Joseph Schmidt - Nur dir will ich gehören,1932

Nur dir will ich gehören, 1932
(K.Wilczynski & Mario von Aaken) - Joseph Schmidt mit Orchestre u. Ltg. von Kapellmeister Otto Dobrindt, Parlophon 1932

Joseph SCHMIDT (b. in 1904 in Davidena, Bucovina presently Romania d. 1942 in the Girenbad camp, Switzerland). He was a famous XX century opera and operetta singer (lyric tenor) born in Bucovina a Middle-European region covering the area between East Carpathia towards Dniestre river.

Politically, Bucovina emerges in the 14th century as independent duchy of Moldova; in the 19 century it is divided between Ukraine (Tzarist Russia) and Galizia (the Habsburg Empire) with its capital in Czerniowce (in German: Czernowitz). Schmidt belonged to a German-speaking, assimilated Jewish family, but a multi-cultural environment of his homeland made him fluent - in addition to his native Yiddish and Hebrew also in Romanian, German, French and English. His musical talents were recognized by the synagogue master in Czerniovce, who admitted him to the singing services as an alto boy. In Czerniowce he had his first solo recital of traditional Jewish songs, but also - popualr arias by Rossini, Verdi or Bizet.

In next year he was in Berlin, taking piano and singing lessons from prof. Hermann Weissenborn. With no regard to his diminutive stature (he was just over 1,5 m) he was called to the army service in Romania. During his stay in Czerniowce he sang as a cantor in a Temple Synagogue. In 1929 he went back to Berlin, where Cornelis Bronsgeest, a famous Dutch baritone, engaged him for a radio broadcast as Vasco da Gama in Meyerbeer's "L'Africaine". It was the beginning of his international career. His physical imperfection made a stage career impossible for him, however his voice was extremely well suited for radio. He made many best selling records for Ultraphone, then for Odeon/ Parlophone, was featured in many radio broadcasts and acted in several movies in both German and English. Few tenors of his era evoked as much affection as Joseph Schmidt, the tiny tenor who became a beloved figure in both German opera and cinema.

Ironically, Josef Schmidt enjoyed his greatest successes during the rise of the German Nazis. (According to unsubstantiated reports, he was in the lap of personal protection of Joseph Goebbels who was a fan of Joseph Schmidts art.). In 1937, he toured the United States and performed in the Carnegie Hall together with other prominent singers such as Grace Moore. Shortly before the war, after the Anschluss of Austria, Schmidt was banned from performing in the territory of the Third Reich. Yet in 1939 he was given a passport to see his mother in Czerniovce, where the onset of Worlld War II caught him. He tried to reach France, to be arrested on the border by the Swiss Police and after being identified as a Jew - interned in Girenbad camp. A shameful and scarcely talked about page in the Swiss history, was the Swiss governments attitude to the Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany. The inhuman Swiss law, ignoring the completely new circumstances the War forced onto the European nations - as well as the Government, involved in the unclear, semi-collaborative game with the Third Reich - are responsible for either the deportation back to Germany (what meant immediate death or imprisonment in a concentration camp) or the slow dying from the camp conditions of tens of thousands of the miserables, who managed to rescue themselves from the hands of Gestapo.
One of such victims was in age of 38, one of greatest singers of the XX century: suffering from cardiac disturbances combined with throat pains, a common sign of a hart attack, Joseph Schmidt was at first sent to the hospital in Zurich, where he was refused, as a Jew, a specialist diagnosis & treatment. Back in the camp, he died 2 days later.

Since 2004, a music school in Adlershof, Berlin holds his name. In 2008 one of the asteroids was named: Joseph Schmidt.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Great
• tenor
• Jewish
• Germany
• Deutschland
• 1920
• 1930
• Weimar
• Republic
• Romania
• Czernowitz
• Czerniowce
• opera
• history

[tango3721]

My dad who aspired to be a great opera star - used to talk about Joseph Smith and attempted to emulate his style - smooth and soothing. My comment on the Swiss attitude towards the Nazis - is the the Swiss are totally shameless and "stiff necked" about their relationship with the Nazis.

[jonjamg]

I am left wondering if Joseph's contacts in the free world tried to do anything for him whilst he was interned in Switzerland for what two years or so? If they did not shame on them! ironically he might have stood a better chance staying in Germany where Albert Goering (Hermann's humane half brother) managed to save many well known musicians and composers.

[brenter55]

such beauty and style of singing. thanks so much for posting

[bisbald69]

Hör auf zu weinen und nimm meine Hand

halt sie ganz fest, keine Angst

ich will dich hüten, will dich beschützen

bin für dich hier, keine Angst

Du bist so klein und doch so stark

in meinen Armen halt ich dich schön warm

von nun an sind wir unzertrennlich

bin für dich hier, keine Angst

stop thinking of Nazis there are meny of them that are prison officers in qutaimo bay

[Coupal1]

How nice that a wider audience gets to hear Joseph Schmidt! His voice is luxurious - filled with expression and emotion. Singers today are nothing compared to him!

[bazylimd]

In Switzerland you could buy everything. Your LIVE too....

[aeroempi]

Not all Swiss were the same attitude, some helped to fugitive including the jewish ones during the WWII...

[aeroempi]

Das war eyn sheyne doch traurig lied...

[ajtj500]

It was this great tenor that influences my perceptions on tenors who came later. Even the great Pavarotti cannot compare to the emotion and colour in Schmidt's voice. Listen to his version of Nessun Dorma. The final high notes are devastatingly beautiful.

[bazylimd]

Przepiękny głos Przeklęty świat Tragicznyny los Nie wróci już Wczorajszych dni Radosny czas To, co jest dziś To tylko ślad zamknięty w dzwięk .............................. Gdy słucham Twego głosu wracam do swoich snów Słuchając Twego śpiewu z letargu budzę się znów

[garybrown57]

what a trgic life he had a wonderful shrill to his voice a great german singer one of my favourites didied in a german prison camp what a waste i think he was only 33 when he died was a brilliant singer