Hermann Schey (8 November 189521 August 1981) was a German-born Dutch

bass-baritone A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three ...

and voice teacher. He performed internationally and recorded, especially works by

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

but also world premieres.

Life and career

Born in Bunzlau, Province of Silesia (now Bolesławiec, Poland), Schey received his musical education in Berlin at the Hochschule für Musik from 1913 to 1915 with Henry von Dulong. In 1915, he was drafted and could only continue his studies after the war. Since 1922, Schey worked in Berlin as a concert and

oratorio An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble. Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...

singer. He was especially admired for his

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the or ...

interpretations.Hermann Schey
(in French) rene-gagnaux.ch Concert tours brought him great success in European music centres. In 1925, he appeared in Schönberg's ''

Gurre-Lieder ' (''Songs of Gurre Castle, Gurre'') is a tripartite oratorio followed by a Melodrama, melodramatic epilogue for five vocal soloists, narrator, three choruses, and grand orchestra. The work, which is based on an early song cycle for soprano, te ...

'' at the

Tonhalle Düsseldorf Tonhalle Düsseldorf is a concert hall in Düsseldorf. It was built by the architect Wilhelm Kreis. The resident orchestra, the ''Düsseldorfer Symphoniker'', play symphonic repertoire at the Tonhalle as well as opera at the Deutsche Oper am Rhei ...

, conducted by Georg Lennart Schneevoigt.Georg Lennart Schneevoigt
(in German) Musikverein Düsseldorf In 1929, he sang Mahler's ''

Kindertotenlieder (''Songs on the Death of Children'') is a song cycle (1904) for voice and orchestra by Gustav Mahler. The words of the songs are poems by Friedrich Rückert. Poems and setting The original were a group of 428 poems written by Rückert in 1833 ...

'' in Amsterdam with the Royal Concertgebouw conducted by

Willem Mengelberg Joseph Wilhelm Mengelberg (28 March 1871 – 21 March 1951) was a Dutch conductor, famous for his performances of Beethoven, Brahms, Mahler and Strauss with the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest ...

, and then returned every year to perform in Bach's ''

St Matthew Passion The ''St Matthew Passion'' (), BWV 244, is a '' Passion'', a sacred oratorio written by Johann Sebastian Bach in 1727 for solo voices, double choir and double orchestra, with libretto by Picander. It sets the 26th and 27th chapters of th ...

'' conducted by Mengelberg. The performances were recorded in 1936 (excerpts) and in 1939, with

Karl Erb Karl Erb (13 July 1877 – 13 July 1958) was a German tenor who made his career first in opera and then in oratorio and lieder recital. He excelled in all these genres, and before 1920 gave classic performances of key roles in modern works, and c ...

as the Evangelist, Willem Ravelli as the

vox Christi Vox Christi, Latin for Voice of Christ, is a setting of Jesus' words in a vocal work such as a Passion (music), Passion, an Oratorium or a Cantata. Conventionally, for instance in Protestant music of the Baroque era, the vox Christi is set for a Ba ...

, Jo Vincent,

Ilona Durigo Ilona Durigo (13 May 1881 – 25 December 1943) was a Hungarian classical contralto and an academic voice teacher. She appeared internationally, mostly in concert, singing ''Lieder'' and oratorios. She is known for singing Lieder that Othmar Schoe ...

and . In 1930, he undertook a major tour to Poland, Russia and the Balkan states, in 1932 he gave concerts in Paris and in 1933 in Zurich. He gave the world premieres of several

Lied In the Western classical music tradition, ( , ; , ; ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German and Dutch, but among English and French speakers, is often used interchangea ...

er by

Othmar Schoeck Othmar Schoeck (1 September 1886 – 8 March 1957) was a Swiss List of Romantic-era composers, Romantic classical composer, opera composer, musician, and Conductor (music), conductor. He was known mainly for his considerable output of lied, art ...

, and in 1930 he sang the bass solo in the world premiere of

Hans Pfitzner Hans Erich Pfitzner (5 May 1869 – 22 May 1949) was a German composer, conductor and polemicist who was a self-described anti-modernist. His best known work is the post-Romantic opera ''Palestrina'' (1917), loosely based on the life of the ...

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian language, Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal music, vocal Musical composition, composition with an musical instrument, instrumental accompaniment, ty ...

''Das dunkle Reich'' in Berlin. As a Jew, he emigrated to the Netherlands in 1934 and became professor at the

Conservatorium van Amsterdam The Conservatorium van Amsterdam (CvA) is a Dutch conservatoire of music located in Amsterdam. This school is the music division of the Amsterdam University of the Arts, the city's vocational university of arts. The Conservatorium van Amsterdam ...

in 1936. When the Netherlands were occupied by the German army in 1940, he had to stay in hiding until the end of the war. After the Second World War, he resumed his career and took part in the

Holland Festival The Holland Festival () is the oldest and largest performing arts festival in the Netherlands. It takes place every June in Amsterdam. It comprises theatre, music, opera and modern dance. In recent years, multimedia, visual arts, film and architec ...

. Concert tours took him to Germany, England, Austria and Switzerland. In 1968, he undertook a tour to Israel and performed at the

Abu Ghosh Vocal Music Festival Abu Ghosh Vocal Music Festival () is a vocal music festival that takes place biannually during the Jewish holidays of Sukkot and Shavuot, at Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant Church in Abu Ghosh, Israel. History The music festival was inaug ...

.Original Abu-Gosh Music Festival
Bach Cantatas Website He also continued working as a singing teacher. He spent his retirement in Switzerland. Schey died aged 85 in

Uerikon Uerikon (also spelled Ürikon) is a village near Rapperswil, Switzerland. Geography Uerikon is located on the north bank of the Lake Zurich, Zürichsee (Lake Zürich) in the Pfannenstiel (Zürich), Pfannenstiel region and is part of the polit ...

near Zürich.

Recordings

* Early recordings, Odeon * Schubert: ''

Winterreise ''Winterreise'' (, ''Winter Journey'') is a song cycle for voice and piano by Franz Schubert (Schubert Thematic Catalogue, D. 911, published as Opus number, Op. 89 in 1828), a setting of 24 Poetry, poems by German poet Wilhelm Müller. It is the ...

'', with pianist Marguerite ReynersLieder / Franz Schubert ; Hermann Schey, basse chantante avec Marguerite Reyners, au piano
(in French) French National Library * Recordings on labels DGG, Christschall, Tri-Ergon, MMS and Concert Hall, including Bach's

Magnificat The Magnificat (Latin for "y soulmagnifies he Lord) is a canticle, also known as the Song of Mary or Canticle of Mary, and in the Byzantine Rite as the Ode of the Theotokos (). Its Western name derives from the incipit of its Latin text. This ...

* Recordings of

Bach cantatas This is a sortable list of Bach cantatas, the cantatas composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. His almost 200 extant cantatas are among his important vocal compositions. Many are known to be lost. Bach composed both church cantatas, most of them for ...

and other vocal works

References

External links

*
"Hermann Schey (Bass-Baritone)"
Bach Cantatas website 2001
"Hermann Schey"
(in German) radiomusaeum.org
Liste der Solistinnen und Solisten
(in German) gemischter-chor.ch 2020 * , " Die Nacht", Richard Strauss {{DEFAULTSORT:Schey, Hermann Dutch bass-baritones 1895 births 1981 deaths People from Bolesławiec 20th-century Dutch male opera singers German emigrants to the Netherlands Academic staff of the Conservatorium van Amsterdam Voice teachers