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Jozef Sterkens (pseudonym of Jozef Steuren) was born in Antwerp,
Belgium on 11th March, 1893. His parents, who kept a laundry,
belonged to the middle-class of the city. As he was a good scholar,
his parents wanted him to become a teacher, so in 1908 they sent
him to Ghent, where he studied at the Normal School, he was a
dreamy boy and his studies didn't interest him very much. However,
he had the chance to receive music-lessons from the Flemish composer
Emiel Hullebroeck, and his teacher soon discovered that he had
a beautiful tenor voice. Hullebroeck suggested that he take singing-lessons,
but financial circumstances obliged him to become an art-teacher
after he had finished his studies. . .
By the outbreak of World War I he was mobilized and served four
years as a nurse in a military hospital. At the front he sang
for the soldiers from time to time, together with other Flemish
artists. He was decorated four times during his military service.
After the armistice, he returned to Antwerp and returned his
profession as an art-teacher at the Royal Atheneum. At the same
time he studied music at the Royal Flemish Conservatory.
In 1923, he sang for a music-critic of a local paper. The man
was so enthusiastic about his voice that they together approached
Edmond Borgers, who was at that time the leading heldentenor
at the Royal Flemish opera. After hearing his 'Grahlserzählung'
from Lohengrin, Borgera decided to give Sterkens singing-lessons.
In 1924, Sterkens started his singing-career, interpreting compositions
of Flemish composers like Peter Benoit, Jan Blockx, Jef van Hoof
and Renaat Veremans. Veremans, who was alsoconductor at the opera,
became his lifelong friend. Sterkens gave his first recitals
in the concert hall of the Antwerp Zoo, mostly before a Flemish-speaking
audience. Readers not familiar with the linguistic situation
in Belgium should know that, in those days, the Dutch-speaking
part of the country (Flanders) was completely dominated by the
French-speakers and that the French bourgeoisie was under the
influence of French culture. Jozef Sterkens would become an important
figure in the Flemish struggle for cultural liberation.
In 1925, Sterkens left his post at the Atheneum and was engaged
by the director of the Royal Flemish Opera for the 1925-26 season.
His debut was not a brilliant one, as he had only a single note
to sing for his role as Ulrich Eisslinger in Die Meistersinger
van Nürnberg.
At that period Antwerp had two opera houses, the Royal Flemish
Opera, founded 1890, and the Royal French Opera, founded in 1834
and closed in 1933. In the Flemish house, Dutch versions of mostly
German and Flemish works were given while, in the French house,
the emphasis lay on French versions of Italian and French works.
The public in the Flemish house was mainly composed of Flemish
nationalists, while the French felt more at home in the 'Royal
Francais'. The singers in the Royal Flemish Opera were part of
a roster, each expected to sing a variety of parts, large find
small. Sterkens became a member of this ensemble, singing all
the roles suitable for his lyric tenor. One of his first big
successes was .the part of Tamino in Die Zauberflöte. In
1927, be became the first lyric tenor of the company. He was
also a concert singer and sang the Matthew Passion of Bach under
the baton of the famous Antwerp conductor Lodewijk De Vocht.
On the 2nd June, 1928, he sang this work in the Salle Pleyel
in Paris with Vera Janacopoulos (sop.), Theodora Versteegh (contralto),
Koen Jochem (bass) and Willem Ravelli (bass) under De Vocht.
I presume that it was at that time that Sterkens made his first
recordings for 'La Cie Francaise du Gramophone'. He also began
singing regularly before the microphones of the National Radio
Institute in Brussels and in Hilversum.
In Antwerp he took part in the Dutch creations of the following
works: Sadko (1925), Paganini (1927), Jenufa (1927), Sly (1929),
Die tote Stadt (1932) and Daphne (1939). In 1931 he made his
film-debut as a singer in a musical picture The Song of Nations.
In 1934 he acted and sang in the first spoken Flemish picture,
from which he recorded several songs written for him by his friend
Veremans.
In November 1929 and March 1931 he sang Plorestan opposite the
Leonore of Lotte Lehmann. Lehmann sang regularlv at the Flemish
Royal Opera between 1928 and 1931. In 1935, at the height of
his popularity, he accepted the directorship of the house where
he had made his debut in 1925, so his singing-career lasted only
ten years. After 1935 he would appear only three tirmes on stage.
In 1937 he sang the creation of a local work by Veremans, called
Anne-Marie. In 1939 he sang in the Dutch creation of Daphne,
for which Richard Strauss came to Antwerp to supervise the rehearsals,
and in 1943 he sang his last Florestan, in Brussels.
His direction of the Royal Flemish Opera was characterised by
many -technical renovations, especially the lighting. He had
learned much about its importance when working in films at the
UFA studios in Berlin in 1934. He also broke completely with
the tradition of parochialism by enlarging the repertory to include
French and Italian works after the closure of the Royal French
opera in 1933. Last but not least, he created better working-conditions
for the whole company. All artists were engaged 12 months a year.
His skill in accountancy helped the house out of financial difficulty
within two seasons.
He remained in this post until the season of 1942-43. In 1942,
the city council nominated a general manager for the two official
theatres in Antwerp. Sterkens was nominated deputy manager, but
he was not on very good terms with his chief and soon resigned.
In the same season he accepted the directorship of the Alhambra
Theatre in Brussels. There he organised Dutch comedy and opera
and made his ultimate appearance as a singer. The Alhambra Theatre
had a bad reputation during the war as it was used by the Germans
to give 'Wehrmachtsvorstellungen', and the Flemish fascists used
it for their meetings. It was obvious that Sterkens's acceptance
of this post would turn out badly for him. Soon after the liberation
of Antwerp in September 1944, he was imprisoned for two weeks
in the lion's cage of Antwerp Zoo together with other collaborators.
Then he was transferred to the central prison, where he spent
eight months in bad conditions.
Sterkens was liberated in April 1945, while the war was still
going on, but lost his civil rights for a year. He spent the
last years of his life forgotten by most of his former friends.
Just as he should have been rehabilitated and the post of chairman
of the musical copyright society was offered to him, Sterkens
died of a heart attack on 3rd May, 1952.
Jozef Sterkens made 44 recordings between 1928 and 1934. Of the
operatic excerpts, only the Rosenkavalier aria and Werther arias
are sung in the original language. These three recordings are
among my favourite 78s of him, because the enunciation is perfect
and the delivery very distinctive. Distinction is a characteristic
of all his performances:
even the film-songs are well sung without exaggeration. Sterkens
may be compared with Julius Patzak, who had the same qualities
and limitations, especially m the upper range.
I am indebted to Miss Maria Feyens of Antwerp for information
about a now-forgotten singer of the past. Miss Feyens was a prompter
at the official theatres in Antwerp for a period of more than
forty years and knew Sterkens during the last ten years of his
life.
Jozef Sterkens sang at the Royal Flemish Opera, Antwerp 1925
to 1935
Count Richard (Das Lied der Liebe - Korngold)
Duke (Rigoletto)
Eisenstein (Die Fledermaus)
Enrico (La Campana Sommersa)
Erik (Der fliegende Hollander)
Faust (Faust)
First knight (Parsifal)
Florestan (Fidelio)
Foma Nazaryich (Sadko)
Francois Villon (Vagabond King - Friml)
Fritz Kobus (L'Amico Fritz)
Gennaro (I Gioielli della Madonna)
Goethe (Friederike - Lehar)
Gratiaan (Beatrijs - Lelien)
Hans (Prodand Nevesta)
Heinrich (Tannhäuser)
Hindu merchant (Sadko)
Hoffmann (Les Contes d'Hoffmann)
Italian Singer (Der Rosenkaralier)
Knight Hendrik Reingemoet (Het Mirakel -Renaat Veremans)
Laca (Jenufa)
Lohengrin (Lohengrin)
Maarten (Vlammend Land - Kurt Atterberg)
Marcel (La Boheme - Leoncavallo)
Merlijn (Herbergprinses- Jan Blockx)
Nando (Tiefland)
Narraboth (Salome)
Paganini [Paganini)
Pedro (Tiefland)
Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly)
Quinten (Quinten Massijs -Emile Wambach);
Remendado (Carmen)
Shepherd (Die totenAugen)
Sly (Sly)
Snep (Marieke van Nijmegen - Frans Uyttenhove)
Stefan (Der lustige Bauer - Fall)
Tamino (Die Zauberflöte)
Tjalda (Princess Sunshine - Paul Gilson)
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