Camillo Walzel (11 February 1829 –17 March 1895) was a German

librettist A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major ...

and theatre director, who wrote under the pseudonym F Zell.

Life and work

Walzel was born in

Magdeburg Magdeburg (; ) is the Capital city, capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is on the Elbe river. Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archbishopric of Mag ...

. In his early years, he worked in his father's lithographic factory, then studied at the

Academy of Fine Arts Vienna The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna () is a public art school in Vienna, Austria. Founded in 1688 as a private academy, it is now a public university. The academy is also known for twice rejecting admission to a young Adolf Hitler in 1907 and 1908. ...

, before joining the army. He later became an editor for a newspaper, then an employee of the Danube Steamship Company in 1856. He became an operetta librettist in the 1860s and eventually, from 1884 to 1889, artistic director of the

Theater an der Wien The is a historic theatre in Vienna located on the Left Wienzeile in the Mariahilf district. Completed in 1801, the theatre has hosted the premieres of many celebrated works of theatre, opera, and symphonic music. Since 2006, it has served prim ...

. One of his best-known works was the libretto for Karl Millöcker's

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...

Der Bettelstudent ''Der Bettelstudent'' (''The Beggar Student'') is an operetta in three acts by Carl Millöcker with a German libretto by Camillo Walzel (under the pseudonym of F. Zell) and Richard Genée, based on ''Les noces de Fernande'' by Victorien Sardou ...

'', which he co-wrote with his long-term collaborator Richard Genée). His other libretti with Genée included ''

Cagliostro in Wien ' ('' Cagliostro in Vienna'') is an operetta in three acts by Johann Strauss II to a libretto by F. Zell and Richard Genée. It premiered on 27 February 1875 at the Theater an der Wien, featuring Marie Geistinger and Alexander Girardi. Rec ...

'' (1875), '' Der lustige Krieg'' (1881) and ''

Eine Nacht in Venedig '' Eine Nacht in Venedig '' (''A Night in Venice'') is an operetta in three acts by Johann Strauss II. Its libretto was by F. Zell and Richard Genée based on ''Le Château Trompette'' by Eugène Cormon and Richard Genée. The farcical, roman ...

'' (1883), all with music by

Johann Strauss II Johann Baptist Strauss II (; ; 25 October 1825 – 3 June 1899), also known as Johann Strauss Jr., the Younger or the Son (), was an List of Austrian composers, Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas as well ...

. He died in Vienna.

Filmography

*'' Nanon'', directed by

Hanns Schwarz Hanns Schwarz (11 February 1888 – 27 October 1945) was an Austrian film director. He was born in Vienna on 11 February 1888. Biography He directed twenty four films between 1924 and 1937 in both English and German. During the late silent a ...

(Germany, 1924, based on the operetta ''Nanon'') *'' The Beggar Student'', directed by

Luise Fleck Luise Fleck, also known as Luise Kolm or Luise Kolm-Fleck, née Louise or Luise Veltée (1 August 1873–15 March 1950), was an Austrian film director, and has been considered the second ever female feature film director in the world, after Al ...

and

Jacob Fleck Jacob Fleck (8 November 1881 in Vienna as Jacob Julius Fleck – 19 September 1953, also in Vienna) was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, film producer and cameraman. He is noted for his long-standing professional partnership with his wife ...

(Germany, 1927, based on the operetta ''

'') *'' The Beggar Student'', directed by

Victor Janson Victor Arthur Eduard Janson (; 25 September 1884 – 29 June 1960) was a German stage and film actor and film director of Latvian ethnicity. Selected filmography Actor * '' Your Dearest Enemy'' (1916) * '' When Four Do the Same'' (1917) * ''Carm ...

(Germany, 1931, based on the operetta ''

'') *'' The Beggar Student'', directed by

Victor Hanbury W. Victor Hanbury (1897 – 14 December 1954) was a British film director and producer. Entering the film industry in 1919 after service in the First World War, he became a director and producer in the early 1930s. His last film as a director w ...

and John Harvel (UK, 1931, based on the operetta ''

'') *''

The Loves of Madame Dubarry ''I Give My Heart'' (US-Title: ''The Loves of Madame Dubarry'') is a 1935 British historical film adapted from the stage operetta '' The DuBarry'' by Carl Millöcker and arranged by Theo Mackeben. Directed by Marcel Varnel, and produced by Brit ...

'', directed by

Marcel Varnel Marcel Varnel (16 October 1892 – 13 July 1947) was a French film director, notable for his career in the United States and England as a director of plays and films. Biography He was born Marcel Hyacinthe le Bozec in Paris, France. Varnel st ...

(UK, 1935, based on the operetta '' Die Dubarry'') *'' The Beggar Student'', directed by

Georg Jacoby Georg Jacoby (23 July 1882 – 21 February 1964) was a German film director and screenwriter.Profile
, bfi.org.uk; accessed 1 ...

(Germany, 1936, based on the operetta ''

'') *''

Gasparone ''Gasparone'' is an operetta in three acts by Carl Millöcker to a German libretto by Friedrich Zell and Richard Genée. The libretto was later revised by and . An amusing feature of the work is that the title character never appears and acts as ...

'', directed by

Georg Jacoby Georg Jacoby (23 July 1882 – 21 February 1964) was a German film director and screenwriter.Profile
, bfi.org.uk; accessed 1 ...

(Germany, 1937, based on the operetta ''

'') *'' Nanon'', directed by

Herbert Maisch Herbert Maisch (born 10 December 1890in Nürtingen, Württemberg, died 10 October 1974 in Köln) was a German film director. Selected filmography * ''The Royal Waltz (1935 film), The Royal Waltz'' (1935) * ''Boccaccio (1936 film), Boccaccio'' (19 ...

(Germany, 1938, based on the operetta ''Nanon'') *''

Boccaccio Giovanni Boccaccio ( , ; ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so well known as a writer that he was s ...

'', directed by Marcello Albani (Italy, 1940, based on the operetta ''

'') *'' A Night in Venice'', directed by Georg Wildhagen (Austria, 1953, based on the operetta ''

'') *''Gasparone'', directed by Karl Paryla (Austria, 1956, based on the operetta ''

'') *'' The Beggar Student'', directed by

Werner Jacobs Werner Jacobs (1909–1999) was a German film director and film editor, editor. He was born in Berlin on the 24 April 1909. He is best known for his contributions to Modebummel (1951), Der Stern von Santa Clara (1958) and André und Ursula (1955). ...

(West Germany, 1956, based on the operetta ''

'') *'' Mazurka der Liebe'', directed by Hans Müller (East Germany, 1957, based on the operetta ''

'')

References

*Lamb Andrew (1992), 'Zell, F (Walzel, Camillo)' in ''The

New Grove Dictionary of Opera ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' is an encyclopedia of opera. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volumes. The dictionary was first published in 1992 by Macmillan Reference, L ...

'', ed. Stanley Sadie (London)

External links

*https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/f-zell-409638 (F Zell at the

Internet Broadway Database The Internet Broadway Database (IBDB) is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. It was conceived and created by Karen Hauser in 1996 and is operated by the Research Department of The Broadway League, a trade asso ...

) {{DEFAULTSORT:Walzel, Camillo German opera librettists Operetta librettists 1829 births 1895 deaths German male dramatists and playwrights 19th-century German dramatists and playwrights 19th-century German male writers