A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Stockhausen, Julius
STOCKHAUSEN, Julius, son of the foregoing, one of the most remarkable singers of our time, was born at Paris, July 22, 1826. His gifts showed themselves early, and his mother was accustomed to say that he could sing before he could speak. He and his younger brother Edward (who died early) accompanied their parents on a concert tour to England, and learnt there to sing Bishop's duet 'Where are you going, sweet sister Fay?' In 1833 Julius was placed at a school at Gebweiler in Alsace, where he remained till 1840, with a view to the clerical profession. But such intentions were dispelled by the violent turn for music which asserted itself after a concert at Basle in 1842, at which Mme. Stockhausen made her last appearance. He took a prominent part in the concerts at Gebweiler as singer, accompanyist, violin-player, and even drummer. In 1844 he moved to the seminary of Strasburg, and there his performances on the cello and organ sealed his fate as a priest. In 1845 and 1846 he visited Paris with his father, took lessons in the piano from Charles Halle and Stamaty, and in singing from Emanuel Garcia, and entered thoroughly into the abundant musical life of the French capital, to the great advantage of his musical education. His devotion to the profession of music was however not absolutely decided till 1848, when, at the invitation of Ernst Reiter, the conductor, he suddenly took the part of Elijah in a performance of that oratorio at Basle. His success decided his future course, and he at once threw himself energetically into the art, and for the next few years travelled in all directions, singing at innumerable concerts Schubert's Schöne Müllerin and other songs. In 1849 he came to England, renewed his lessons with Garcia and sang at various concerts. In 1851 he returned, and sang three times at the Philharmonic, April 7 in the Choral Symphony, April 28 in two trios, and June 9 in a scena from Boieldieu's 'Chaperon Rouge.' Taste in England was not then sufficiently advanced to call for the Lieder just mentioned. To these, at the instance of Schröder-Devrient, he shortly added Schumann's 'Dichterliebe' and others. His first appearance on the stage seems to have been at Mannheim in 1852, 53, and he joined the Opera Comique at Paris in 1857–59, supporting such parts as the Seneschal in 'Jean de Paris.' At this time he became much lié with Ary Scheffer; and with Mme. Viardot, Berlioz, Duprez, St. Saëns, and others, formed one of the circle by whom much German music was performed in the studio of the great painter.
1859 to 62 were occupied in more concert tours, and it was during this time at Leipzig and Cologne that he first attempted Schumann's Faust music. In 1862 he came to an anchor at Hamburg as Director of the Philharmonic Concerts and of the Singakademie, a position which he retained till 1869, when he was made Kammersinger to the King of Wurtemberg at Stuttgart with a salary of 2000 gulden, residing at Canstatt. During all this time he took many concert tours, especially with Mme. Schumann, Joachim and Brahms. In the latter part of 1870 he brought over his pupil Sophie Löwe to England, and remained till late in 1871. He once more sang at the Philharmonic, and appeared at the Crystal Palace and the Monday Populars, where he introduced several fine unknown Lieder of Schubert. He and Miss Löwe reappeared here the next winter, and remained till the end of the summer season of 1872.
In 1874 he moved from Stuttgart to Berlin, and took the direction of the Vocal Society founded by Stern (Sternsches Gesangverein), which under his genial and able direction rose to the highest point of excellence. In the four years that he conducted it there were no less than 28 performances of great works, including Beethoven's Mass in D, Mozart's Requiem, Bach's Matthew Passion, Schumann's Faust music (complete) and Paradise and the Peri, Brahms's Requiem, etc. In 1878 he again changed his residence, this time to Frankfort, to take the department of singing in the Conservatorium founded by Dr. Hoch, and presided over by Raff. This post, however, he soon gave up, and retired to his house at Frankfort, teaching the many private pupils who resorted to him there. Since the death of Raff in 1882 he has returned to the Conservatorium. [App. p.796 "Add that his Method of Singing has lately been translated into English by Mme. Sophie Löwe (Novello & Co.)."]
Stockhausen's singing in his best days must have been wonderful. Even to those who, like the writer, only heard him after he had passed his zenith, it is a thing never to be forgotten. Perhaps the maturity of the taste and expression made up for a little falling off in the voice. His delivery of opera and oratorio music—his favourite pieces from Euryanthe, Jean de Paris, Le Chaperon rouge, and Le Philtre; or the part of Elijah, or certain special airs of Bach—was superb in taste, feeling, and execution; but it was the Lieder of Schubert and Schumann that most peculiarly suited him, and these he delivered in a truly remarkable way. The rich beauty of the voice, the nobility of the style, the perfect phrasing, the intimate sympathy, and, not least, the intelligible way in which the words were given—in itself one of his greatest claims to distinction—all combined to make his singing of songs a wonderful event. Those who have heard him sing Schubert's 'Nachtstück,' 'The Wanderer,' 'Memnon,' or the Harper's songs; or Schumann's 'Frühlingsnacht,' or 'Fluthenreicher Ebro,' or the 'Löwenbraut,' will corroborate all that has just been said. But perhaps his highest achievement was the part of Dr. Marianus in the third part of Schumann's Faust, in which his delivery of the scene of the 'Drei Himmelskönigin' ('Hier ist die Aussicht frei'), with just as much of acting as the concert-room will admit—and no more—was one of the most touching and remarkable things ever witnessed.