡¡¡UN GRANDE CON MAYUSCULAS!!! UNA VOZ UNICA, TOTALMENTE, UNIFOR-
ME, COMPLETA EN TODO EL REGISTRO. UN TENOR VERDADERAMENTE DE
LOS GRANDES.
55werther 1 year ago
Wonderful!
edmoran73 1 year ago
i apologize if i am mistaken. i thought that a heldentenor was capable of reaching notes as high as f above high c in full voice. please educate me.
jgraif 1 year ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
with all due respect to melchior and his talent, this performance is in c major, a major step LOWER than the original key of d major. a "heldentenor" is supposed to be capable of achieving notes as high as f ABOVE high c. the highest note in this performance is g BELOW high c. melchior was incapable of hitting anything close to that high register when he recorded this performance. give credit where credit is due but not here. mario lanza's recordings are far better.
jgraif 1 year ago
@jgraif With all due respect he was about sixty years of age here..
Pawelp 1 year ago 20
@jgraif F above high C for a Heldentenor? What are you talking about? Name one Wagner opera where the tenor sings an F, or even D. The highest note is Siegried singing a High C in Götterdämmerung. Not even Gedda or Kraus are able to sing an F with full voice; they use falsetto (reinfoced, but falsetto nonetheless). Why are you asking a dramatic tenor to have those sopra-acuti? Do you ask a tenore leggero to sing mid or bass notes like a tank, as dramatic tenors can do? Of course not!
Astradamors 1 year ago
@Astradamors I saw to late that you already responded to this comment of jgraif.
I was just concerned about this and aswered immedately.
GERMANYFrankie 1 year ago
@Astradamors i neglected to reply to you directly. obviously, i am greatly mistaken regarding the various "types" of tenors, despite my musical training. can you help me mere, or offer a place where i can study the definitions? i would greatly appreciate it. thanx! i do not dislike melchior and i am not trying to be a snob. i apologize if i was.
jgraif 1 year ago
@jgraif \
you have no idea what you are talking about. There are only a handful of Dram/helden tenor role that even have a C let alone an F... Maybe you are thinking leggero? This isn't the only recording Melchior dropped a step, and he is not the only one to lower the key from the original. It dosn't make him a bad singer.
BoulderTenor 1 year ago
@jgraif he was capable to sing higher, sorry you don't know him at all...and what is this a Heldentenor sings a f above the high c??? this is simply wrong!
GERMANYFrankie 1 year ago
@GERMANYFrankie i am sorry. i was told this. if i am wrong, please educate me. are there tenors who can sing above high c in full voice?
jgraif 1 year ago
@jgraif I do not care, and Lanza is a dork.
madisonelectronic 1 year ago
@jgraif With all due respect Melchior was actually about 63 here. His voice sounds completely intact except for a receding top. After having sung a steady relentless diet of Wagner for 35 years we should be remarking on how beautiful his voice still is here. And it is still beautiful instrument. In his heyday he had a HUGE and brilliantly produced high C by the way.
inter215 1 year ago
@jgraif Are you out of your mind? A Heldentenor singing an F above high C??? Most tenors are required to sing up to High C, the only operatic literature that requires anything higher than that are found in Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini and since Heldentenors are "baritonal" tenors who sing Wagner they rarely if ever sing anything above a high A. Give credit where it's due, get your facts straight first.
Chanteuredelopera 1 year ago
@Chanteuredelopera yes, i am sorry. i have already apologized for this mistake as i clearly received bad information. i am not properly familiar with the different classifications of tenors and i would very much like to learn. is there, in fact, a tenor voice that can achieve notes above high c in "full" voice? i would appreciate your help in this regard. thank you.
jgraif 1 year ago
@jgraif Ok, well the tenors who do sing above high C are the Leggero tenors, Tenore di Grazia & sometimes Lyric Tenors. Here are some names of good ones (in my opinion): Luigi Alva, Nicolai Gedda, Alfredo Kraus, Pavarotti (when younger), William Matteuzzi, Juan Diego Florez, Gregory Kunde. These are light tenors who sing mainly Rossini, Donizetti & Bellini but some do sing heavier repertoire like Pavarotti did later on. I'm sorry if I sounded insulting towards you, not my intention.
Chanteuredelopera 1 year ago
@Chanteuredelopera no apology necessary. i realize that i am among many individuals who possess a wealth of knowledge in this regard. despite my formal musical training, i lack this knowledge. however, any day that i can learn something new is a good day for me. i am going to listen to the artists you recommended and get back back to you, if you don't mind. best regards...
jgraif 1 year ago
@jgraif Thanks! Yes do that. Regards :-)
Chanteuredelopera 1 year ago
A heldentenor or "heroic Tenor" is usually a baritone who has an unusally high tessitura and has been trained to sing with a very metalic, virile sound. The range is not supposed to be up to F above C5. The Heldentenor as laid out in the german fach system is only called to sing only to a B natural and sometimes C as the fach was basically created by Wagner for his heroic tenors roles of Siegfried and Lohengrin. Get your facts straight.
msarnold1990 1 year ago
@msarnold1990 i appreciate your considered reply. however, you ruined it by not being able to resist adding a little sarcasm at the end. if you read the entire string, you will see that i have apologized more than enough for my mistake,which, by the way, was the result of taking the word of someone like you who thinks he knows it all.
jgraif 1 year ago
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@jgraif A heldentenor or "heroic Tenor" is usually a baritone who has an unusally high tessitura and has been trained to sing with a very metalic, virile sound. The range is not supposed to be up to F above C5. The Heldentenor as laid out in the german fach system is only called to sing only to a B natural and sometimes C as the fach was basically created by Wagner for his heroic tenors roles of Siegfried and Lohengrin. Get your facts straight.
msarnold1990 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@jgraif A heldentenor or "heroic Tenor" is usually a baritone who has an unusally high tessitura and has been trained to sing with a very metalic, virile sound. The range is not supposed to be up to F above C5. The Heldentenor as laid out in the german fach system is only called to sing only to a B natural and sometimes C as the fach was basically created by Wagner for his heroic tenors roles of Siegfried and Lohengrin. Get your facts straight.
msarnold1990 1 year ago
@jgraif Besides, just because one guy can go higher means NothingLOL!
We want quality, consistency, character, warmth, and manliness ... and that Melchior has
denidowi 1 year ago 6
@denidowi yes, i agree that range is not the issue here. however, i would propose, that in some fantasy world, if i could re-create my wedding in the 1950's, melchior would not be the soloist.
jgraif 2 months ago
@jgraif this is bshit
calowned 1 year ago
@jgraif Heldentenors are nowise supposed to hit the note you outrageously claim. That's as wrong as anything a person could say.
TheInimitableKaka 1 year ago
@jgraif how do you know he was not capable of this? you do know he was called the king of the high c's? also, did you know he left the MET at 67, but only to sing at another opera house because he was fired for "insubordination"?
calowned 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@jgraif YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!
syncopate50 9 months ago
@jgraif heldentenors are deeper tenor voices. They dont as high as the others. CERTAINLY DONT NATURALLY GO ABOVE TOP C. No normal tenor does sing this high. There arent any parts written that high these days. Tenors can go up there but rarely do it in public!
singerman2008 9 months ago
@jgraif heldentenors are deeper tenor voices. They dont as high as the others. CERTAINLY DONT NATURALLY GO ABOVE TOP C. No normal tenor does sing this high. There arent any parts written that high these days. Tenors can go up there but rarely do it in public! also he isnt a helden tenor!
singerman2008 9 months ago
@jgraif From Wikipedia: "Often the heldentenor is a baritone who has transitioned to this fach or tenors who have been misidentified as baritones. Therefore the heldentenor voice might or might not have facility up to high B or C. The repertoire, however, rarely calls for such high notes"
ElvinoDivino 8 months ago
@jgraif apart from the fact that you are completely wrong, what the hell has the key got to do with whether this music is good or not? what a stupid comment!
calowned 8 months ago
@jgraif Actually, that's completely untrue. Often Heldentenors, especially one of extreme vocal weight as Melchior was, don't even have good high C's, let alone anything above that. See the scores to all of the Wagner operas... The role of Siegmund in Die Walkure for the entire first act looks like a baritone role.
JoshuaMazur 8 months ago
@jgraif really? high f above high c? getting things a bit backwards arent we? thats a little excessive..... maybe a Rossini tenor....
aroncooker 5 months ago
@aroncooker as i have posted earlier, i was given incorrect information regarding the definition of a helden tenor and apologized many, many times for relying upon it. i will do so one more time, as well as ask, once again, for someone to lay out the definitions, which no one has done.
jgraif 4 months ago
Comment removed
GrecoRomanWhoozis 4 months ago
@jgraif Yet another Mario Lanza groupie. Lanza had his voice and virtues, but to compare him with Melchior whose technqiue (and taste) was well nigh perfect is not correct. I've nopthing against Lanza but at least have some objective standards.
JackRance1910 3 months ago
@jgraif I'm a huge fan of Lanza and I think that his recordings give totaly differenr sensation of love and passion. But you mistakenly taken Lanza for an opera singer, which he was not. Lanza also was a liric tenor, though he sounded darker then most liric tenors. Then you make a mistake saying that helden tenor should be able to sing above high C? Official range of a helden tenor is from low Bb to B. Of course nobody can sing broadway better then Lanza did, but Melchior did a great job too
Cesaare 2 months ago
@Cesaare thank you for your response. i have long since learned of my error regarding the range of helden tenors and, for that, i apologize. however, i am going to "push back" a little bit on your other comments. lanza's talent as an "opera singer" was recognized by more than a few "major players" in the art music world. respectfully, i would propose that if lanza was not an "opera singer", then melchior was not a "pop singer", as his interpretation is stiff and devoid of emotion.
jgraif 2 months ago
AMAZING!!!!!
citrussorbet 1 year ago
From which year is this recording?
Zarenamena 1 year ago
@Zarenamena This was from a Voices of Firestone show from Feb 6, 1950. So Melchior would have been about 60, and still in great voice.
docmalthus 1 year ago
Memories - memories; I still have the Victrola with the steel needle that I remember from my childhood, plus a few large 78 RPM records of Lauritz Melchior, who was a family favorite.
The airwaves may be inundated with rap and such, but videos like these are worth their weight in platinum. Thank you for sharing this one with us.
moloch49 2 years ago
How old is he in this video? He's gotta be in his sixties or older, and he sings better than many singers do in their prime. Just amazing!
Madman2759 2 years ago
@Madman2759 This was recorded 2/6/50, so Melchior would have been about 60, and still the preeminent Heldentenor. Amazing indeed!
docmalthus 1 year ago
this video cracks me up!
24yotenor 2 years ago
Raises us from the commonplace into
the sublime! Thrilling resonance in
that enormous voice and stellar
phrasing! Thank you for posting and
to paulO for sharing! Bravo!
Kievest 2 years ago
super
sallpario 2 years ago
Superb! As good as it gets.
paulostroff99 2 years ago
apart
beroorda 2 years ago
I was going to say that this is squillo defined, but then I was not so sure, because it doesn seem "pushed". It sounds more like he puts the note out there and THEN fills it out... I'm not sure how to describe this technically. In any case, it would seem this requires a lot of assurance- placing the hight notes this way is like a high wire act with no net.
unc7480 2 years ago
Excellent heldentenor but he doesn't sing legato at all in this song...didn't really like his rendition...anyhow, tremendous voice...
igancedo 2 years ago
Listen to the McCormack version ; Perfection!!!
UBIQUITOUS12 2 years ago
And Caruso's version in French is very good as well.
meltzerboy 2 years ago
meltzerboy-It is a French song originally and called "parce que"-which of course translates to "Because".
paulostroff99 2 years ago
Ein toller Sänger!!!!
vocede 2 years ago
Totally unique- voice /technique beautiful diction
65attila 2 years ago
What a thrilling voice! I remember my parents playing Melchior's records (large wax ones) on our old Victrola.
I haven't heard him in years, and listening to his magnificent voice is like a breath of fresh air in a world stultified by rock 'n' roll.
Thank you for putting on this clip of Lauritz Melchior's magnificent performance!
moloch49 2 years ago
I consider him a great tenor. Just that he sounds in this song too military, ... sounds like a march.
promopera 3 years ago
tenorissimo of Helden Tenors!
Rigoletto35 3 years ago
A real dramatic helden tenor, bravo!
pearlmuth3 3 years ago
this is amazing singing but you should try and listen to andrea bocelli's version though many of you guys may be haters but he is a pretty good tenor his bocelli's last note on because is a Db and its amazing
giggs102 3 years ago
Happy birthday to me in youtube!
This was my first watched(and favourited!) video...
Thanks to all!
Ankhsnammon
Ankhsnammon 3 years ago
What a mighty voice! And such precise diction: I can hear every word. The way he swells on the note to create a continuous wall of power is utterly thrilling. Thank you so much for this posting!
IanRCMcPhail 3 years ago
I have only lately discovered Lauritz, but love his voice, even in this late tv show he was sensational wow thanks for posting.
gf1001 3 years ago
If you've only discovered Melchior, you have much to look forward to. He made a TON of records, and many are accessible online. Enjoy this great, true Heldentenor:)!
stevevandien 3 years ago
What a perfect singing technique! Noone dares sing this way today! It takes courage!!!! (...and technique!!!!)
cleanears 3 years ago
This was one of the first videos I have seen and listened to in this youtube..and I never have commented it...
I adore Melchior...I continue to cry with this Because,like the first day..
ankhsnammon
Ankhsnammon 3 years ago
WHOA! Now THAT, folks, defines Heldentenor! There was never another like him, and it is unlikely there ever will be. That voice could be heard over a phalanx of trumpets! The technique, as others here have mentioned, was superb. He gave a lot of the credit for that to Jean de Reszke, whom he greatly admired.
stefakamelpash 3 years ago
my teatcher's name is Ivan melchior.
He and lauritz melchior are in family :D
AnneSkathiiie 3 years ago
whoever could rate this as anything less than 5 stars is an absolute jackass!!!!
njtenor57 3 years ago 6
I agree and gave Melchior 5 stars. Whatever he sings he deserves 5 stars. The greatest heldentenor ever and also a man with a great sense of humour. And character, he refused to perform at Bayreuth for the Nazi's even before his native country - Denmark - was occupied.
lrt58 3 years ago
tenore di forzas are always looked over for being too forceful. However, he's mastered it and will always be remembered as one of the greatest dramatic tenors to ever be recorded.
dannybeelz 3 years ago 2
A great gift to the world.His vocal skills were unrivaled in Wagnerian tenor singing.
paulostroff99 4 years ago 3
When I was a little girl, after seeing Luxury Liner, Lauritz Melchoir became "my favorite movie star" and I wanted so much to grow up, have a yellow dress and sing like Jane Powell, so that I could one day sing with Melchoir. I only got the yellow dress, but I have a DVD of Luxury Liner so I can relive the dream. Tristan and Isolde is my favorite opera and I now have several recordings including the one made at Covent Garden in l936.
musicandphotography 4 years ago
I had always heard of Melchior and knew about him and his penchant for vocal and subsequently aural magic, but never actually heard him sing till today. Probably for obvious reasons, but I prefer him singing German the best. His technique is sublime. This post saw one of my boyhood dreams come to pass. Thank you ever so much.
bobbyBollyfan 4 years ago
So beautiful. Thank you.
bmcneese45 4 years ago 2
He's got the best singing technique. He was a pupil of
pupils of Jean de Reszke and Cotogni/Rosati. After more
than 2000 concerts and 240 Tristans he could sing
in the age of 75 30 arias in a row with the voice of
a young man. His technique was better than Carusos or
Corellis and his voice was never too white like sometime the voice of Gigli. He had the
biggest voice of the century and could sing a piano
like Schipa and J.Schmidt on the WHOLE scale. MY GOD, WHAT a
singer !!!!!!!
8032gesang 4 years ago 21
Could you expand a bit about the Cotogni/Rosati connection? My teacher's teacher was taught by them so I am always interested to learn more about what, who, and how they taught. Thanks!
rm946 4 years ago
@8032gesang He actually sang nearly 400 Tristans. The nearest singer in terms of most Tristans sung has sung less than 100.
fmercury91 7 months ago
@8032gesang I listened to him sing Morgenlich leuchtend. He was much faster than the orchestra.Perhaps afraid of the many high notes in the aria.....Lot of good singing ,BUT a problem in high register......NOT A GOD!!! Caruso sang Che gelida manina and Di quella pira lower... Schipa sang some arias lowered also. (Not with a great HIGH C , any of them.) Melchior has STRONGER MIDDLE than HIGH NOTES. (BARITENOR ? ) Old tenors ,NOT with a HIGH C. Bla bla bla.....old tenors......Stay alive!!!
karifrid 5 months ago
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@8032gesang I listened to him sing Morgenlich leuchtend. He was much faster than the orchestra.Perhaps afraid of the many high notes in the aria.....Lot of good singing ,BUT a problem in high register......NOT A GOD!!! Caruso sang Che gelida manina and Di quella pira lower... Schipa sang some arias lowered also. (Not with a great HIGH C , any of them.) Melchior has STRONGER MIDDLE than HIGH NOTES. (BARITENOR ? ) Old tenors ,NOT with a HIGH C. Bla bla bla.....old tenors......Stay alive!!!
karifrid 5 months ago
i left a comment 4 months ago and i still believe the same!! what control and power just flawless and probably one of the best male singers!!
death2hakz 4 years ago
One must keep in mind that Bing came from the German theater tradition of rehearsing everything to death to insure tired singers and a total lack of spontaneity. Melchior didn't care to rehearse much...
TOMMUC1 4 years ago
yeah, that is real, manly, singing! bravo
wurlybird9 4 years ago
Tremendous! Trying to imagine the date of this - possibly mid-50s when he would have been around 65. What a voice, what control, what diction, what a presence!!
Glenmed 4 years ago
The best Wagner tenor and baritione EVER.
Domingo NO!
/DAS RHEINGOLD
OPERASVERKER671 5 years ago
Domingo isn't a Wagner Tenor (Heldentenor), he's a Dramatic Tenor so i'm a bit confused by your comparison because it makes no sense.
xms32 4 years ago
Not every opera singer can sing a song like this.
Bravissimo Lauritz
francotenelli 5 years ago
wow i wanna be a heldentenor!!
death2hakz 5 years ago
Wow that's awesome ! I adore his placement.
I just recently uploaded a cool audio clip of him singing nearly endless Waelse cries from Walkuere.
primobaritono 5 years ago
I'd never been much impressed by him before...but holy hell, the man can sing!
Chiliarches 5 years ago
Thanks for this clip!Melchior was one of the great singers "kicked out" of the Met by the incoming Rudolph Bing.Melchior went to Hollywood so we now have preserved some of his singing beside TV appearances.
jnbelcantu 5 years ago
He was lucky enough to get in considering the "Italian bias."
cptnunderwhere 4 years ago
Who could top him then? Amazingly well preserved voice, for such an age.
mltube 5 years ago
THE Heldentenor. Who can top him today?
BlondeRabbit 5 years ago
for me it is "the" tenor of the 20th century and I know many from Caruso over Gigli, Corelli and other gods!
jozefsterkens 5 years ago 2
I'll take old Melchior over any young tenor nowadays.
glacyus3 5 years ago
As would I.
This is one of my english favorites for tenors. Thanks very much for posting this.
GreekCallas 5 years ago
What power! Thanks for posting this.
danandjohn 5 years ago