Josef Bayer (composer)

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Josef Bayer around 1900

Josef Bayer (born March 6, 1852 in Vienna , † March 12, 1913 in Vienna) was an Austrian composer .

Life

Josef Bayer studied at the Vienna Conservatory with Josef Hellmesberger senior , Otto Dessoff and Anton Bruckner . From 1870 he was a violinist in the orchestra of the Vienna Court Opera for 28 years .

His actual musical career began when Josef Bayer became Hofoperkapellmeister from 1883 and took over the management of the Court Opera Ballet from 1885. During this time he composed over 20 one-act ballets, several operettas, dance scenes and numerous other musical works. His first great success was the ballet "Wiener Walzer", which premiered in January 1885 and traces the development of German national dance in the previous century using melodies by Johann Strauss, Josef Lanners and many others.

Josef Bayer was a member of the Schlaraffia Association under the name of "Ritter Puppenfee der Score-rich" .

He held the position of director of the Court Opera Ballet until his death on March 12, 1913. His grave is in the Vienna Central Cemetery (group 0, row 1, number 66).

"The doll fairy"

Title page of the piano reduction

The greatest ballet creation ever created at the Vienna Court Opera and at the same time Bayer's most famous work to this day is the ballet “Im Puppenladen”, produced for the first time on October 4, 1888. It later became world famous under the title " The Puppet Fairy " , named after the main role . The choreography comes from the court ballet master Josef Haßreiter , the set and the costumes from Franz Gaul (1837–1906). “Die Puppenfee” was performed annually at the Vienna State Opera until 2008 and is now one of the most frequently performed pieces at the State Opera, with over eight hundred performances.

" Cinderella "

"Cinderella" is a large-scale ballet composed by Johann Strauss . However, he could not complete it as he died of pneumonia on June 3, 1899. Until his death, Johann Strauss had orchestrated the first act and half of the third act. It was up to Josef Bayer to complete the work, and under the contractual stipulation that he would only use the music by Johann Strauss (“with the exception of the technically necessary transitions”). Bayer completed the piano reduction for the ballet, but Gustav Mahler was of the opinion that the work had nothing to do with Johann Strauss and refused to perform it. On May 2, 1901, for example, the premiere of “Cinderella” took place in the presence of Kaiser Wilhelm II in the Royal Opera House in Berlin. It was not until seven years later, on October 4, 1908, that the work was performed for the first time at the Vienna Court Opera.

Josef Bayer grave site

Works (selection)

  • "Paraplui March"
  • "Sun Waltz"
  • "Bathing Gallop"
  • "Christkindl-Polka"
  • "The Dagger" one-act play for 2 people (1909)

Ballets

  • "Viennese waltz"
  • "The doll fairy"
  • "Austrian marches"
  • "Around Vienna"
  • "Sun and Earth"

Operettas

  • "The Chevalier of San Marco" (New York, 1882)
  • "Mister Menelaus" (Vienna, 1896)
  • "Fräulein Hexe" (Vienna, 1898)
  • "The Police Chief" (Vienna, 1904)
  • "Spitzbub & Cie." (Vienna, 1907)
  • " The women's duel " (Vienna, 1907)

literature

swell

  • Planet Vienna

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Österreichische Blasmusikzeitung March 2013: Friedrich Anzenberger: "Josef Bayer on the 100th anniversary of death".

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Bayer, Josef
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian composer
DATE OF BIRTH March 6, 1852
PLACE OF BIRTH Vienna
DATE OF DEATH March 12, 1913
Place of death Vienna