Otto Beck

On Otto Beck, no research at all has been done so far – only his records and his discography tell about his career. But actually, they tell quite a bit:

- He must have been from Cologne or nearby, or he could never have recorded all those songs in the recondite Cologne dialect.

- The Premier-Record labels tell that he was at the time (about 1909/10) a member of the opera theater in Graz.

- Most of his records were made in Berlin, which is meaningless: just like singers in Austria would go to Vienna to make their recordings, singers from all over Germany (and beyond) would go to Berlin to record. But that he made a bunch of recordings in Hannover means that with utmost certainty, he was a member of the Hannover theater back then (1907).

- A conspicuous recording is Premier-Record 5145 – "Ihres Auges himmlisch' Strahlen", that's "Il balen del suo sorriso": a baritone aria, of course. I had the possibility to hear it, and it's excellent. While many baritones struggle with the high tessitura, Beck's low, dark tenor has not the slightest problem with the piece.

- The biggest surprise in his discography, however, is the Nitto record from Japan. It must have been made considerably later than Beck's others: the Nitto label was only founded in 1925. Josef Laska, who played the piano on those two Walküre selections, was a very interesting figure: an Austrian composer and conductor, who lived in Japan from 1923 to 1933 and played an important role in acquainting the Land of the Rising Sun with Western classical music. I was rather convinced that Otto Beck must have sung in one of Laska's Japanese concerts, but not so: on Laska's activity in Japan, thorough academic research has been done since the early 1990s, and Beck's name doesn't show up in any relative documents. So it has to remain a mystery what he did in Osaka at some time between 1925 (foundation of Nitto Records) and 1933 (departure of Josef Laska)... other than recording two selections from Walküre of course.

Kalliope, Berlin, 1906/07; w. orch.
1123	Der Lenz (Hildach)						6194

Kalliope, Berlin, 6 November 1907; w. orch.
1164	Das Herz am Rhein (Hill)					1164, Chronophon 402

Kalliope, Berlin, 1907/08; w. orch.
1164 I	Das Herz am Rhein (Hill)					Mill-Opera 602

Zonophone, Berlin, May 1907; w. orch., cnd: Bruno Seidler-Winkler
3001r	Minnelied (Obermeyer)						X-22609
3003r	Strömt herbei, ihr Völkerscharen (Peters)			X-22637
3004r	An deinem Herzen lass mich träumen (Krasinsky)			X-22610
3092r	Et Fröhjohr, dat ess doch de prächtigste Zick (Offergeld)	X-22638
3093r	Wat wär et ganze Levve wäth (Körschgen)				X-22613
3094r	Am Rhein, am heiligen Strome (probably the version by Urspruch)	X-22639
3095r	E kölsch Fiakerleed (Körschgen)					X-22614

Beka, Berlin, May 1907; w. orch.
11162	Minnelied (Obermeyer)						11162
11163	An deinem Herzen lass mich träumen (Krasinsky)			11163
11164	Der Lenz (Hildach)						11164
11165	Des Rheines Sehnen (Obermeyer)					11165
11166	Am Rhein und beim Wein (Ries)					11166
11167	Et Fröhjohr, dat ess doch de prächtigste Zick (Offergeld)	11167
11168	Och Moder, ich well en Ding han (Brahms)			11168
11169	Wat wär et ganze Levve wäth (Körschgen)				11169
11170	Cölner Schusterjungenleed (Weber)				11170, Arion 5219
11171	Dat es dä Schmitzen Hen (Ullrich)				11171
11172	De Geiss well 'ne lange Stätz han (Räderscheidt)		11172
11173	E kölsch Fiakerleed (Körschgen)					11173
11174	Das Zauberlied (Meyer-Helmund)					11174

Polyphon, Berlin, 1907; w. piano
1192	Minnelied (Obermeyer)						1192
1193	An deinem Herzen lass mich träumen (Krasinsky)			1193
1194	Das Zauberlied (Meyer-Helmund)					1194
1195	Der Lenz (Hildach)						1956
1197	Lustige Witwe (Lehár): Es waren zwei Königskinder		1197
1198	Lustige Witwe (Lehár): Hilfe kommt zur rechten Zeit		1198
1199	Och Moder, ich well en Ding han (Brahms)			1199
1200	Et Fröhjohr, dat ess doch de prächtigste Zick (Offergeld)	1200
1201	Wat wär et ganze Levve wäth (Körschgen)				1201

Favorite, Hannover, 1907; w. piano
	An deinem Herzen lass mich träumen (Krasinsky)			1-15534
	Minnelied (Obermeyer)						1-15535
	Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Wagner): Am stillen Herd		1-15545
	Der Lenz (Hildach)						1-15546
	Winterlied (Koss)						1-15547
	Zeuge meiner Liebe (Pastory)					1-15550
	E kölsch Fiakerleed (Körschgen)					1-17240
	Wat wär et ganze Levve wäth (Körschgen)				1-17241
	Et Fröhjohr, dat ess doch de prächtigste Zick (Offergeld)	1-17242
	De Geiss well 'ne lange Stätz han (Räderscheidt)		1-17243
	Cölner Schusterjungenleed (Weber)				1-17244
	Dat es dä Schmitzen Hen (Ullrich)				1-17245
	De Mösch (Wirk)							1-17246
	Lorenz, loss dat Kind en Rau (Weber)				1-17247
	No, wat sähste no dozo (Kipper)					1-17248
	Ohne Mädchen geiht et nit (Weber)				1-17249
	Do deis mer leid (Weber)					1-17250
	De Kaffeemüll (Borscheidt)					1-17251

Homocord, Berlin, 1907 (?); w. orch., cnd: Paul Wagener
1144	An deinem Herzen lass mich träumen (Krasinsky)			1144
1145	Minnelied (Obermeyer)						1145
1146	O du herrlicher Rhein (Obermeyer)				1146
1147	Der Lenz (Hildach)						1147

Edison cylinders, Berlin, February 1908 (?); w. orch., cnd: Paul Wagener
15898	Wat wär et ganze Levve wäth (Körschgen)				15898

Premier-Record, Wien, 1908/09; w. piano
5099	Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Wagner): Am stillen Herd		5099
5106	Der Lenz (Hildach)						5106
5107 P	Der junge Papa (Eysler): Ich reist' durch alle Zonen		5107
5112 P	Trovatore (Verdi): Dass nur für mich dein Herz erbebt		5112
5113	Winterlied (Koss)						5113
5116	Walküre (Wagner): Siegmund heiß' ich				5116
5117	Lohengrin (Wagner): Atmest du nicht mit mir			5117
5119	Tiefland (d'Albert): Was soll ich tun? Ich weiß es nicht	5119

Edison cylinders, Berlin, January 1909 (?); w. orch., cnd: Paul Wagener
16012	Et Fröhjohr, dat ess doch de prächtigste Zick (Offergeld)	16012

Gramophone, Berlin, 17 March 1909; w. orch., cnd: Bruno Seidler-Winkler
772ab	Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Wagner): Am stillen Herd		4-42343
773ab	Tiefland (d'Albert): Ich grüß' noch einmal meine Berge		4-42218
774ab	Tiefland (d'Albert): Es kam in jeder Nacht ein Wolf		4-42217

Gramophone, Berlin, 20 October 1909; w. orch., cnd: Bruno Seidler-Winkler
1812½ab	Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Wagner): Am stillen Herd		4-42344

Premier-Record, Wien, 1909/10; w. piano: Zsigmond Vincze
5130	Carmen (Bizet): Hier an dem Herzen				5130
5134	Zauberlied (Meyer-Helmund)					5134
5135	O lass mich träumen (= Let me dream again) (Sullivan)		5135
5136	Fledermaus (Strauß jun.): Täubchen, das entflattert ist		5136
5136-B	Fledermaus (Strauß jun.): Täubchen, das entflattert ist		5136
5137	Fledermaus (Strauß jun.): Trinke, Liebchen, trinke schnell	5137
5137-B	Fledermaus (Strauß jun.): Trinke, Liebchen, trinke schnell	5137
5145	Trovatore (Verdi): Ihres Auges himmlisch' Strahlen		5145

Parlophon, Berlin, January 1911; w. orch., cnd: Friedrich Kark
2-425	Walküre (Wagner): Winterstürme wichen dem Wonnemond		P-425
2-426	Tannhäuser (Wagner): Inbrunst im Herzen, pt. 1			P-426
2-427	Tannhäuser (Wagner): Inbrunst im Herzen, pt. 2			P-427
2-429	Faust (Gounod): Gegrüßt sei mir, o heil'ge Stätte		P-429

Nitto, Osaka; w. piano: Josef Laska
1370 A	Walküre (Wagner): Winterstürme wichen dem Wonnemond		1370
1370 B	Walküre (Wagner): Ein Schwert verhieß mir der Vater		1370

Many thanks to Anton Bieber for the recordings and label scans.
And many thanks to Irene Suchy, one of the foremost experts on Josef Laska, for checking her archives with regard to Beck.