Jan Kiepura

Jan Kiepura

Jan Kiepura, 1933
Born Jan Wiktor Kiepura
(1902-05-16)May 16, 1902
Sosnowiec, Poland
Died August 15, 1966(1966-08-15) (aged 64)
New York City, United States
Cause of death heart attack
Resting place Powązki, Poland
Monuments Sosnowiec, Krynica-Zdrój
Other names Jean Kiepura
Occupation singer (tenor) and actor
Spouse(s) Marta Eggerth (1936-1966; his death)
Children 2
Grave of Kiepura at Powązki Cemetery in Warsaw.

Jan Wiktor Kiepura (May 16, 1902 – August 15, 1966) was an acclaimed Polish singer (tenor) and actor.

Life and career

Jan Kiepura was born in Sosnowiec, Poland, the son of Miriam (née Neuman), a former professional singer, and Franciszek Kiepura, a baker and grocery owner.[1][2] His mother was Jewish.[3] He had a brother, Władysław. During 1916-1920, he attended the Junior School in Sosnowiec where he graduated from high school. In 1921 he studied law at the University of Warsaw. He learned singing from Wacław Brzeziński and Tadeusz Leliwa. In 1923 he performed his first concert in the Sphinx cinema in Sosnowiec. In 1924, Jan Kiepura was admitted by Emil Młynarski to the local choir. He played the role of Góral in Moniuszko's opera Halka. He also took part in a production of Gounod's Faust Faust in the Polish city of Lwow (now in the Ukraine).

In 1926, Jan Kiepura left Poland for an international career in Germany, Hungary, France, and England. When he returned to Poland, with the money he had earned from his performances, he built the well-known hotel Patria in the Polish border town of Krynica-Zdrój, which cost him about US$3 million. Some Polish movies were made there. Kiepura played in twelve Polish musicals, including O czym się nie myśli (1926),[4] Die Singende Stadt (Neapol, śpiewające miasto) (1930),[5] Tout Pour L'amour (Zdobyć cię muszę) (1933),[6] and Mon coeur t'appelle (1934).

Return to Warsaw

Kiepura's return to Warsaw in 1934 caused a sensation in the Polish capital, and his musical shows were received with huge enthusiasm. Apart from his performances in concert halls, he also sang to a crowd gathered under the balcony of the Warsaw hotel "Bristol". He also sang while standing on his car's roof, or from a carriage's window, and also spoke to the audience. However, he was not a frequent guest in Poland. He signed contracts with Convert Garden in London, Opéra Comique in Paris and National Opera in Berlin. Kiepura also started a film career, working with Berlin's UFA and then with the Motion Picture Industry in Hollywood. He played in many films, of which the most famous are: The Singing City, The Song of Night, Ich liebe alle Frauen, The Charm of La Boheme, Das Land des Lächelns.

Marriage

On October 31, 1936, Kiepura married the Hungarian-born lyric soprano Marta Eggerth (1912–2013). The two often sang together in operettas, in concerts, on records, and in films until his death. In 1937 Kiepura and Eggerth were forced to flee Europe due to the rise of German Nazism and the onset of World War II. They emigrated to the United States.

Death

He died at the age of 64 in New York and was buried in Powązki Cemetery, Warsaw.

Chronology

Selected filmography

References

  1. ↑ Current Biography Yearbook
  2. ↑ Musicians since nineteen hundred: performers in concert and opera
  3. ↑ "Heard for Eight Decades, Her Voice Doesn't Waver".
  4. ↑ (Polish) Polish film Internet database, retrieved on December 18, 2007.
  5. ↑ (Polish) Polish film Internet database, and , both retrieved on December 18, 2007.
  6. ↑ Polish film Internet database and , both retrieved on December 18, 2007.
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