Wüllner, Ludwig
Wüllner, Ludwig
Wüllner, Ludwig, distinguished German singer, son of Franz Wüllner; b. Münster, Aug. 19,1858; d. Kiel, March 19, 1938. He studied Germanic philology at the Univs. of Munich, Berlin, and Strasbourg. He taught Germanic philology at the Akademie in Münster (1884-87), and sang occasionally in concert. His music training began only in 1887, when he took a course of study at the Cologne Cons. A second change of vocation brought him to the Meiningen Court Theater, where he appeared as an actor of heroic parts in the spoken drama (1889-95); he became friendly with Brahms, who commended his singing of German folk songs. In 1895 he gave song recitals in Berlin with such acclaim that he decided to devote himself mainly to Heder. He then made tours of all Europe, arousing tremendous enthusiasm. His first recital in N.Y. (Nov. 15, 1908) was a sensational success, and he followed it by an extensive tour of the U.S. and then another (1909-10). His peculiar distinction was his ability to give an actor’s impersonation of the character of each song, introducing an element of drama on the concert stage.
Bibliography
F. Ludwig, L. W.: Sein Leben und seine Kunst (Leipzig, 1931).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire