Bally Prell (born Agnes Pauline Prell; 14 September 1922 – 20 March 1982) was a German performer, humorous singer, and folk singer, who performed mainly in
Bavarian language
Bavarian (german: Bairisch , Bavarian: ''Boarisch'') or alternately Austro-Bavarian, is a West Germanic language, part of the Upper German family, together with Alemannic and East Franconian.
Bavarian is spoken by approximately 12 million p ...
.
Life
Prell was the daughter of folk singer and composer Ludwig Prell on Leopold Street 77 in
Schwabing
Schwabing is a borough in the northern part of Munich, the capital of the German state of Bavaria. It is part of the city borough 4 (Schwabing-West) and the city borough 12 (Schwabing-Freimann). The population of Schwabing is estimated about 100 ...
, a district in the Bavarian capital of
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
, where she lived her entire life. As early as five years old, she performed at the
Odeon hall in Munich and wowed the audience with her voice. Her voice was a low tenor/
baritone, and she sang some classical arias in that
register
Register or registration may refer to:
Arts entertainment, and media Music
* Register (music), the relative "height" or range of a note, melody, part, instrument, etc.
* ''Register'', a 2017 album by Travis Miller
* Registration (organ), the ...
.
On 31 October 1953, she appeared for the first time in Munich's
Platzl
The Platzl is a public square in Munich, Germany, at which multiple notable buildings reside or resided, such as the eponymous theater and the Hofbräuhaus am Platzl.
The square was first mentioned on maps by its current name in 1780; previou ...
with her song, "Die Schönheitskönigin von Schneizlreuth" ("The Beauty Queen of
Schneizlreuth
Schneizlreuth is a municipality in the district of Berchtesgadener Land in Bavaria in Germany.
History
In 1285 an estate in the area was called Schnaezenreut. This is the earliest the town's name can be traced.
The municipality of Schneizlreu ...
"). The song used Prell's unusual vocal range and decidedly un-beauty queen-like appearance to caricature the emerging beauty craze. The program included the music composed by her father "Isarmärchen". Prell remained connected to the Platzl the rest of her life.
In 1956 and 1957, she appeared in films, such as in ''
Marriages Forbidden'' as a carnival singer and in ''
Two Bavarians in the Harem'' as Leila, Rose of the Night.
Prell died in 1982 from the effects of a
goiter
A goitre, American and British English spelling differences#re er, or goiter, is a swelling in the neck resulting from an enlarged thyroid, thyroid gland. A goitre can be associated with a thyroid that is not functioning properly.
Worldwide, over ...
operation. She is buried in the
Nordfriedhof Cemetery in Munich (grave No. 2-3-5).
Honors
The Munich City Museum has an exhibit in Prell's honor, with original items from her famous stage costume including the floral ruffle dress, beach umbrella, fingerless gloves, beauty crown, and the white-blue scarves imprinted with "Miss Schneizlreuthn".
A fountain in her honor, designed by Wolfgang Sand, was erected in 1992 in front of her house in the
Leopoldstraße Leopoldstraße is a street in the Munich districts Maxvorstadt, Schwabing and Milbertshofen. It is a major boulevard, and the main street of the Schwabing district. It is a continuation of Ludwigstraße, the boulevard of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, n ...
.
On 14 June 2007 the Munich City Council named a new street after Prell. The street is in a new development in the
Lochhausen district.
References
Further reading
* Eva Becher, Wolfgang A. Mayer (Ed.): ''Münchner Liederbuch. So lang der Alte Peter am Petersbergl steht. Noten und Lieder'' (= ''Jochen Wiegandts Liedertafel.'' 4). Dölling und Galitz, München 2008, .
External links
*
* Performance of
* Performance of
* Performance of
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prell, Bally
German folk singers
German women comedians
German baritones
1922 births
1982 deaths
Musicians from Munich
Burials at the Nordfriedhof (Munich)
20th-century German women singers
20th-century comedians
German contraltos