| Richard Bruno Heydrich | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 23, 1865 Leuben, Germany |
| Died | August 24, 1938 (aged 73) near Dresden, Germany |
| Nationality | German |
| Occupation | musician |
| Known for | founding Halle Conservatory |
| Spouse | Elisabeth Krantz |
| Children | Reinhard Heydrich (died 1942) Heinz Heydrich (died 1944) Maria Heydrich |
Richard Bruno Heydrich (born February 23, 1865 at Leuben, now a part of Dresden, Saxony, died August 24, 1938, near Dresden) was a German opera singer (tenor), and composer.
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Heydrich, son of a piano builder, was a contrabassist in the court orchestras of Meiningen and Dresden. In Weimar, he began his career as a singer. He was also a member of the Men's Association Schlaraffia.[1]
In 1895, Heydrich sang the title role in the premiere of Hans Pfitzner's first opera Der Arme Heinrich. The young Pfitzner could find no one for the role. Heydrich made the selfless offer to perform free of charge once a stage had been found.
Heydrich composed choral works, songs, orchestral works and operas in the style of Richard Wagner, which were performed in Cologne and Leipzig. These works never entered the standard repertoire. Heydrich left behind about 83 compositions. In 1899 Heydrich founded in Halle an der Saale a music conservatory which bore his name.
Heydrich's wife Elisabeth, née Krantz, came from a wealthy family and was the daughter of the head of the Royal Conservatory of Dresden, Eugen Krantz. She met Richard Bruno Heydrich when he was a student at the conservatory. In Halle an der Saale, Richard Bruno Heydrich, Elisabeth, and their children lived in a second floor apartment, Gütchenstraße 20. Richard Bruno Heydrich’s eldest son, SS General Reinhard Heydrich (1904–1942), was named after the hero of Richard Bruno Heydrich’s first opera, Amen. Heinz Heydrich, Reinhard's younger brother, committed suicide in 1944.[2]
Richard Bruno Heydrich died at a spa near Dresden, where his death certificate was issued.[3] His crypt is in the Stadtgottesacker, Halle an der Saale. Elisabeth Krantz Heydrich died of starvation in the Russian zone (East Germany) in 1946.[4]