Karl Michael Ziehrer

Karl Michael Ziehrer (also Carl M Ziehrer) (2 May, 1843, Vienna - 14 November, 1922, Vienna) was an Austrian composer and military bandmaster. In his lifetime, he was better known as one of the fiercest rivals of the Strauss family, especially Johann Strauss II and Eduard Strauss.

Biography

He was taught music by Simon Sechter, a famous Viennese hat-maker financed by his own father. He was quickly discovered by music publisher Carl Haslinger, one of Johann Strauss II's publishers, who had fallen out with Strauss regarding the receipts from the latter's lucrative Russian venture.

Ziehrer was, in the words of Strauss' first wife, Henrietta Treffz, 'one of Haslinger's machinations,' and 'what Haslinger writes as his own would be passed on the ward to be published as his own.'Citequote|date=May 2008 Her prophecy was, however, only ever partially fulfilled; though Ziehrer's pulsating and lively waltzes lit up Vienna, and though he challenged the famed Strauss family for the Viennese public's affections, his many works have not survive long in today's classical repertoire.

Haslinger sought to promote his promising young ward and in 1863, the young conductor appeared as the head of a newly-formed orchestra aimed at toppling the Strauss dynasty at the Dianabad-saal in Vienna. Not long after that, he secured a place at one of Viennese military bands. As was the current trend, he took over as Kapellmeister of a large civilian orchestra in 1873. He also published the journal "Deutsche Musikzeitung" around the same time, and was credited as being one of the important sources of music study in the late 1870s.

Not long after founding the music journal, he changed his publisher to Döblinger and toured Eastern Europe and Germany for many years, earning a good reputation as a strict yet efficient conductor. It was in 1881 that he met his future wife, Marianne Edelmann, a famous operetta singer, in Berlin.

Throughout the period between 1885 and 1893, Ziehrer toured extensively and was a military bandmaster having achieved the distinction of "Übernahme der Militärmusik der Hoch" as well as the "Deutschmeister" decoration. His fame was such that he was invited to perform at the World Exhibition in Chicago in 1893. After that, in a flurry of events, he toured 41 German cities and finally returned to Vienna, where he formed an even larger and successful orchestra that specialized in playing dance music. At this point, his works began to gain a wider circulation among the music-loving Viennese, and works such as Weaner Mad'ln op. 388, as well as the more famous Wiener Bürger op. 419, were received with greater appreciation, the latter even temporarily triumphing over Strauss compositions when first published in 1890.

Despite being a strong challenger of the Strauss music dynasty, he was unable to triumph over them and remained under their influence, which numbered among them his personal appearance; he maintained a 'Schnurrbart' moustache as well as a similar hair-style. By the turn of the century, Ziehrer felt that he needed to devote his time and attention towards composing, and his military band participation waned until he relinquished his last position in 1899, the year Johann Strauss II died.

Ziehrer enjoyed success in the operetta writing business, with stage works such as 'Die Landstreicher' in 1899, but it was with the operetta 'Fremdenführer' (Tourist Guide) that he achieved stage success. He was one of the composers who bridged the 'Golden Age' of operetta with the new influence of the emerging 'Silver Age', with composers such as Franz Lehár who would dominate the operetta scene for many years later on.

In 1909, he was awarded the honorary post of the 'KK Hoffballmusikdirektor', which was created for Johann Strauss I more than half a century earlier, and subsequently dominated within the Strausses with Johann Strauss II and Eduard Strauss also holding the office for many years. He was also the last person to hold this post, with the destruction of the Habsburg dynasty in World War I resulting in its dissolution. [cite web |url=http://www.johann-strauss.org.uk/composers/index.php3?content=ziehrer-short |title=Carl Michael Ziehrer |accessdate=2008-09-28 |publisher=The Johann Strauss Society of Great Britain] During the time before the war, he worked well with composers Franz Lehár, Oscar Straus, and Leo Fall, and was guest conductor at their concerts on many occasions.

The outbreak of the war sealed his career as a composer, and most of his property was destroyed. He died a poor and forgotten man on 14 November 1922 in Vienna. He was buried in the Zentralfriedhof in the graves of honour. His wife was also buried beside him.

His rich musical heritage may not be comparable to the Strausses, who dominated for well over a century, but he was more prolific, with over 600 waltzes, polkas and marches, which are still performed today. Some of his works are even more Viennese in nature than that of the Strausses. His works are vigorous and forceful, with cheerful melodies written even near the end of the Habsburg dynasty.

Works

Operettas

* 1866 "Mahomed's Paradies", 1 act - libretto by the composer
* 1872 "Das Orakel zu Delfi", 2 acts - libretto: Carl Costa
* 1875 "Cleopatra oder Durch drei Jahrtausende", with song and dance in three sections (together with: Richard Genée and Max von Weinzierl) - libretto: J. Steinher
* 1878 "König Jérôme oder Immer lustick!", 4 acts - libretto: Adolf Schirmer
* 1879 "Der kleine Don Juan"
* 1881 "Wiener Kinder", 3 acts - libretto: Leopold Krenn and Carl Wolff
* 1888 "Ein Deutschmeister", 3 acts - libretto: Richard Genée and Bruno Zappert
* 1889 "Wiener Luft", 3 acts - libretto: Benno Rauchenegger
* 1890 "Der bleiche Zauberer", 1 act - libretto: Isidor Fuchs
* 1898 "Der schöne Rigo", 2 acts - libretto: Leopold Krenn and Carl Lindau
* 1899 "Die Landstreicher", prologue and 2 acts - libretto: Leopold Krenn and Carl Lindau
* 1901 "Die drei Wünsche", prologue and 2 acts - libretto: Leopold Krenn and Carl Lindau
* 1902 "Der Fremdenführer", prologue and 3 acts - libretto: Leopold Krenn and Carl Lindau
* 1904 "Der Schätzmeister", 3 acts - libretto: Alexander Engel] and [Julius Horst
* 1905 "Fesche Geister", prologue and two sections - libretto: Leopold Krenn and Carl Lindau
* 1906 "Über'n großen Teich", (together with: Edmund Eysler, Bela von Ujj and F. Ziegler) - libretto: Adolph Philipp
* 1907 "Am Lido" - libretto: O. Tann-Bergler and A. Deutsch-German
* 1907 "Ein tolles Mädel", prologue and 2 acts - libretto: Wilhelm Sterk (naar: C. Kraatz and H. Stobitzer)
* 1908 "Der Liebeswalzer", 3 acts - libretto: Robert Bodanzky and Fritz Grünbaum
* 1909 "Die Gaukler", 1 act - libretto: E. and A. Golz
* 1909 "Herr und Frau Biedermeier", 1 act - libretto: Wilhelm Sterk
* 1911 "Ball bei Hof", 3 acts - libretto: Wilhelm Sterk (after "Hofgunst" by Th. von Trotha)
* 1911 "In fünfzig Jahren - 2 acts - libretto: Leopold Krenn and Carl Lindau
* 1912 "Manöverkinder", 2 acts - libretto: Oskar Friedmann and Fritz Lunzer
* 1913 "Der Husarengeneral", 3 acts - libretto: Oskar Friedmann and Fritz Lunzer
* 1913 "Fürst Casimir", 3 acts - libretto: Max Neal and Max Ferner
* 1914 "Das dumme Herz", - libretto: Rudolf Oesterreicher and Wilhelm Sterk
* 1916 "Im siebenten Himmel", 3 acts - libretto: Max Neal and Max Ferner
* 1914 "Der Kriegsberichterstatter", (togther with: Edmund Eysler, Bruno Granichstaedten, Oskar Nedbal, Charles Weinberger) - libretto: Rudolf Oesterreicher and Wilhelm Sterk
* 1930 (posthumous) "Die verliebte Eskadron", 3 acts - libretto: Wilhelm Sterk (after B. Buchbinder)
* 1958 (posthumous) "Deutschmeisterkapelle", - libretto: Hubert Marischka and Rudolf Oesterreicher

Dance music

* Im Fluge, op. 78
* In der Sommerfrische, waltz op. 318
* Das liegt bei uns im Blut! ("It lies in our Spirit!") polka-mazurka op. 374
* Loslassen! ("Release!") polka op. 386
* Weaner Madl'n ("Viennese Beauties") waltz op. 388
* Wiener Bürger ("Viennese Citizens") waltz op. 419
* Heimatsgefuhle waltz op. 438
* Gebirgskinder waltz op. 444
* Ziehrereien waltz op. 478
* Seculo nuovo, vita nuova ("New Century, New Life") waltz opus 498
* Hereinspaziert! ("Here Come the Gentlemen!") waltz op. 518 from the operetta "Der Schätzmeister"
* Sei Brav ("So Good") waltz op. 522 from the operetta "Fesche Geister"
* Facher-Polonaise, polonaise op. 525
* Tolles Mädel! ("Crazy Girl!") waltz op. 526 from the operetta "Ein Tolles Mädel!"
* Ich lach! waltz op. 554, from the operetta "Das dumme Herz"
* O diese Husaren! waltz, from the operetta "Der Husarengeneral"

References

*Lamb, Andrew (1992), 'Ziehrer, C M' in "The New Grove Dictionary of Opera", ed. Stanley Sadie (London) ISBN 0-333-73432-7
*cite web |url=http://www.naxosdirect.ca/ZIEHRER-Selected-Dances-and-Marches-Vol-3/title/8225172/ |title=ZIEHRER: Selected Dances and Marches |accessdate=2008-10-09 |work= |publisher=NaxosDirect

Notes

External links

* [http://www.ziehrer.at/opus.asp Ziehrer Foundation site] de icon