It’s write easy

It’s been two weeks now since I have done some It’s write easy. I did the writing but did not have time to put it on my post. I’ll catch up this week again. I have sorted some of my writing and had to put it in a book. The editing and printing took some time to complete. It is done now I can go on with my weekly writing again.

I am going to jump a few writings and do the quick writing we had to do yesterday.

This is a tribute to a wonderful teacher I had.

November 09, 2012

10 minutes quick writing:  Tell something about a person that meant a lot to you or who made an impression on you ( teacher, parent or grandparent, friend)

Teacher

RUDI NEITZ

My first two years in high school I had some  very interesting teachers. The best one I remember was my German teacher.

He was this handsome young man and all the girls loved him! He was really special because he had this deep bass voice. Every Friday he would sing to us. He was very shy. He never wanted to stand in front of the class to do his singing. He would go to the back of the classroom and we were not supposed to look back. The best  song to all of us was “Old man river”. We enjoyed going to his class.

At the end of the second year (std 7) he got a post as lecturer at Pretoria university. We all cried when they said good bye to him.

Rudi Neitz also wrote a small piece in my autograph book in 1961.

One day he told us that he was going to sing on the radio. We all listened that evening. His first song was” Annatjie Voortrekkernooientjie”

He also had the opportunity to sing at the inauguration of our first State President Blackie Swart. This was in 1961 when South Africa became a Republic. Afterwards he told us how it was to sing in front of all these people on Kerkplein (Church square) I can still remember that it was a very unpleasant and rainy day. We did not have TV so we could not follow the whole ceremony. Everything was only in the newspaper and magazines.

Before coming to New Zealand I tried to get hold of one of his cd’s, with no success.  In 2010 I found a double cd and brought it back with me.

( He passed away in 2002)

Here is the page from my autograph book.

 

 

RUDI NEITZ, bass, born 28 December 1934, died 6 February 2002

 

During the last 50 years of his life, Rudi Neitz became a household name in South Africa and considered as a national treasure.

 

After completing his school years in Brits (near Pretoria), he obtained the THOD degree and a Teacher’s Diploma at the Teachers’ College of Pretoria.  He subsequently obtained B.A. and  M.A. (German) degrees at the University of Pretoria, where he was later appointed as a lecturer and acting Head of the German Department.  He was honoured with the Dux Docens Award and a Pro Munere Medallion for his outstanding educational services at the University of Pretoria.

 

During his youth and student years he already proved himself as an outstanding singer.  Apart from his great love for the German Lied, he appeared in countless productions of opera and operetta  –  amongst others in the leading bass roles in Die Zauberflöte, Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, Aida, Nabucco, La Boheme, Norma, Amahl and the Night Visitors, Lucia di Lammermoor, and Peter Grimes.  He appeared with conductors such as Alun Francis, Nicola Samala and Franco Ferraris.  He was invited to perform at the Vienna State Opera, but he declined the offer.  Rudi also performed regularly in oratorios such as teh St Matthew Passion, Messiah, Die Schöpfung, Verdi’s Requiem and Mozart’s Coronation Mass.

 

Rudi was married to Bakkies Barnard, with whom he had two sons  –  Erdi and Werner.

RUDI  NEITZ

Biography and other information

 

(Back to Rudi Neitz’s Home Page)

http://saoperasingers.homestead.com/Rudi_Neitz_Bio.html

 

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