Fritz Arlberg

Fritz Georg Efraim Arlberg (21 March 1830 in Leksand, Sweden – 21 February 1896 in Christiania, Sweden) was a Swedish baritone, teacher, composer, opera singer, translator of opera libretti and member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.

Arlberg was born in Leksand in 1830, the son of Georg Arlberg and Margareta Lovisa Salmark. He became a student at Uppsala University in 1848 from where he graduated in 1852. He then worked for a time as an official, among others, in the Chamber College. He commenced writing musical compositions from early in his career and during his time at Uppsala he attracted attention through his singing voice. Arlberg studied singing with Julius Günther and the German tenor Wieser. He débuted at the Mindre teatern in Stockholm in 1854 as Farinelli, but soon transitioned to the Royal Swedish Opera where he débuted as Figaro in The Marriage of Figaro and had employment there from 1858 to 1874. From 1860 to 1864 he was also sub-director and from 1864 to 1865 director at the Royal Swedish Opera. However, he left there in 1874 owing to some ill-treatment and instead took up employment at the Opera in Christiania, where he stayed until 1877. He appeared as a guest-singer at several theatres in Stockholm during this period, and until 1883, when he gave up his singing career. He then worked as a singing teacher, first in Stockholm and then in Copenhagen and finally in Christiania from 1894, where he died in 1896.

He was also active as a composer and writer. He translated and edited a number of operatic texts, including Rienzi and The Flying Dutchman. He also became one of the champions in Sweden for the works of Richard Wagner.

Arlberg was elected as member No. 420 of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music on 24 January 1868.

In 1868 he married the violinist Maria Neruda, sister of the cellist Franz Xaver Neruda and the violinist Wilma Neruda, and was the father of Hjalmar Arlberg. He also had a daughter, Judith, with the sculptor Ida Ericson-Molard.

In 1901 his Der Asra Op. 8 No. 3 was performed at the Promenade Concerts at the Royal Albert Hall by Albert Mallinson and his wife, the Swedish soprano Anna Sophie Steinhauer.

Orchestral works in one movement:

Mixed choir a cappella

Voice and piano:

Voice and orchestra

Piano:

Translation of libretti by: