Stage and film – all on Lindström records:
The actress
Gitta Alpár
Rainer Künzler
9th annual meeting of the
GHT in Immenstadt i. Allgäu
May 22nd – 25th 2008
Overview
• Youth in Budapest
• Her first success on stage
• Engagements in Munich and Berlin
• Her first recordings on Homocord
• 1930: Change to the operetta
• Lindström recordings 1930 – 33
• German talking films up to 1933
• Repertoire and marketing
• Emigration to Vienna
• Engagements allover Europe
• Emigration to the US
• Conclusion and outlook
Stage and film - all on Lindström records:
The actress Gitta Alpár
Youth in Budapest
born on
5 March 1903
as Margit Klopfer
Father: Ignác Klopfer, cantor at the
main synagogue in Dohány utca
first music lessons by her
mother
1919 – end of 1923:
vocal education at the Music
Academy by Laura
Hilgermann
Stage and film - all on Lindström records:
The actress Gitta Alpár
Her first success on stage
1924 january: First appearance in
Budapest State Opera
argument between direktor Miklós
Radnai und star soprano Erzsi
Sándor
Alpár replaces Sándor as Lakmé in
„Lakmé“ (Delibes)
1 January 1924: Alpár already performs
as Gilda in „Rigoletto“
Engagement at
„Király Színház“
operetta theatre located in
Király utca
Stage and film - all on Lindström records:
The actress Gitta Alpár
Engagements in Munich and Berlin
1925 – 1927: Engagement at
the opera house of Munich
1927 – 1930: State Opera Berlin on
invitation of Erich Kleiber
Marriage with her first husband
Kornél Stangl
1927: debut at State Opera, Vienna
Stage and film - all on Lindström records:
The actress Gitta Alpár
Her first recordings on Homocord
opara arias
Hungarian folk songs
in U- / H-U- export series
recording activita about 1927 - 30
Stage and film - all on Lindström records:
The actress Gitta Alpár
Her first recordings on Homocord
Gitta Alpár:
Gilda‘s aria
from „Rigoletto“
M: Giuseppe Verdi
M-52361 Ho 4-9003
rec. 23 Feb. 1929 (?)
Stage and film - all on Lindström records:
The actress Gitta Alpár
1930: Change to the operetta – new label Odeon / Parlophon
1930: first role in Millöcker‘s „Bettelstudent“ at the Metropol theatre
1930: First great succes wirh Richard
Tauber in Lehár‘s „Schön ist die Welt“
(Odeon / Parlophon)
first Lindström recordings: November 1930 on
Odeon – probably exclusive contract
Berliner Lokal-Anzeiger:
This is Lehár, this is Tauber, that
means succes. Gitta Alpár is the amazing
success of the evening, enchanting with
each of her tones, clear as a bell.
1930: Title role in Kálmán‘s „Veilchen
vom Montmartre“ (Odeon)
Stage and film - all on Lindström records:
The actress Gitta Alpár
1930: Change to the operetta – new label Odeon /
Parlophon
Gitta Alpár:
Bin verliebt, bin so verliebt
Song from
„Schön ist die Welt“
(M: Franz Lehár;
T: Ludwig Herzer and Fritz Löhner)
accomp. by the orchestra of the
Metropol theatre, Berlin
Be 9273 Od O-11360
rec. 28 Nov 1930
Stage and film - all on Lindström records:
The actress Gitta Alpár
1930: Change to the operetta – new label Odeon / Parlophon
5 April 1931: Marriage
with her second husband
Gustav Fröhlich
1931: „Die Dubarry“
re-edited byTheo
Mackeben (Odeon /
Parlophon)
„her role“
Stage and film - all on Lindström records:
The actress Gitta Alpár
1930: Change to the operetta – new label Odeon / Parlophon
Gita Alpár:
Ja so ist sie, die Dubarry
Song From „Die Dubarry“
M: Carl Millöcker, Theo Mackeben
T: Paul Knepler, J. M. Welleminsky
with orchestra cond. by Theo Mackeben
Be 9557 Od O-11516
rec. 27 Aug 1931
Stage and film - all on Lindström records:
The actress Gitta Alpár
1930: Change to the operetta – new label Odeon / Parlophon
Gita Alpár:
Heut hab ich Glück
Song from „Die Dubarry“
M: Carl Millöcker, Theo Mackeben
T: Paul Knepler, J. M. Welleminsky
mit with orchestra conducted by Theo Mackeben
Be 9557 Od O-11516
rec. 27 August 1931
Stage and film - all on Lindström records:
The actress Gitta Alpár
German talking films up to
1933
„Die – oder keine“
director: Carl Froelich
genre: „Modern operetta“
role: Eva Petri, singer
premièred: 26 September 1932
Berlin
Ufa-Palast am Zoo
(Odeon)
„Gitta entdeckt ihr Herz“
director: Carl Froelich
genre: comedy
role: Gitta Farkas, dancer
premièred: 5 April 1932 Berlin,
12 May 1932 Vienna
(Odeon / Parlophon)
Stage and film - all on Lindström records:
The actress Gitta Alpár
German talking films up to 1933
Gitta Alpár: Dort, wo die Wälder grün
Hungarian son, from film
„Gitta entdeckt ihr Herz“
M: N. Brodszky; T: Dr. Joh. Brandt
with orchestra
Be 9870-I Od O-11642
rec. 17. March 1932
Stage and film - all on Lindström records:
The actress Gitta Alpár
Operettas 1932
„Katharina“ by
Ernst Steffan
„Ball im Savoy“
by Paul Abraham
on Odeon label, original cast
conducted by the composers
Stage and film - all on Lindström records:
The actress Gitta Alpár
Operettas 1932
Gitta Alpár:
Tatjana (Freu dich, Tatjana)
Song from „Katharina“
M: Ernst Steffan; T: Fr. Löhner
with Admiralspalast theatre
orchestra
cond.: Ernst Steffan
Be 10020 Od O-11694
rec. 30 August 1932
Stage and film - all on Lindström records:
The actress Gitta Alpár
Repertoire
and marketing
Operetta, film,
hits / songs, opera
Mainly symphonic
orchestra
accompaniement
„Segmentation“ acc.
to dance bands
Some song recordings
only on Parlophon
blue Odeon / red Parlophon
M. 3,50, later M. 2.50 each
Stage and film - all on Lindström records:
The actress Gitta Alpár
Repertoire
and marketing
Hungarian pressing of
the 1932 recording,
about 1936
Marketing the
Lindström
rechordings after
1933
Stage and film - all on Lindström records:
The actress Gitta Alpár
Repertoire
and marketing
Lindström magazine „Der
Ton“
Latest recordings:
short comments
„star personality“ –
„star in your reach“
Small articles
Holiday greetings
Anecdotes
Readers asking
questions
Stage and film - all on Lindström records:
The actress Gitta Alpár
Emigration to Vienna
Eclat at state dinner with
propaganda minister
Goebbels at Kaiserhof hotel:
While singing the „Horst-
Wessel-Lied“ Alpár remains
seated at her chair
Stage and film - all on Lindström records:
The actress Gitta Alpár
Engagements allover Europe
Juni 1934: Birth of her
daughter Julika Violetta
Film „Ball im Savoy“:
produced in
Budapest in1934
„Die Dubarry“ –
Hungarian version
by Sándor Góth
in 1934
December 1934 – February
1935: guest play at the Scala,
Vienna: „Die verliebte Königin“
„Die Dubarry“ –
English film
produced 1935
English radio broadcast
sung in Hungarian, German
and English
Multilingual actress: Hungarian,
German, English, French
probably several
recordings for
Parlophone in England
at the same time
Stage and film - all on Lindström records:
The actress Gitta Alpár
Engagements allover Europe
1936: role in French spy film
„Le Disque 413“:
Hungarian singer-and-spy
Topic: A phonograph record
1935: divorced from
Gustav Fröhlich
Return
to Vienna
1936 - 38: English films
1936: Hungarian
version of
„Verliebte Königin“:
„Szerelmes királynő“
further hungarian
recordings
December 1936:
Cochran-Revue
„Home And Beauty“
Stage and film - all on Lindström records:
The actress Gitta Alpár
Engagements allover Europe
Gitta Alpár:
Nem tudom
from
„Szerelmes királynő“
M: Miklós BRODSZKY
T: Imre HARMATH, FÖLDES
with the Ede-Buttola
Pátria-Swing-orchestra
P 312
Patria Ultravox B 49.000
rec. about 1936
Stage and film - all on Lindström records:
The actress Gitta Alpár
Engagements allover Europe
Gitta Alpár:
No More (Warum?)
from Charles B. Cochran‘s
Coronation Revue
„Home And Beauty“
M: Nikolaus Brodszky
T: Herbert
with orchestra cond. by G. Walter
Ce 8063 Od O-4648
recorded prob. December, 1936
Stage and film - all on Lindström records:
The actress Gitta Alpár
Emigration to the US
works as singing-master
lives at Los Angeles
Film „The Flame Of New Orleans“
with René Clair and
Marlene Dietrich
1987: Gitta Alpa is awarded the „Goldenes Band“ of the City
of Berlin
Gitta Alpár dies at 17 February 1991 at the age of 88 years
ZDF produces feature „Ganz Berlin lag ihr zu Füßen“
Marriage with her fourth husband
Nils W. Bagge, a Danish dancer
Stage and film - all on Lindström records:
The actress Gitta Alpár
• Interesting biography
• International artist
• „Marketing“ at Carl-Lindström-A.G.
• Very few sources
• Rare recordings
• Contemporary recordings
• Advertising of the Linddström company
• complete annual editions of magazine „Der Ton“
• would enable a more detailled overview
Conclusion and outlook
Thank you for your attention!
Thanks to the GHT for supporting me!
Stage and film - all on Lindström records:
The actress Gitta Alpár
Literature
- Der Ton, Heft Januar 1931, Berlin Carl-Lindström-A.G. 1931
- Der Ton, Heft September 1931, Berlin Carl Lindström-A.G. 1931
- Der Ton, Heft Oktober 1932, Berlin Carl-Lindström-A.G. 1932
- Goldschmidt, Albert: Budapest und Umgebung – Grieben-Reiseführer Band 102.
Grieben-Verlag Berlin, 1929
- Karinthy, Ferenc: Noch besser ist das warme Wasser. In: Merian, das Monatsheft der Städte und
Landschaften: Budapest – Heft 10 XXI Oktober 1968
- Klaus, Ulrich J.: Deutsche Tonfilme – Lexikon der abendfüllenden deutschsprachigen
Spielfilme (1929 – 45): 3. Jahrgang 1932. Ulrich J. Klaus – Verlag Berlin, Berchtesgaden 1990
- Kutsch, K.J.; Klémens, Leo: Großes Sängerlexikon, 3. Auflage, Saur Bern und München 1997
- Leimbach, Berthold: Tondokumente der Kleinkunst 1898 – 1945 1991
- Luther, Einhard: Lebendige Vergangenheit – Gitta Alpar. Booklet zur Preiser-CD Nr. 89128 Wien 1996
- Mein Film: Illustrierte Film- und Kinorundschau: Gesammelte Jahrgänge 1935/6 Wien 1935/6
- Sieben, Hansfried: Odeon – Bd. IV: Die Matrizen-Nummern der elektrischen Aufnahmen der Serie „Be“
1. Teil. Düsseldorf 1993
- Sieben, Hansfried: Beka – Bd. III: Die Matrizen-Nummern der elektrischen
Aufnahmen 25 cm. Düsseldorf 1993
- http://www.szineskönyvtar.hu
Stage and film - all on Lindström records:
The actress Gitta Alpár
Text read
Der Ton, Heft
September 1931,
Berlin Carl-Lindström-
A.G. 1931
Stage and film - all on Lindström records:
The actress Gitta Alpár
Text read
Der Ton, Heft Oktober
1932, Berlin Carl-
Lindström-A.G. 1932
Stage and film - all on Lindström records:
The actress Gitta Alpár
Pictures
- sheet 1,2: Gitta Alpár: Atelier Schneider, Berlin; Ross-Verlag
- sheet 3: Laura Hilgermann: portrait.kaar.at
- sheet 3: Synagoge Dohány utca: www.hoteldelibab.com
- sheet 4: Budapester Opernhaus: www.sulinet.hu
- sheet 4: Király Színház: htp://hampage.hu/trams/belvaros/kiralyutca.htm
- sheet 5: Staatsoper München
http://www.theaterverzeichnis.de/images/postkarten/muenchen001.jpg
- sheet 8,17: Der Ton, Heft Januar 1931, Berlin Carl-Lindström-A.G. 1931
- sheet 10: Mein Film: Illustrierte Film- und Kinorundschau:
Gesammelte Jahrgänge 1935 (links) / 1936 (rechts) Wien 1935/6
- sheet 13: http://film.virtual-history.com
- sheet 15,19: Der Ton, Heft Oktober 1932, Berlin Carl-Lindström-A.G. 1932
- sheet 15: Admiralspalst Berlin:
www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_lupe/0,,2130047_ind_2,00.html
- sheet 20: Hotel Kaiserhof Berlin: www.usmbooks.com; www.berlinstreet.de
- sheet 21: Mein Film: Illustrierte Film- und Kinorundschau:
- Gesammelter Jahrgang 1934 Wien 1934
- sheet 22: Mein Film: Illustrierte Film- und Kinorundschau:
Gesammelter Jahrgang 1936 Wien 1936
- sheet 24: The Flame Of New Orleans:
http://filmsdefrance.com/1941_The_Flame_of_New_Orleans.jpg
Stage and film - all on Lindström records:
The actress Gitta Alpár