Richard Kubla
Encyclopedia
Richard Kubla was a Czech tenor
who had an active international career in opera
s, concerts, and recitals from 1910-1945. He had a particularly lengthy association with the National Theatre Prague
where he was heard annually from 1924-1945.
, Kubla studied the violin as a child and already performed as a soloist at the age of seven. His uncle, conductor of a children's choir, advised him to take singing lessons, which he did in Prague
with Bohumil Ptak, later with Vaclav Svtech. Before pursuing a music conservatory education, he studied law in his native country. He then entered the Vienna Academy of Music and the Performing Arts in 1911 where he was a pupil through 1914.
Kubla made has debut as a professional singer in 1910 as a concert soloist. He first appeared on the opera stage in the role of Rodolfo in Puccini
's La bohème
at the Vienna Volksoper
in 1914. He was a member of that opera house until 1920. His next engagement was at the Deutsches Theater Prague
(1920–1924), where he sang the principal role in the premiere of the revised version of Alexander von Zemlinsky
's opera Kleider machen Leute
(20 April 1922). Subsequently he worked as a permanent guest-artist at the National Theatre Prague
, where he had made guest appearances before. He rejoined the Vienna Volksoper as a member during the 1932-1933 season, and again from 1936 until 1938. He made numerous guest-appearances, a.o. at the Vienna State Opera
(1919, 1935, 1937) and in opera houses in Munich
, Hamburg
and Budapest
. He also performed in Cairo
, Chicago
and New York
. His repertoire included one hundred and thirty roles (a.o. many Wagner
roles, but also some operetta
roles). He retired from the stage in 1945. He died in 1964 at the age of 74.
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
who had an active international career in opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
s, concerts, and recitals from 1910-1945. He had a particularly lengthy association with the National Theatre Prague
National Theatre (Prague)
The National Theatre in Prague is known as the Alma Mater of Czech opera, and as the national monument of Czech history and art.The National Theatre belongs to the most important Czech cultural institutions, with a rich artistic tradition which was created and maintained by the most distinguished...
where he was heard annually from 1924-1945.
Professional career
Born in OstravaOstrava
Ostrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic and the second largest urban agglomeration after Prague. Located close to the Polish border, it is also the administrative center of the Moravian-Silesian Region and of the Municipality with Extended Competence. Ostrava was candidate for the...
, Kubla studied the violin as a child and already performed as a soloist at the age of seven. His uncle, conductor of a children's choir, advised him to take singing lessons, which he did in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
with Bohumil Ptak, later with Vaclav Svtech. Before pursuing a music conservatory education, he studied law in his native country. He then entered the Vienna Academy of Music and the Performing Arts in 1911 where he was a pupil through 1914.
Kubla made has debut as a professional singer in 1910 as a concert soloist. He first appeared on the opera stage in the role of Rodolfo in Puccini
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
's La bohème
La bohème
La bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
at the Vienna Volksoper
Vienna Volksoper
The Vienna Volksoper is a major opera house in Vienna, Austria. It gives about three hundred performances of twenty-five productions during an annual season running from September through June....
in 1914. He was a member of that opera house until 1920. His next engagement was at the Deutsches Theater Prague
Prague State Opera
The Prague State Opera , is an opera and ballet company in Prague, Czech Republic. The theatre was originally founded in 1888 as the New German Theatre and from 1949 to 1989 it was known as the Smetana Theatre....
(1920–1924), where he sang the principal role in the premiere of the revised version of Alexander von Zemlinsky
Alexander von Zemlinsky
Alexander Zemlinsky or Alexander von Zemlinsky was an Austrian composer, conductor, and teacher.-Early life:...
's opera Kleider machen Leute
Kleider machen Leute (opera)
Kleider machen Leute is a comic opera in a prologue and two acts by Austrian composer Alexander Zemlinsky. The libretto was written by Leo Feld, based on the short novel by Gottfried Keller....
(20 April 1922). Subsequently he worked as a permanent guest-artist at the National Theatre Prague
National Theatre (Prague)
The National Theatre in Prague is known as the Alma Mater of Czech opera, and as the national monument of Czech history and art.The National Theatre belongs to the most important Czech cultural institutions, with a rich artistic tradition which was created and maintained by the most distinguished...
, where he had made guest appearances before. He rejoined the Vienna Volksoper as a member during the 1932-1933 season, and again from 1936 until 1938. He made numerous guest-appearances, a.o. at the Vienna State Opera
Vienna State Opera
The Vienna State Opera is an opera house – and opera company – with a history dating back to the mid-19th century. It is located in the centre of Vienna, Austria. It was originally called the Vienna Court Opera . In 1920, with the replacement of the Habsburg Monarchy by the First Austrian...
(1919, 1935, 1937) and in opera houses in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
and Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
. He also performed in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. His repertoire included one hundred and thirty roles (a.o. many Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
roles, but also some operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
roles). He retired from the stage in 1945. He died in 1964 at the age of 74.