Edmund Eysler

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Edmund Eysler
from Sport & Salon , Vienna, March 19, 1903
Memorial plaque on the birthplace at Thelemangasse 8 in Hernals
Grave in the Vienna Central Cemetery

Edmund Samuel Eysler (actually: Eisler ; born March 12, 1874 in Hernals , Austria-Hungary , † October 4, 1949 in Vienna ) was an Austrian composer .

Life

Edmund Eisler was born in Vienna on March 12, 1874, the son of a businessman. He was actually supposed to take up the engineering profession, but his acquaintance with Leo Fall led him to study music at the Conservatory of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna , where he studied composition as a pupil of Robert Fuchs and trained as a piano teacher and conductor. After completing his training with honors, Eysler kept himself afloat financially by giving piano lessons. In 1898 he married Poldi Allnoch, with whom he was to have two daughters. In 1901 he got a job as Kapellmeister. He initially composed chamber music and piano pieces as well as the opera Fest auf Solhaug and the ballet Schlaraffenland . Through a benevolent relative, Eysler got to know the librettist Ignaz Schnitzer , who had already written the texts for the gypsy baron . Eysler was commissioned by Schnitzer to set his text for the opera Der Hexenspiegel to music. Originally the work was supposed to be performed at the Vienna Court Opera after its completion, but was then rejected by its director because the music would be too simple. The Hexenspiegel was never performed, even though the publisher Weinberger agreed to the publication of the material. Weinberger was also the one who encouraged Eysler to create an operetta from the music for Hexenspiegel. The result was the operetta Bruder Straubinger , which was a great success when it premiered on February 20, 1903 with Alexander Girardi in the leading role.

Edmund Eysler composed the operetta Der immortliche Lump (libretto by Felix Dörmann ) for the Vienna Citizens' Theater . The first performance took place on October 14, 1910. The success was overwhelming. The press said that this operetta by Eysler signals the change of genre. The composer's music was praised, the solid instrumentation and easy harmonization highlighted. This great success certainly contributed to the fact that Eysler was to remain the “house composer” of the Vienna Citizens' Theater. His latest operetta, Der Frauenfresser , was performed on December 23, 1911 , and it was also a great success. In March 1913 the work The Laughing Husband was premiered . The catchy, undemanding melodies were particularly well received by the critics. This Eysler work was to be performed in 1793 by 1921. Even during the First World War, the Viennese Citizens' Theater brought out several Eysler operettas per season as usual. At this point we would like to mention: Spring on the Rhine , Die - or none! and the dark treasure .

In 1927 Eysler published another, very successful operetta, Die golden'ne Meisterin , which was very well received in Vienna.

Because of Eysler's Jewish descent, the National Socialists forbade the performance of his works. Now Adolf Hitler also discovered that one of his favorite operettas, Die golden'ne Meisterin, was from a Jew.

However, Eysler did not flee, but found shelter with relatives and friends. In addition, the title of honorary citizen of the City of Vienna granted him a certain protection. After the war he achieved one last major success with the operetta Wiener Musik , which premiered on December 22nd, 1947 in the Burgtheater . On his 75th birthday in 1949, Eysler received the town's ring of honor, and the memorial plaque on the house where he was born in Thelemangasse, which had been removed during the Nazi era , was re-attached.

Edmund Eysler died on October 4, 1949 in Vienna after falling from the stage. He was buried in a grave of honor in the Vienna Central Cemetery (group 32 A, number 46 A).

With a total of 60 operettas, Eysler had a very strong impact on the music world of that time in Austria and Germany. International successes were less to be recorded, however, since Eysler's music was more Viennese and local folklore.

Works (selection)

Operas:

  • The witch's mirror (1900)
  • Feast on Solhaug

Operettas:

Honors

literature

Web links

Commons : Edmund Eysler  - album with pictures, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Eysler, Edmund
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Eysler, Edmund Samuel (full name); Eisler, Edmund Samuel (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian composer
DATE OF BIRTH March 12, 1874
PLACE OF BIRTH Hernals (district of Vienna) , Austria
DATE OF DEATH October 4, 1949
Place of death Vienna , Austria