Heinrich Sontheim

Heinrich Sontheim (1820–1912), also known as Honas Bär Sontheimer, was a prominent late-19th-Century tenor and kammersänger (chamber singer) based in Stuttgart, Germany.

Heinrich Sontheim

Personal life

Sontheim was born on February 3, 1820, in Jebenhausen, Wuerttemberg, Germany. His parents were Moses Loeb Sontheimer and Ruchele Rosenheim.[1] A convert to Protestant Christianity as a young man, Sontheim returned to Judaism in 1847, following the death of his non-Jewish wife. He was a first cousin twice removed of Albert Einstein.[2]

Singing career

Coached from an early age, Sontheim earned international acclaim in the mid-to-late 19th Century. He was hailed in Germany as "The King of Tenors".[3] He was known for his roles, among others, as Eléazar in Halévy's La Juive and the title role in Rossini's Otello. He was given a contract with the Stuttgart Opera, where he sang from 1850–1872. His appearances in Vienna as Eléazar secured his international reputation.[4]

References

[5] [6] [7]

  1. Aron Tanzer (1988). Die Geschichte der Juden in Jebenhausen und Göppingen (The History of Jews in Jebenhausen and Göppingen). Weissenhorn, Germany: Anton H. Konrad Verlag. pp. 197–198, 378–379. [in German]
  2. Tänzer, Arnold (1931). "Der Stammbaum Prof. Albert Einsteins". Jüdische Familienforschung (31): 420.
  3. "Die Synagoge in Jebenhausen (Stadt Göppingen)", http://www.alemannia-judaica.de/jebenhausen_synagoge.htm , accessed 12 October 2008. [in German]
  4. Gdal Saleski (2006). Famous Musicians of a Wandering Race. Kessinger. pp. 436–437. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
  5. Leo Adler (1916). Heinrich Sontheim: Ein Künstlerleben (Heinrich Sontheim: An Artist's Life). Germany: C. Grüninger. [in German]
  6. "Jews in Jebenhausen and Goppingen: The Wieseneck Villa", http://www.edjewnet.de/spuren/spuren_en.htm#villa, accessed 12 October 2008.
  7. http://www.freunde-juedischer-kultur-esslingen.de/Veranstaltungen/Veranstaltungen_2007/Tenor_Sontheim/tenor_sontheim.html, accessed 12 October 2008. [in German]


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