A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Scaria, Emil

by Alexis Chitty

SCARIA, Emil, born in 1838 at Gratz, Styria, studied at the Conservatorium, Vienna, under Gentiluomo, made his début at Pesth as St. Bris in 'The Huguenots,' and afterwards sang at Brunn and Frankfort. In 1860 he came to London for the purpose of further study under Garcia, where he was heard by Abt, who procured him an engagement in 1862 at Dessau. He next played at Leipzig, and from 1865 to 72 at Dresden. Among his best parts were Hercules (Alceste), Sarastro, Leporello, Caspar, Rocco, Landgrave (Tannhäuser), Pogner (Meistersinger) Burgomaster (Czaar und Zimmermann), Dulcamara, Geronimo (Il Matrimonio segreto), and Falstaff, in which last a critic remarks that he made one of his greatest successes … when he was at Dresden, and made it in great measure by his really excellent acting of the character. From 1872 till now (1881) he has been engaged at Vienna, where he has established his reputation as a versatile singer and actor in both baritone and bass parts, but best in the latter, as his 'carefully deadened high notes form so great a contrast to the vigorous notes of his lower and middle register' (Hanslick). Among his more recent parts are Hans Sachs (Meistersinger) Wotan (Nibelungen)—for which character he was originally selected by Wagner for Bayreuth—Micheli (Wasserträger) Escamillo, Marcel, Bertram, and (1879) Seneschal (Jean de Paris). He has played in the principal German and Austrian cities, also in Italian opera at St. Petersburg. [App. p.781 "Add that he created the part of Gurnemanz in 'Parsifal' at Bayreuth, and sang the same at the concert performances of the work in Nov. 1884 at the Albert Hall. He subsequently became insane, and died July 22, 1886.']

[ A. C. ]