Franz Wild (singer)

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Franz Wild, lithograph by Josef Kriehuber , 1841

Franz Wild (born December 31, 1791 in Niederhollabrunn , Lower Austria ; † January 1, 1860 in Oberdöbling ) was an Austrian opera singer ( tenor ) and was one of the most celebrated stage singers in Vienna at the time .

Life

In autumn 1799 Wild came to Klosterneuburg Abbey and became a choirboy of the church choir there; under the direction of Prosper von Mosel . In 1804 he was sent to Vienna to Antonio Salieri , who, after passing a brilliant test, accepted him into the imperial court orchestra . From the beginning, Wild was allowed to take part in the weekly court concerts à la camera . In the winter of 1809/10 he sang Salieri's Salve Regina in front of Napoleon Bonaparte in Schönbrunn Palace .

Soon after, Wild switched to the theater in the Josephstadt as a singer, and a little later Karl Friedrich Hensler brought him to the Leopoldstädter Theater . There he drew attention to himself in May 1813 when, shortly before the French troops marched into Vienna, he sang “Hoch Österreich above all” in front of the packed theater.

In 1809 he became a member of the Esterházy private band in Eisenstadt . Count Ferdinand Pálffy von Erdőd heard him there and engaged him at the Theater an der Wien , where he was seen for the first time on July 11, 1811 in the role of "Don Ramiro". In 1813 he became first tenor at the Vienna Court Opera House and as such he made short guest tours to Budapest, Graz, Innsbruck and Prague. During the Congress of Vienna Wild sang (by his own admission) several times in front of a ground floor of kings . So on January 25, 1815, he sang before the Tsarina, accompanied by Beethoven , his Adelaide . This was to be Beethoven's last public appearance as a pianist.

In 1817, Wild moved to the Grand Ducal Court Theater in Darmstadt . He stayed there until 1825 and was also awarded the title of chamber singer during this time . From here, too, he repeatedly made guest tours; u. a. one led him to Paris to Gioacchino Rossini . In Darmstadt he became a member of the Masonic Lodge Johannes der Evangelist zur Eintracht . In 1826 he appeared for a short time at the court theater in Kassel and in 1829 Wild returned to Vienna for good. There he was under contract from 1830 to 1855.

On May 24, 1855 he said goodbye to his audience in the role of "Abayaldos". On November 8, 1857, the Society of Friends of Music in Vienna organized a soirée in his honor ; where he could be heard again briefly as a singer. On January 1, 1860, Wild suffered a hemorrhage and died one day after his 68th birthday in Oberdöbling.

Quote

“ Wild was small, almost as small as Napoleon the Great, but there was something energetic and powerful about his whole personality, and when he sang his figure grew almost before our eyes. In his youth his hair was raven black and in natural curls, his eyes fiery and lively, two bushy brows and the sharp features give his noble face the expression of proud manhood. Wild's voice was unparalleled. An indescribable melting and melodious sound combined with a power and fullness that gave his tone that pithy timbre that it penetrated the heart with irresistible power and the ear that once belonged to him never forgot him. His lecture, his school, his declamation, gestures and actions were of the highest perfection, his enthusiasm carried him and the listener away and yet never crossed the boundaries of beauty "

- Georg Konstantin Czartoryski in his "Reviews"

Roles (selection)

literature

personal data
SURNAME Wild, Franz
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian singer
DATE OF BIRTH December 31, 1791
PLACE OF BIRTH Niederhollabrunn
DATE OF DEATH January 1, 1860
Place of death Oberdöbling