Ralf, Oscar (Georg)

views updated

Ralf, Oscar (Georg)

Ralf, Oscar (Georg) , Swedish tenor, brother of Torsten (Ivar) Ralf; b. Malmö, Oct. 3, 1881; d. Kalmar, April 3, 1964. He studied with Forsell (1902–04) and Gillis Bratt (from 1905), and in Berlin and Munich. He began his career as a singer at Stockholm’s Oscarsteatern, an operetta theater (1905–15); completing his studies with Bratt, he made his operatic debut as Siegmund at the Royal Opera in 1918; was a principal member of the company until 1940; also appeared as Siegmund at Bayreuth in 1927. He was best known for his roles in operas by Wagner and Verdi. He publ. an autobiography, Tenoren han gå i Ringen (The Tenor Goes into the Ring; Stockholm, 1953).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire