Frederick Jagel

Frederick Jagel (June 10, 1897, Brooklyn, New York – July 5, 1982, San Francisco, California) was an American tenor, primarily active at the Metropolitan Opera in the 1930s and 1940s.

Early years Jagel was born on June 10, 1897, in Brooklyn, New York, the son of a church-organist father and a pianist mother. When he was 4 years old he began to study music; during his youth he studied voice while working as a life-insurance actuary. He served in World War I, after which he sang in a church choir until a benefactor financed his going to Italy for advanced studies in singing.

Life and career

Jagel studied voice in New York City and Milan. He debuted as Rodolfo in La bohème in Livorno, in 1924. He sang throughout Italy under the name of Federico Jaghelli. His San Francisco debut came in 1930 in The Girl of the Golden West.

Personal life and death Jagel was married to Nancy Weir, who died in 1968. He married Virginia Garrett in 1970 in Boston, and they remained wed until his death. He had two sons. He died after a brief illness on July 5, 1982, in San Francisco, aged 85.