His father Franz Wallnöfer was a jeweler, who was also a concert and lieder singer personally acquainted with
Franz Schubert, Gioacchino Rossini, Carl Maria von Weber und Frédéric Chopin. He had studied singing with Luigi Lablache, and was
considered a great interpreter of Schubert's lieder.
Wallnöfer grew up in that musical environment. He studied composition and singing with O. Desoff and Krenn, then with Hans von Rokitansky.
He appeared as lieder singer in 1875. He probably made his stage debut in 1878 as a baritone at the Stadttheater in
Olmütz/Olomouc as Luna.
After that, he lived in Bayreuth where he studied Wagner singing. In 1880, he started to sing tenor roles and became one of the best-known
Wagner tenors of his time.
Wallnöfer's career developed as follows:
1881/82: Olmütz
1882–85: Stadttheater in Bremen
1882/83: tour with Angelo Neumann's Wagner troupe all over Europe
1885–95: German Theatre in Prague
In 1888 in Prague, Wallnöfer took part in the premiere of Die drei Pintos in Mahler's version.
1895/96: Met
1896: tour of Russia after he first had appeared in Saint Petersburg and Moscow in 1889 with great success.
1895–97: Stadttheater Stettin
1897–99: Wrocław/Breslau
1899–1905: Nürnberg
1905/06: director of the Municipal Theater in Rostock
1906/07 and 1909/10: Vienna Volksoper
1907–09: Graz
He sang until 1914.
Guest appearances: Hofoper Vienna, 1904–09: Radames (2 February 1907), Éléazar (30 January 1907),
Otello (3 May 1907, total 3), Loge (14 March 1904), Siegmund (7 November 1906),
Siegfried (S) (20 March 1904), Siegfried (G) (7 December 1909, total 2), Samson (24 May 1907), Tannhäuser (8 March 1904),
Tristan (23 February 1907); Hamburg (1898), Riga (1896, 1909) and Brünn/Brno (1907).
Wallnöfer was also a respected lieder singer and created several lieder by Brahms, who composed them for him.
Wallnöfer was also a composer who wrote over 400 lieder and ballads, choral works, piano pieces, chamber music,
and one opera Eddystone (22 September 1899 at the German Theatre in Prague).
Since 1908, he lived in Munich as a composer and singing teacher. He published a book Resonanztonlehre (Berlin, 1911).
He was married to the actress Marie Walter.
He recorded for Beka and Favorite, all extremely rare records.
Reference: Kutsch & Riemens