Ludwig Gottsleben

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Ludwig Erasmus Gottsleben (born November 24, 1836 in Vienna - Schottenfeld , † February 26, 1911 in Vienna) was an Austrian actor and writer .

Life

Comedian career

Ludwig Gottsleben comes from a middle-class family of craftsmen. His father Ludwig was Viennese and worked there as an engraver ; the mother Susanne, née Trog, came from Switzerland. Gottsleben originally wanted to be a painter and attended the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna . But he seems to have had more talent for the performing arts than for the visual arts. When he appeared in public with great success in the “Die Biedermeier ” social club in the role of Christoferl from Johann Nestroy's Joke - his partner Weinberl was Joseph Lewinsky - he received such unanimous recognition that he decided to leave the academy to leave and become an actor. I especially liked his funny nature. He received his first engagement at the Fünfhauser Sommertheater, where he made his debut on July 23, 1859 as "Franzl's apprentice tailor" in Theodor Flamm's life picture Eine Wienerin . His comic talent and his peculiarly grotesque way of speaking became increasingly popular, and soon he was one of Vienna's most popular comedians.

Gottsleben never quite got out of Vienna during his theater life and was engaged in almost all of Vienna's suburban stages, such as the Theater an der Wien , the Carltheater , the Komische Oper , the Strampfer Theater , the Summer Theater in Venice in Vienna and repeatedly at the Theater in the Josefstadt , as well as at the Fürst- and later Jantsch-Theater . The popularity of the public grew the longer he was active in Vienna, and probably reached its peak at the time of his work at the Fürsttheater and the Theater in der Josefstadt under Karl Blasel . If, however, from time to time there was no place in Vienna for his acting work, he usually went to the Austrian provinces during the summer and achieved there both as an actor and in musical declamatory soirees with solo lectures and with his "really fun"  couplet lecture , which, like the whole way of its presentation, is reminiscent of the performances of the comedians of the Vormärz , rousing applause.

Ludwig E. Gottsleben married Ludmilla Susanne Mayer in 1871. In the third year of their marriage their only child, daughter Ludmilla, was born, to whom he was particularly fond. His wife died of pulmonary tuberculosis in 1881 at the age of 34. Gottsleben endured this loss and remained a widower from then on. An ailment ( goiter ), for which he has always had the ability, often caused him breathing difficulties, which he was able to incorporate into his speech in a particularly funny way on stage.

Gottsleben received an honorary grave at the Vienna Central Cemetery (75A-31-51), which is in the care of the Vienna community. The burial took place on March 1st from the Alserkirche. In the mourning community gathered around his daughter Ludmilla, the following could be seen: Vienna's Vice Mayor Hierhammer , Hofrat von Radler, Administrative Director Skofitz on behalf of the Bühnenverein, the senior directors Hopp and Tuschl, the actors Girardi , Lunzer, Amson, Lebschmid, Franz Fischer, Bing, Schönau , Rauch, Kramer, Bauer, Schmidl, Henri Beer, Darnau, Kirchner, the actresses Griebl, Kopfauf, Noe, Ferri and Kathi Schulz.

Revival of the old Viennese folk comedy

His work during the Vienna Music and Theater Exhibition in 1892 deserves special mention . He then appeared as a clown on a small, in " Old Vienna established" stage, where he performed from old pranks and antics , but especially through participation in the demonstration of the impromptu comedy caused commonplace true storms of mirth.

Gottsleben remained "cheerful even in serious times," and if he often did not succeed in finding a halfway suitable engagement , he never lost his good, genuine Viennese humor. In 1899 he celebrated his 40th anniversary as an actor, which was celebrated with a festive matinee in the Carltheater. He appeared as a servant in Nestroy's former circumstances and in the joke he wrote In the theater school . The audience cheered him.

In 1903 the lexicographer Ludwig Eisenberg wrote :

»If Gottsleben no longer has the opportunity to embody characters from the Viennese folk play in its harmless, albeit sometimes drastic and coarse comedy, one is always happy to see this play of the funniest, past Viennese theater time here and there on stage , and that Gottsleben still shows the indestructible old man in complete physical and spiritual freshness in his presently perhaps somewhat outdated representation. In a way, it protrudes into our days like a landmark of a long past time. "

Characteristic as an actor

His outward appearance was very distinctive and corresponded completely to the idea one has of an old Viennese comedian. The characteristic features were: short, stout figure from a fondness for good and plentiful food, waddling gait, full red face, from which small eyes arched by bushy browbones gazed pleasantly, sagging cheeks, matted neck, so that he spoke and especially when Singing always ran out of breath, which, however, increased his drollness. Only in the last years of his life did his appearance change. As a result of his illness and probably also the poor living conditions, he became pale and thin. He reports about his characteristics himself:

"A loose mouth, that was - with all due respect - myself. The informality that is common to us Viennese children in the golden age of youth, which expresses itself in quick judgments and loud utterances, became part of me in a truly deplorable way."

Especially incited by colleagues, he intervened in every argument or irritated someone until it came to an argument. However, since he was basically good-natured, the lust for argument and ridicule gave up completely with increasing maturity. Because of his helpfulness, loyalty to duty and honesty, he became a colleague who was respected and loved by everyone, and who was also able to adapt to irritable and imperious characters. He had a lively sense of family and was very fond of his hometown Vienna, as his saying on the occasion of the purchase of his portrait for the city collections shows. His humor was primitive, sometimes coarse, but also always good-natured and more melancholy than sharp. Later he gave way to pathetic and sentimental moods through poverty and illness.

Honors

After Ludwig God life was on May 28, 1930 in Vienna 12, Untermeidling , Garden City at the Tivoli , the God of life alley named.

estate

Gottsleben's estate is kept in the Vienna City and State Library.

Estate in the manuscript collection:

  • approx. 170 inventory numbers and 1 1/3 boxes.
  • approx. 30 inventoried and numerous unprocessed manuscripts, especially plays and couplets.
  • Individual letters
  • Diary Notes (1863–1867)
  • Stage contracts
  • autobiographical records
  • Numerous plays and couplets by other authors
  • Typewritten directory, card catalog. - Partly unedited. - Purchase in 1916.

Partial estate in the music collection:

  • approx. 30 inventory numbers: couplets by various composers, some of them to texts by Ludwig Gottsleben.

Distortion:

  • Card catalog. - Inventory 1928.

Estate in the print collection:

  • 1 bundle of theater tickets for performances by Gottsleben (1882–1902).

Works

literature

  • General lexicon of visual artists from antiquity to the present. Volume 14, Seemann, Leipzig 1921, p. 426.
  • Felix Czeike : Historical Lexicon Vienna. Volume 2, Kremayr & Scheriau, Vienna 1993, p. 578.
  • Ludwig Eisenberg : Biographical Lexicon of the German Stage in the 19th Century. List, Leipzig 1903, p. 341.
  • Klaus Gottsleben: Ludwig Erasmus Gottsleben. Actor and writer in Vienna. (gottsleben-genealogie.de)
  • Willy Handl: Gottsleben. In: The Schaubühne. 1911, pp. 293-296. (extremely negative obituary)
  • Wilhelm Kosch : German Theater Lexicon. Volume 1, Kleinmayr, Klagenfurt 1953, p. 592.
  • Gottsleben Ludwig. In: Austrian Biographical Lexicon 1815–1950 (ÖBL). Volume 2, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna 1959, p. 37.
  • Norbert Rubey , Peter Schoenwald : Venice in Vienna. Turn-of-the-century theater and entertainment city. Ueberreuter, Vienna 1996, pp. 31, 108, 118, 125, 139, 147.
  • Elfriede Walz: Ludwig Gottsleben, a Viennese actor and folk poet. Dissertation. Vienna 1947.
  • S. Wilhelm: Ludwig Gottsleben. In: Wiener Wandelbilder. Vienna 1912, pp. 59-64.
personal data
SURNAME Gottsleben, Ludwig
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Gottsleben, Ludwig Erasmus (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian actor and writer
DATE OF BIRTH November 24, 1836
PLACE OF BIRTH Schottenfeld
DATE OF DEATH February 26, 1911
Place of death Vienna