Michael Greiner

Michael Greiner (* 1798 in Vienna ; † September 11, 1862 in Aachen ) was an Austrian opera singer ( tenor ) and actor.

Life

Greiner was the son of a watchmaker. His artistic talent was already recognized while he was still at school and, at the request of his family, he attended the kk art academy in his hometown for three years . Despite excellent references, Greiner was not enthusiastic about this career choice.

Greiner soon came to guest appearances at various theater companies via small recitals with friends. From the beginning, his focus was on singing, but amateur and comic roles also brought him success. Greiner took singing lessons and was able to participate in the ceremony in 1822 on the occasion of the reopening of the Josefstädter Theater . He sang a part in the piece " The Consecration of the House ", which was conducted by the composer Ludwig van Beethoven himself.

Greiner was the first tenor at this theater until 1829 . In the same year he moved to the Königstädtische Theater in Berlin and stayed there until the spring of 1836. After differences regarding various productions, Greiner left the ensemble. He went on an extensive tour through Germany and Austria. At the City Theater of Brno he was hired a year and in 1839 he came to the court theater of Dessau . There he appeared as a singer and actor and from 1841 took over the management of this theater at the request of Duchess Friederike von Prussia .

In the politically troubled times of 1848 Greiner left Dessau and went to Chéri Maurice in Hamburg at the Thalia Theater . But already in the spring of 1849 he played at the city ​​theater of Mainz and directed it until 1852. Until 1855 he worked at the theater in Freiburg im Breisgau and then he was committed to the theater in Aachen for four years . During the 1859/60 season he worked at the Old Theater in Düsseldorf .

In the summer of 1861 Greiner returned to Aachen, where he only took on a few roles. There he died on February 11, 1862 and was also buried there.

Michael Greiner had an affair with the actress Katharina Tomaselli in the spring of 1837 . In February 1838 his illegitimate daughter, the future actress Josefine Gallmeyer, was born.

Quote

“Greiner could have caused a sensation with a little more luck, because his voice spanned two and a half octaves, his presentation was warm, tasteful and his playing was excellent. In character and game games, he even surpassed many celebrated names. In any case, wherever he appeared as a play tenor, he was one of the most popular and valued singers. In addition to his work as an actor, he also dealt with the composition and some musical ideas arose from his imagination. He had also tried his hand at poetry in partnership with Carl von Holtai , not without luck ”

- Ludwig Eisenberg : Large biographical lexicon

literature

• Ludwig Eisenberg : Large biographical lexicon of the German stage in the XIX. Century . Verlag von Paul List , Leipzig 1903, p. 349, ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive ).
• Ottmar Flüggen: Biographical stage lexicon of the German theater . Bruckmann Verlag, Munich 1882.
• Klaus Schulte & Peter Sardoc: From Ringelhardt to Mundorf , artists and personalities of the Aachen City Theater , Verlag Josef Stippak, Aachen, 1977