Theodor Rudolph Carl Clewing ( 22 April 1884 – 15 May 1954) was a German operatic

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

heldentenor A heldentenor (; English: ''heroic tenor''), earlier called tenorbariton, is an operatic tenor voice, most often associated with Wagnerian repertoire. It is distinct from other tenor '' fächer'' by its endurance, volume, and dark timbre, whic ...

, stage and film actor, composer of the song ''Alle Tage ist kein Sonntag'' and professor at the

Universität der Künste Berlin The Universität der Künste Berlin (UdK; also known in English as the Berlin University of the Arts), situated in Berlin, Germany, is the second largest art school in Europe. It is a public art and design school, and one of the four research uni ...

Life

Born in

Schwerin Schwerin (; Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch dialect, Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch Low German: ''Swerin''; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Zwierzyn''; Latin: ''Suerina'', ''Suerinum'') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Germ ...

, Clewing originates from an old Westphalian Schulzengeschlecht, which is first mentioned in documents in 1486 on the Schulte-Klevinghof in the parish Pelkum. In his birthplace Schwerin, his father was the owner of the Löwenapotheke (Lion Pharmacy) there. Clewing studied in Prague and joined the

Burschenschaft A Burschenschaft (; sometimes abbreviated in the German ''Burschenschaft'' jargon; plural: ) is one of the traditional (student associations) of Germany, Austria, and Chile (the latter due to German cultural influence). Burschenschaften were fo ...

there, Constantia, which was absorbed into the Munich fraternity Sudetia in 1952. From 1909 he was an actor in Berlin and in 1911 he was appointed as a royal court actor, in the same year he made his film debut as a film actor in '. At the outbreak of World War I he volunteered, was first runner and at the end of 1914 he belonged to the parliamentary group under the leadership of

Achim von Arnim Carl Joachim Friedrich Ludwig von Arnim (26 January 1781 – 21 January 1831), better known as Achim von Arnim, was a German poet, novelist, and together with Clemens Brentano and Joseph von Eichendorff, a leading figure of German Romanticism. ...

which called on Reims to hand over the theatre.

Rudolf Binding Rudolf Georg Binding (13 August 1867 – 4 August 1938) was a German writer. During World War I, he served as a Cavalry, cavalry master and staff officer. He was primarily known for his diary which he wrote during his time in the war. Life ...

has literally processed this episode in the story ''Wir fordern Reims zur Ubergabe auf''. Later Clewing was also a fighter pilot and got to know

Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician, aviator, military leader, and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which gov ...

Ernst Klee Ernst Klee (15 March 1942, Frankfurt – 18 May 2013, Frankfurt) was a German journalist and author. As a writer on Germany's history, he was best known for his exposure and documentation of medical crimes in Nazi Germany, much of which was conce ...

: ''Das Kulturlexikon zum Dritten Reich. Wer war was vor und nach 1945.'' S. Fischer, Frankfurt 2007, , . During the war he was awarded several times and promoted to lieutenant. Because of his artistic activity in front of front- and invalids troops of the Central Powers (see below ''Awards'') he was active after the war again in Berlin as an opera singer but also as a film actor. In 1922 he became a guest lecturer and professor at the state conservatory of the Hochschule für Staats- & Wirtschaftswissenschaften in

Detmold Detmold () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with a population of . It was the capital of the small Principality of Lippe from 1468 until 1918 and then of the Free State of Lippe until 1947. Today it is the administrative center of ...

. In autumn 1922 he had an engagement as a heldentenor at the

Staatsoper Unter den Linden The Staatsoper Unter den Linden ( State Opera under the Lime Trees), also known as the Berlin State Opera (), is a listed building on Unter den Linden boulevard in the historic center of Berlin, Germany. The opera house was built by order of Pr ...

. In 1924/25 he took part in the

Bayreuth Festival The Bayreuth Festival () is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of stage works by the 19th-century German composer Richard Wagner are presented. Wagner himself conceived and promoted the idea of a special ...

and sang '' Walter von Stolzing'' and ''

Parsifal ''Parsifal'' ( WWV 111) is a music drama in three acts by the German composer Richard Wagner and his last composition. Wagner's own libretto for the work is freely based on the 13th-century Middle High German chivalric romance ''Parzival'' of th ...

''. In December 1928 he was appointed associate professor for singing, voice training & practical phonetics at the Hochschule für Musik in Wien. At the beginning of 1931 he moved back to Germany to the Hirschfelde Manor near

Werneuchen Werneuchen () is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, in the district of Barnim northeast of Berlin within the metropolitan area. Most of the population of Werneuchen commutes to Berlin. History From 1815 to 1947, Werneuchen was part of the Prussian ...

. Shortly thereafter he was appointed professor at the

Berlin University of the Arts The Universität der Künste Berlin (UdK; also known in English as the Berlin University of the Arts), situated in Berlin, Germany, is the second largest art school in Europe. It is a public art and design school, and one of the four research uni ...

and was at the same time representative of the Genossenschaft Deutscher Bühnenangehöriger in the school office of the

Deutscher Bühnenverein The Deutscher Bühnenverein is an organization representing 430 theatres, opera houses, drama, ballet and opera companies and orchestras in Germany. It is involved in artistic, legal, organisational and political questions relevant to its members a ...

as well as member of the examination board Berlin for opera & drama and moved to Berlin-Lichterfelde-Ost. After the Nazis seizure of control Clewing was a member of the

NSDAP The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor, the German Workers ...

from May 1933, the SA and the SS. He was expelled in 1934, however, because he had lost his non "

Aryan ''Aryan'' (), or ''Arya'' (borrowed from Sanskrit ''ārya''), Oxford English Dictionary Online 2024, s.v. ''Aryan'' (adj. & n.); ''Arya'' (n.)''.'' is a term originating from the ethno-cultural self-designation of the Indo-Iranians. It stood ...

" status and his former affiliation to a

masonic lodge A Masonic lodge (also called Freemasons' lodge, or private lodge or constituent lodge) is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also a commonly used term for a building where Freemasons meet and hold their meetings. Every new l ...

. In the second half of the 1930s, Clewing, who was also a passionate hunter and collector of hunting culture, was taken over by the then Reichsjägermeister Göring was commissioned to publish the series ''Monuments of German Hunting Culture''. The first volume, ''Musik und Jägerei'', was already published in 1937, as well as a popular edition ''100 Jägerlieder'' and a ''Liederbuch der

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

''. During this time he also developed a small form of the , which is also called ''Clewing's Pocket Hunting Horn'' in his memory. On 27 May 1938, Clewing gave a lecture on the subject of ''Singing and Speaking'' at the

Reichsmusiktage The Reich Music Days (German: ''Reichsmusiktage'') took place from 22 to 29 May 1938 in Düsseldorf. They were a Nazi propaganda event under the patronage of Joseph Goebbels. Goebbels had originally planned an annual return of the Reichsmusiktage ...

. It was not until May 1939 that he succeeded in returning as an opera singer. In the same year he wrote a ''cantata on the birth of Edda Göring''. After the Second World War, Clewing lived in the sanatorium in Glotterbad near

Freiburg im Breisgau Freiburg im Breisgau or simply Freiburg is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fourth-largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Its built-up area has a population of abou ...

and spent his retirement in a spa in

Badenweiler Badenweiler (High Alemannic: ''Badewiler'') is a health resort and spa in the Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald district of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, historically in the Markgräflerland. It is 28 kilometers by road and rail from Basel, 10 kilome ...

where he died in 1954 aged 70. In the

Soviet occupation zone The Soviet occupation zone in Germany ( or , ; ) was an area of Germany that was occupied by the Soviet Union as a communist area, established as a result of the Potsdam Agreement on 2 August 1945. On 7 October 1949 the German Democratic Republ ...

his writings ''Liederbuch der Luftwaffe'' (published in association with Hans Felix Husadel, 1939) and ''Adlerliederheft. Feldausgabe des Liederbuches der Luftwaffe'' (1941) were placed on the list of literature to be excluded.

Family

In 1923 Clewing married Elisabeth (Else) ''née'' Mulert in Berlin, adopted Arnhold, and widowed Kunheim, from whom he divorced in 1940. They had one son, Carl Peter (1924-1943, killed in action by

Salerno Salerno (, ; ; ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Campania, southwestern Italy, and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after Naples. It is located ...

Filmography

* 1911: ' * 1913: ' * 1913: ' * 1913: ' * 1914: ' * 1917: ' * 1920: '' Whitechapel. Eine Kette von Perlen und Abenteuern'' * 1920: ''

Sumurun ''Sumurun'' (a.k.a. ''One Arabian Night'') is a 1920 German silent film directed by Ernst Lubitsch based on a pantomime by . Plot A company of travelling performers arrive at a fictional oriental city. It includes the beautiful dancer Yannaia, ...

'' * 1920: ''

The Raft of the Dead ''The Raft of the Dead'' () is a 1921 German silent drama film directed by Carl Boese and starring Aud Egede-Nissen, Otto Gebühr, and Frida Richard. It premiered in Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germ ...

Memberships

* Cooperative of German Stage Owners * Prague Fraternity Constantia ca. 1904 *

Masonic Lodge A Masonic lodge (also called Freemasons' lodge, or private lodge or constituent lodge) is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also a commonly used term for a building where Freemasons meet and hold their meetings. Every new l ...

"Durability" (1906) * SS 1920Paul Weinrowsk
''Frankenchronik. Geschichte der Berliner Burschenschaft Franconia. Zum 50. Stiftungsfeste.''
on WorldCat Altherrenverband der Berliner Burschenschaft Franconia, Berlin 1928. * Burschenschaft Saxonia Hannoversch-Münden SS 1923 (as founding member) * Fraternity Arminia Vienna WS 1927

Awards

Iron cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

(1914) II. und I. Klasse *

Wound Badge The Wound Badge () was a German military decoration first promulgated by Wilhelm II, German Emperor on 3 March 1918, which was first awarded to soldiers of the Imperial German Army, German Army who were wounded during World War I. Between the worl ...

(1918) * Golden medal of honor with swords of the House Order of Hohenzollern * Golden medal for art & science on the ribbon of the House Order of Hohenzollern *

Military Merit Cross (Mecklenburg-Schwerin) The Military Merit Cross (''Militärverdienstkreuz'') was established by Friedrich Franz II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin on August 5, 1848. Mecklenburg-Schwerin, a grand duchy located in northern Germany, was a member of the German Confed ...

Friedrich-August-Kreuz The Friedrich-August Cross was a German decoration of the First World War. It was set up on 24 September 1914 by Frederick Augustus II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg, with two classes, for (to quote its citation) "all persons of military or civilian st ...

II and I. Class *

Saxe-Ernestine House Order The Saxe-Ernestine House Order ()Hausorden
Herzogliche Haus Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha was a ...

II. Class with swords * Cross for Merit in War *

War Merit Cross (Lippe) The War Merit Cross () was a military decoration of the Principality of Lippe. Established on 8 December 1914, by Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe, it could be awarded to combatants and to non-combatants for significant contributions to the war effort. ...

* II. Class with swords * Officer's Cross of Honor with swords a. R. * Prussian medal for art & science at war * Morian neck cross of the (Austrian) German Order of Knights * Bulgarian Knight's Cross with K. on Ribbon and Order of Bravery * , Commandeur *

Order of the Medjidie Order of the Medjidie (, August 29, 1852 – 1922) was a military and civilian order of the Ottoman Empire. The order was instituted in 1851 by Sultan Abdulmejid I. History Instituted in 1851, the order was awarded in five classes, with the Firs ...

Grand Officer with star *

Gallipoli Star The Ottoman War Medal () was a military decoration awarded by the Ottoman Empire. It was commonly known in English as the Gallipoli Star and in German as the ''Eiserner Halbmond'' (Iron Crescent, in allusion to the Iron Cross). It was instituted ...

* Spanish Order of Alphonse XIII; Star *

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

References

External links

Portrait
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clewing, Carl 1884 births 1954 deaths People from Schwerin German male stage actors German male silent film actors 20th-century German male actors German operatic tenors Heldentenors Academic staff of the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna Academic staff of the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin German military personnel of World War I German Freemasons Nazi Party members Sturmabteilung personnel SS personnel Recipients of the Order of the Medjidie Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class Recipients of the Order of Military Merit (Bulgaria) Knights of the Legion of Honour 20th-century German male opera singers Academic staff of the Berlin University of the Arts Male actors from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania