Rudoph Schock grew up in poor conditions after his father’s early death. His career began in 1934, when received his first engagement as a choir singer at the city theater in his hometown.
Shock was the most well-known German tenor in the after-the-war period. He sang in a wide variety of variety of roles, from operetta to Wagner. He was not quite a helden (heroic) tenor. He is categorized as a lyric tenor. But that still means that the voice was large.
Like most good singers, Schock did not grab in the throat or use the swallowing muscles to squeeze out a sound. He voice production was fairly open. He is not widely known today, and therefore he is the perfect subject for a posting.
Flowtow, Martha, “Ach!, so fromm”
Ach! so fromm, ach so traut,
Hat mein Auge sie erschaut;
Ach! so mild, und so rein
Drang ihr Bild in’s Herz mir ein.
Banger Gram, eh’ sie kam,
Hat die Zukunft mir umhüllt,
Doch mit ihr blühte mir
Neues Dasein lusterfüllt.
Weh! Es schwand, was ich fand, ach!
Mein Glüch erschauf ich kaum,
Bin erwacht und die Nacht
Raubte mir den süssen traum.
Martha! Martha!
Du entschwandest, und mein Glück
Nahmst Du mit Dir;
Gib mir wieder, was Du fandest,
Oder theile es mit mir.
Flowtow, Martha, “Oh!, so pious”
Oh! so pious, oh so trusting,
My eye has seen her;
Oh! so mild, and so pure
Her image penetrated my heart.
At the break of day, before she came,
The future has enveloped me,
But with her I thrived
New existence filled with pleasure.
Pain! What I found disappeared, alas!
I hardly create my happiness,
I woke up and the night
Took away my sweet dream.
Martha! Martha!
You disappeared, and my happiness
You took with you;
Give me back what you found
Or share it with me.
Mozart, Don Giovanni, “Il mio tesoro”
Il mio tesoro intanto
andate a consolar,
e del bel ciglio il pianto
cercate d’asciugar.
Ditele che i suoi torti
a vendicar io vado;
che sol di stragi e morti
nunzio vogl’io tornar.
Il mio tesoro intanto, ecc.
Mozart, Don Giovanni, “My treasure”
Meanwhile, my treasure
go and console,
and from her lovely eyes
try to dry the tears.
Tell her that her wrongs
I am going to avenge,
that I shall not return
except with tidings of death.
Meanwhile, etc.
Puccini, Manon Lescaut, “Donna non vidi mai”
Donna non vidi mai simile a questa!
A dirle: io t’amo,
a nuova vita l’alma mia si desta.
“Manon Lescaut mi chiamo.”
Come queste parole profumate
mi vagan nello spirto
e ascose fibre vanno a carezzare.
O sussurro gentil, deh! non cessare! ecc.
“Manon Lescaut mi chiamo.”
Sussurro gentil, deh! non cessar!
Puccini, Manon Lescaut, “Never have I seen such a woman”
Never have I seen such a woman!
To tell her: I love you,
awakens my heart to new life.
“My name is Manon Lescaut.”
How those fragrant words
linger in my spirit
and caress hidden chords.
O gentle murmur, pray never cease! etc.
“My name is Manon Lescaut.”
O gentle murmur, pray never cease!
Schubert, “Auf dem Wasser zu singen”
Mitten im Schimmer der spiegelnden Wellen
Gleitet, wie Schwäne, der wankende Kahn;
Ach, auf der Freude sanft schimmernden Wellen
Gleitet die Seele dahin wie der Kahn;
Denn von dem Himmel herab auf die Wellen
Tanzet das Abendrot rund um den Kahn.
Über den Wipfeln des westlichen Haines
Winket uns freundlich der rötliche Schein;
Unter den Zweigen des östlichen Haines
Säuselt der Kalmus im rötlichen Schein;
Freude des Himmels und Ruhe des Haines
Atmet die Seel’ im errötenden Schein.
Ach, es entschwindet mit tauigem Flügel
Mir auf den wiegenden Wellen die Zeit.
Morgen entschwinde mit schimmerndem Flügel
Wieder wie gestern und heute die Zeit,
Bis ich auf höherem strahlendem Flügel
Selber entschwinde der wechselnden Zeit.
Schubert, “To be sung on the water”
Amid the shimmer of the mirroring waves
the rocking boat glides, swan-like,
on gently shimmering waves of joy.
The soul, too, glides like a boat.
For from the sky the setting sun
dances upon the waves around the boat.
Above the tree-tops of the western grove
the red glow beckons kindly to us;
beneath the branches of the eastern grove
the reeds whisper in the red glow.
The soul breathes the joy of heaven,
the peace of the grove, in the reddening glow.
Alas, with dewy wings
time vanishes from me on the rocking waves.
Tomorrow let time again vanish with shimmering
wings, as it did yesterday and today,
until, on higher, more radiant wings,
I myself vanish from the flux of time.
Strauss, “Allerseelen”
Stell auf den Tisch die duftenden Reseden,
Die letzten roten Astern trag herbei,
Und laß uns wieder von der Liebe reden,
Wie einst im Mai.
Gib mir die Hand, daß ich sie heimlich drücke,
Und wenn man’s sieht, mir ist es einerlei,
Gib mir nur einen deiner süßen Blicke,
Wie einst im Mai.
Es blüht und duftet heut auf jedem Grabe,
Ein Tag im Jahr ist ja den Toten frei,
Komm am mein Herz, daß ich dich wieder habe,
Wie einst im Mai.
Strauss, “All Souls Day”
Put the fragrant mignonettes on the table,
Bring in the last red asters,
And let us talk of love again
As once in May.
Give me your hand that I in secret press,
And if one sees it, I do not care,
Give me only one of your sweet glances
As once in May.
Each grave today has flowers and is fragrant,
One day each year are the dead free;
Come to my heart that you be mine again,
As once in May.
Rudolph Schock
September 4, 1915 – November 13, 1986
The German tenor Rudolf Schock was born in Duisberg, near the Dutch border, and studied singing in Cologne and Hanover. His stage début was at Brunswick in 1937 but his singing career was interrupted by five years of military service. In 1946 he was engaged by the Staatsoper in Berlin and Hamburg, remaining with the latter until 1956. His Salzburg Festival début was in 1948, followed by two seasons at Covent Garden (1949–50) where his rôles included Rodolfo (La Bohème), Alfredo (La traviata), Tamino, Pinkerton and The Olympians (Bliss).
In 1951 he joined the Vienna State Opera and the following year sang at the Edinburgh Festival. His Bayreuth début was as Walther von Stolzing in 1959, a role he had earlier recorded with Rudolf Kempe. His later career was most successful in operetta, television and film. He recorded prolifically over a period of almost thirty years, including Lohengrin, Erik in Der fliegende Holländer, and Max in Der Freischütz, in addition to operettas by Johann Strauss and Lehár, lieder and popular song. He was generally considered the successor to Richard Tauber.