Rudolf Ritter was born on 19 January 1878 in Brno/Brünn. He served as an officer in the Austro-Hungarian army from
1898 to 1908. Then he studied singing at the Vienna conservatory and made his debut in 1910 at the Vienna Volksoper,
where he sang up to 1913. There,
he took part in the world premiere of the opera "Der Kuhreigen"
by Kienzl. In 1913, he became a member of the Staatsoper
Stuttgart, where he stayed for good. During 1923/24 and 1929–31 with the German Opera
Company, Ritter sang in North America, where in 1924 he participated in
the US premiere of "Der Evangelimann". Ritter retired in
1933, teaching voice in Stuttgart, where
he died on 3 June 1966. He recorded for Vox, Odeon and Polydor.
In his early years at the Volksoper, he was primarily an operetta tenor; later on, he sang heldentenor roles
only, and mostly Wagner.
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