Opera Singer. A leading tenor of early 20th. century Vienna, he is probably best remembered for creating the role of Count Danilo in the 1905 world premiere of Franz Lehar's "The Merry Widow". Born Alois Politzer to a merchant family of what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire, he broke into show business as a stagehand, gradually was given small roles, and received his major break in 1902 when he sang at the Carltheater in Lehar's "Ein Rastelbinder". Gradually becoming a leading exponent Viennese operetta he starred in several world premieres including those of Lehar's "The Merry Widow" on December 30, 1905, and Leo Fall's "The Dollar Princess" on November 2, 1907, in both cases singing opposite Mizzi Gunther with the composer on the podium. Treumann continued performing at the Carltheater as well as at the Johann Strauss Theater and in the late 1920s appeared in a few movies including "Der Rastelbinder" (1927), the 1929 "Katherine Knee", and 1930's "Flight in the Foreign Legion"; with the rise of the Nazis work for Jews dried up and Treumann was unable to obtain engagements after 1935. Following several delays, and despite intervention by a number of highly placed musical personages including Lehar, he was shipped to Theresienstadt in 1942 and subsequently died in the camp. Most of his recorded legacy including creator discs of "The Merry Widow" has been preserved.
Opera Singer. A leading tenor of early 20th. century Vienna, he is probably best remembered for creating the role of Count Danilo in the 1905 world premiere of Franz Lehar's "The Merry Widow". Born Alois Politzer to a merchant family of what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire, he broke into show business as a stagehand, gradually was given small roles, and received his major break in 1902 when he sang at the Carltheater in Lehar's "Ein Rastelbinder". Gradually becoming a leading exponent Viennese operetta he starred in several world premieres including those of Lehar's "The Merry Widow" on December 30, 1905, and Leo Fall's "The Dollar Princess" on November 2, 1907, in both cases singing opposite Mizzi Gunther with the composer on the podium. Treumann continued performing at the Carltheater as well as at the Johann Strauss Theater and in the late 1920s appeared in a few movies including "Der Rastelbinder" (1927), the 1929 "Katherine Knee", and 1930's "Flight in the Foreign Legion"; with the rise of the Nazis work for Jews dried up and Treumann was unable to obtain engagements after 1935. Following several delays, and despite intervention by a number of highly placed musical personages including Lehar, he was shipped to Theresienstadt in 1942 and subsequently died in the camp. Most of his recorded legacy including creator discs of "The Merry Widow" has been preserved.
Bio by: Bob Hufford
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