Karl Jörn – Operatic Tenor

Born: 1873
Died: 1947
German tenor.

The tenor Karl Jorn was born in Riga in 1873, four years earlier than his compatriot Herman Herrlauker,  who you may remember, was also born in the Latvian capital.

Trained in Berlin, he made his debut in Freiburg in 1898, was at Hamburg from the 1899 to 1902, and then onto Berlin, where he shared parts with Wilhelm Gruining. (Whom we have already heard.)

He was at Munich in 1904 with Heidrick Knote. Covent Garden heard him in 1906 and 1908.

He joined the Metropolitan opera company in 1909 and continued there until the outbreak of the First World War.
And he had the unique experience of alternating at the Met with Burien, Tristan and Sigmond, Schmedes, Parcival and Siegfried, Slezak, Tamino, Tannhauser, and Lohengrin, Caruso, Radames in Faust, Riccardo Martin in Hoffman and Bonci in Torido.
He died in Denver in 1947.

Here he is in part of Max’s famous Aria from Veburs Die Freischutz.