Richard Tauber

Tenor, born in Linz, N Austria. He established himself as one of Germany's leading tenors, particularly in Mozartian opera. After 1925 he increasingly appeared in light opera, notably Lehár's Land of Smiles, which he brought to London in 1931. This won him great popularity, repeated by his part in his own Old Chelsea (1943), and appearances in several films. He appeared at Covent Garden in 1938, and became a British citizen in 1940.

Richard Tauber (16 May 1891 – 8 January 1948) was an Austrian tenor acclaimed as one of the greatest singers of the 20th century.

He was born in Linz, Austria to Elisabeth Seiffert, an actress who played soubrette roles at the local theatre. His father, Richard Anton Tauber, also an actor, was not married to his mother and was unaware of the birth as he was touring America at the time.

Richard accompanied his mother on tour to various theatres but she found it increasingly difficult to cope, and in 1897 he was sent to school in Linz, when his father took over his upbringing. His father, who had a Jewish background but had converted to Catholicism, hoped that Richard would become a priest, but the boy missed the excitement of the theatre and instead joined his father in Prague, and subsequently in 1903 at the theatre in Wiesbaden. Richard hoped to become a singer but failed to impress any of the teachers he auditioned for, probably because he chose to sing Wagner, for which his voice was not suited. Consequently, his father entered him at the conservatory in Frankfurt-am-Main to study piano, composition and conducting, subjects which stood Tauber in good stead in later years.

He made his debut before the public at a concert at Freiburg on 17 May 1912. A few days later he played Max in Der Freischütz, a performance which was attended by Baron Seebach of the Dresden Opera and he offered Richard a five-year contract. The Baron encouraged Tauber to take small roles with other companies to broaden his experience. In 1922, Tauber signed a contract with the Vienna State Opera and appearances with the Berlin State Opera followed; for many years he appeared with both companies – four months with each, leaving four months for concerts and guest appearances with other companies and touring abroad. He sang the tenor role in many operas, including Don Giovanni, The Bartered Bride, Tosca, Mignon, Faust, Carmen and Die Fledermaus, as well as newer works such as Erich Korngold's Die Tote Stadt and Wilhem Kienzl's Der Evangelimann.

Tauber had a lyrical, flexible tenor voice, and he sang with a warm, elegant legato.

In 1924 he was offered the part of Armand in Franz Lehár's Frasquita at the Theater an der Wien, which was a huge success. This excursion into operetta was looked down on by some but it did Tauber no harm at all; in fact, it gave Tauber a new audience. Neither did it harm his voice as some had feared – Tauber was too fine a musician to indulge in poor vocal practices in pursuit of popularity. It also revived Lehár's flagging career as a composer of operetta, who composed several successful new works specifically for Tauber's voice and talent. When in Vienna, Tauber also conducted at the Theater an der Wien, and it was here that he met the soprano Carlotta Vanconti who soon divorced her Italian husband and married Tauber. Sadly, Losseff's career ended when she became an alcoholic, but Tauber remained her lifelong friend and supported her until his death.

In 1931, Tauber made his London debut in operetta and London appearances became a regular event; In 1933, Tauber was assaulted in the street by a group of Nazi Brownshirts, probably because of his Jewish ancestry, and he decided to leave Germany for his native Austria, where he continued to sing at the Vienna State Opera. as this left them technically stateless persons, Tauber applied for British citizenship.

Despite receiving lucrative offers from the USA, he remained in the UK for the entire war. There was no opera staged in wartime Britain so he made a living by singing, conducting and making gramophone records and radio broadcasts. In 1947, Tauber sought medical attention for a persistent cough.

The Vienna State Opera was in London for a short season at the Royal Opera House — their first visit since the war — and they invited Tauber to sing one performance with his old company. A week later, Tauber entered hospital to have his left lung removed, but it was too late; Tauber is buried in Brompton cemetery, west London