Willem Ravelli (31 May 1892 – 21 September 1980) was a Dutch classical

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 an academic voice teacher. After a short operatic career with

De Nederlandse Opera The Dutch National Opera (DNO; formerly De Nederlandse Opera, now De Nationale Opera in Dutch) is a Dutch opera company based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Its present home base is the Dutch National Opera & Ballet housed in the Stopera building, a m ...

, he worked mostly in concert, singing ''

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'' and oratorios. He is known for as the voice of Christ 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 ...

'', which he performed more than 400 times, including the first recording of the work.

Career

Born Willem Albert Felix Ravelli in

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

, Ravelli studied voice with Frans Andreolie and Cornélie van Zanten, then at the conservatory in his home town in the opera class of

Anton Sistermans Anton Sistermans (5 August 18655 March 1926) was a Dutch baritone during the late 19th to early 20th century. He is particularly notable for interpretations of lieder and oratorios. During his career, Sistermans premiered important compositions ...

. Ravelli was a member of the

in Amsterdam from the 1922/23 season. He appeared in many supporting roles, such as Morales in Bizet's ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the O ...

'' and Alcindor in Puccini's ''

La bohème ''La bohème'' ( , ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions '':wikt:quadro, quadri'', ''wikt:tableau, tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto b ...

'', and in 1927 as Wolfram in Wagner's ''

Tannhäuser Tannhäuser (; ), often stylized "The Tannhäuser", was a German Minnesinger and traveling poet. Historically, his biography, including the dates he lived, is obscure beyond the poetry, which suggests he lived between 1245 and 1265. His name ...

''. He focused on concert singing, succeeding Thomas Denijs 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 ...

in the regular performances of Bach's ''

'' 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 ...

. He sang the role in the first recording of the work in 1939, with the and the

Concertgebouw Orchestra The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (, ) is a Dutch symphony orchestra, established in 1888 at the Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw (concert hall). It is considered one of the world's leading orchestras. It was known as the Concertgebouw Orchestra u ...

, alongside

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 Evangelist(s) may refer to: Religion * Four Evangelists, the authors of the canonical Christian Gospels * Evangelism, publicly preaching the Gospel with the intention of spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ * Evangelist (Anglican Church), a ...

. A reviewer of a reissue of the performance which was shortened as customary at the time of the recording, notes in 2004: "As Jesus the Dutch bass Willem Ravelli can be a mite gruff but he's also a spiritually intense presence and right inside the role, one incidentally he performed over four hundred times." Ravelli also appeared in Belgium, England and Germany, presenting a broad repertory including the bass part in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. He recorded the symphony in 1940, again with Mengelberg, the Toonkunstkoor and the Concertgebouw Orchestra, and the Royal Oratorio Society. Ravelli was a

voice teacher A voice teacher or singing teacher is a musical instructor who assists adults and children in the development of their abilities in singing. Typical work A voice teacher works with a student singer to improve the various skills involved in sing ...

at the Rotterdam Conservatory from 1937, and at the conservatory in The Hague from 1945. He died in

Laren, North Holland Laren () is a town and municipality in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. Located in the Gooi region, it is the oldest town in the area. Together with its neighbor Blaricum, Laren is one of the most affluent towns in the Netherlands. ...

References

External links

"Willem Ravelli (Bass)"
Bach Cantatas website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ravelli, Willem Dutch bass-baritones 1892 births 1980 deaths Musicians from The Hague 20th-century Dutch male opera singers Voice teachers