Emil Fischer

Emil Friedrich August Fischer was a German bass, born in Brunswick on 13 June 1838 and died in Hamburg on 11 August 1914. His career unfolded mainly in German opera of the late nineteenth century, and he was a regular figure at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

His parents, both opera singers, gave him his first training. He made his debut in Graz in 1857 as the Seneschal, a tenor role in Boieldieu's Jean de Paris. He sang baritone roles in Danzig between 1863 and 1870 and, during the 1870s, began to take on lower-voiced roles.

In November 1885 he made his debut at the Metropolitan, where he soon became a mainstay of the German-language seasons. In January 1886 he sang Hans Sachs in the first American performance of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, a role long regarded as his definitive interpretation. He excelled as Wotan, Hagen, King Henry and King Marke, but also in French and Italian repertoire, notably Boito's Mefistofele and Verdi's Ramfis.

After leaving the Metropolitan in 1898, he taught singing in New York until shortly before his death, when he returned to Germany. His legacy is associated above all with his Wagnerian performances and with the introduction of Die Meistersinger to the United States.