He initially studied singing under Adolf Robinson in Brünn (now Brno). He made his baritone debut in 1896 at the Municipal Theatre of Brünn, portraying Telramund in Lohengrin. His early career included a stint at the Municipal Theatre of Olmütz (now Olomouc) until 1897, after which he was engaged by the prestigious Berlin Court Opera in 1898.

During his tenure at the Berlin Court Opera, he participated in several notable premieres. On April 18, 1899, he sang in the premiere of Fernand Le Borne’s opera Mudarra. He also appeared on April 10, 1900, in Ferdinand Hummel’s opera Die Beichte, and on December 13, 1904, in the premiere of Ruggiero Leoncavallo’s opera Der Roland von Berlin. Additionally, on April 14, 1905, he took part in the Berlin premiere of Engelbert Humperdinck’s Die Heirat wider Willen.

His connection to the Bayreuth Festival was significant, where he performed in Parsifal and Götterdämmerung in 1901, 1906, and 1908. After taking a brief hiatus in 1908 to study under Oscar Sänger, he re-emerged as a tenor, making a notable comeback in Berlin in 1909 with the role of Lohengrin.

In 1913, he married the American soprano Marie Rappold (1879-1957). His talent led him to perform in major cities such as Paris, London, Prague, and Amsterdam, as well as at the Vienna Court Opera. His rising fame earned him an engagement at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where he made his debut in 1914 as Siegmund in Die Walküre. During his two seasons at the Met, he performed in 24 productions across 8 roles, predominantly focusing on Wagnerian repertoire, including Siegfried, Lohengrin, Walther, Parsifal, Tristan, and Tannhäuser. His only non-Wagnerian role at the Met was Tamino in Die Zauberflöte.

Throughout his career, he performed an impressive total of 96 roles as a baritone and 18 as a tenor. Tragically, his career was cut short when he died suddenly at the age of 41, at the peak of his career.