Felix von Kraus
born Vienna, October 3, 1870; died Munich, October 30, 1937
Documents associated with this person:
Viennese bass singer and writer on music.
Career Summary
Kraus studied musicology under Hanslick and music theory under Bruckner and Mandyczewski at Vienna University, graduating in 1894, then trained himself as a vocalist. His career began in 1896 as a Lieder and oratorio singer, and between 1899 and 1909 he sang several Wagnerian major roles (including Hagen and Gurnemanz) at Bayreuth. He taught at the Munich Academy of Music between 1908 and 1935.
Kraus and Schenker
That Schenker disliked his artistry (no doubt in part because of his association with the Wagner family) is shown in the two references to him in his diary, first in 1899 ("Dr. Felix v. Kraus, chamber singer ‒ a manly 'Norn'. Bearing and vocal quality alike black ‒ the most monotone blackness of fate") and on November 15, 1908 in a performance of Beethoven's Missa solemnis ("Mr. Kraus and his wife [Adrienne von Kraus-Osborne] [...] screetched and squawked").
Source
- OeML Online (Uwe Harten)
Contributor:
- Ian Bent