Charlotte Eisler
Charlotte Eisler ( born Demant, born August 2, 1894 in Tarnopol, Ukraine; † August 21, 1970 in Vienna) was an Austrian singer and singing teacher. In her time she was a specialist in the vocal works of the Second Viennese School. She was married from 1920 to 1934 with the composer Hanns Eisler.
Life
Her father was a court official. She grew up as the second youngest child of six other siblings and mother and father. End of the 19th century, the family of Tarnopol moved to Czernowitz ( Bukovina ), where Charlotte completed the Lyceum with high school and began her music studies. After the Russian occupation of the city of Chernivtsi in 1914, the family moved to Vienna ( Austria ). Charlotte studied further music. To finance this, she took a job in the Creditanstalt Bank Corporation. She studied singing at the Court Opera Singer Laura Hilgermann and later at the then-known singer Prof. Daniel Andersen, music theory with Anton von Webern and piano with Eduard helmsman. In this circle around Arnold Schoenberg she learned Hanns Eisler know. 1920 married both. She gave concerts in Vienna, where she was devoted primarily to the vocal works of the Viennese school next to the classic song repertoire. Followed in 1926 Charlotte her husband to Berlin. In 1927 she went back to Vienna pregnant to maintain the diseased mother of Hanns. On April 20, 1928, their son and later painter Georg Eisler was born.
Political activity
Charlotte was politically active in Vienna, from 1933 illegal. After February 1934, she smuggled wounded Schutzbund across the border to Bratislava. In her apartment, she hosted two leading officials of the Yugoslav Communist Party illegal. 1934, the marriage ended in divorce with Hanns Eisler, because they did not withstand the circumstances of the time. Friendly contact kept mainly still with the Schoenberg pupil Erwin Ratz and his family.
Emigration
In 1936, Charlotte with her then eight- year-old son, first to Moscow. She accepted a position at the state music publishing house ( MUSGIS ), where she worked in the publishing of the vocal work of Gustav Mahler. At the request of the composer Sergei Prokofiev she corrected his songs, which should appear at the time. She also appeared as a singer in concerts. Contact they had in Moscow with many artists and scientists, for example, with the actor Ernst Busch.
In early 1938, the residence of Charlotte and her son was not renewed, so they had to leave the USSR quickly. They wanted to return to Vienna. In Prague, they had their way home, however, because of the annexation of Austria by the German Reich break and stayed there about a year. During this time Charlotte was trying to find an exit option in a less vulnerable country. After the Munich Agreement (September 30, 1938) Charlotte committed for anti-Nazis who fled the Sudetenland to Prague. With the help of the Quakers Charlotte was able to flee with her son in March 1939 to England.
In England, Charlotte was able to devote their musical activity again, especially from August 1939 in Manchester. She also gave recitals throughout England, among other things, with premieres of works of the Second Viennese School, such as by Hanns Eisler. As a pianist she was particularly active as a chamber musician, especially with cellist Friedrich Buxbaum (formerly Vienna Philharmonic ). They also conducted a women's choir and gave singing lessons.
Return
In 1946, Charlotte and her son back to Vienna and stayed with concerts ( among other things, on 12 December 1946, French songs in the RAVAG ) above water. In addition to their technical competence and their difficult economic situation was one reason why they at the Conservatory of Vienna received from September 29, 1947 Professor of Voice ( voice training ), but due to lack of demand not on the main hospital, but at a branch office ( Music School Kagran ). During this time you made time and again to create health problems associated with the bronchi. The point at the Conservatory was terminated June 30, 1952. Charlotte Eisler died on 21 August 1970 in Vienna ..