Habich, Eduard

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Habich, Eduard

Habich, Eduard, German baritone; b. Kassel, Sept. 3, 1880; d. Berlin, March 15, 1960. He studied in Frankfurt am Main with Max Fleisch. He made his operatic debut in Koblenz in 1904, then sang in Posen, Halle, and Düsseldorf, at the Berlin Royal (later State) Opera (1910–30), at the Bayreuth Festivals (1911–31), at London’s Covent Garden (1924-36; 1938), and at the Chicago Civic Opera (1930–32). He made his Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y. on Dec. 20, 1935, as Peter in Hänsel und Gretel, and remained on its roster until 1937. He later taught voice in Berlin. Among his admired roles were Beckmesser, Faninal, Alberich, Telramund, and Klingsor.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire