Feuerhalle Simmering - Urnenhain - Alfred Willner

Alfred Maria Willner (11 July 1859 – 27 October 1929) was an Austrian writer, philosopher, musicologist,

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Def ...

and librettist.

Biography

Alfred Maria Willner was born and died in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. He began composing mostly music for the piano and eventually made a career writing librettos for

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form ...

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

s and

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

s. One of his early operettas was

Johann Strauss II Johann Baptist Strauss II (25 October 1825 – 3 June 1899), also known as Johann Strauss Jr., the Younger or the Son (german: links=no, Sohn), was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed ove ...

’s ''Die Göttin der Vernunft'', a commission that Strauss regretted. Strauss was forced to complete the commission only by the threat of a lawsuit and declined to attend a performance. Later the libretto and score were legally separated, and Willner revised the libretto for Franz Lehár as ''

Der Graf von Luxemburg ''Der Graf von Luxemburg'' (''The Count of Luxembourg'') is an operetta in three acts by Franz Lehár to a German libretto by Alfred Maria Willner, Alfred Willner, Robert Bodanzky, and Leo Stein (writer), Leo Stein. A Viennese take on Bohemianism, ...

''. Willner's first big success was his libretto for Leo Fall’s '' Die Dollarprinzessin'', after which he became a much sought-after operetta librettist. He wrote several successful librettos for Lehár operettas, particularly in collaboration with . The two also collaborated on highly successful adaptations of music by Schubert (such as ''

Das Dreimäderlhaus ''Das Dreimäderlhaus'' (''House of the Three Girls''), adapted into English-language versions as ''Blossom Time'' and ''Lilac Time'', is a Viennese pastiche operetta with music by Franz Schubert, rearranged by Heinrich Berté (1857–1924), a ...

'') and by Johann Strauss father and son (such as ''Walzer aus Wien''). In addition, Willner and Reichert were the contracted librettists for Puccini's opera '' La rondine'' which was later adapted by

Giuseppe Adami Giuseppe Adami (4 February 187812 October 1946) was an Italian librettist, playwright and music critic, he was best known for his collaboration with Giacomo Puccini on the operas ''La rondine'' (1917), ''Il tabarro'' (1918) and ''Turandot'' (1926 ...

. Alfred Maria Willner was cremated at

Feuerhalle Simmering Feuerhalle Simmering is a crematorium with attached urn burial ground in the Simmering district of Vienna, Austria. It lies at the end of an alley, directly opposite Vienna Central Cemetery's main gate. Description Opened on 17 December 1922 by ...

in Vienna, where also his ashes are buried.

Librettos

*''Das Heimchen am Herd'' (

), music by Karl Goldmark, 1896 *''Die Schneeflocke'' (opera), music by

Heinrich Berté Heinrich Berté (), born Heinrich Bettelheim (8 May 1858 – 23 August 1924) was an Austria-Hungarian composer of operas and operettas. Life Heinrich Berté was born in Galgócz, Hungary (now Hlohovec, Slovakia) in a Jewish family. At the begi ...

, 1896 *''Der Schmetterling'' (

, with Bernhard Buchbinder), music by , 1896 *''Die Göttin der Vernunft'' (operetta, with Buchbinder), music by

, 1897 *''Fräulein Hexe'' (operetta, with Buchbinder), music by

Josef Bayer Josef Bayer (6 March 1852 – 12 March 1913) was an Austrian composer and the director of the Austrian Court Ballet from 1883 until his death. He was born and died in Vienna. Biography He studied at the Vienna Conservatory under the elder ...

, 1898 *''Die Debutantin'' (operetta, with Heinrich von Waldberg), music by Alfred Zamara, 1901 *''Das Baby'' (operetta, with Waldberg), music by Richard Heuberger, 1902 *''Die Millionenbraut'' (operetta, with E. Limé), music by Berté, 1904 *''Der schöne Gardist'' (operetta, with A. Landesberg), music by Berté, 1907 *''Der kleine Chevalier'', (operetta), music by Berté, 1907 *'' Die Dollarprinzessin'' (operetta, with Fritz Grünbaum), music by Leo Fall, 1907 *''Ein Wintermärchen'' (Opera), music by Goldmark, 1908 *''

Baron Trenck ''Baron Trenck'' is a comic opera in three acts loosely based on the life of Baron Franz von der Trenck. The original German-language work was composed by Felix Albini to a libretto by Alfred Maria Willner and Robert Bodanzky and premiered at the ...

'' (operetta, with

Robert Bodanzky Robert Bodanzky, also known as Danton (born Isidor Bodanskie, 8 March 1879 – 2 November 1923), was an Austrian journalist, playwright, poet and artist. While he became famous for his apolitical poems before World War I, he turned an anarchist ...

), music by Felix Albini, 1908 *''Ein Mädchen für Alles'' (operetta, with Waldberg), music by

Heinrich Reinhardt Enrique Alfredo Kurt (born Heinrich Alfred Kurt) Reinhardt (29 March 1903, Stettin,Zabelsdorf, according tPassengers of the Piriápolis/ref> German Empire – 14 June 1990, Ciudad Jardín Lomas del Palomar, Argentina) was a German–Argentine ches ...

, 1908 *''Die Paradiesvögel'' (operetta, with ), music by Philipp Silber, 1908 *''Die Glücksnarr'' (operetta, with Landesberg), music by Berté, 1908 *''Die Sprudelfee'' (operetta, with Wilhelm), music by Reinhardt, 1909 *''

'' (operetta, with Bodanzky), music by Franz Lehár, 1909 *''Zigeunerliebe'' (operetta, with Bodanzky), music by Lehár, 1910 *''Schneeglöckchen'' (operetta, with Wilhelm), music by G. Kerker, 1910 *''Das Puppenmädel'' (operetta, with Leo Stein), music by Leo Fall, 1910 *''Die schöne Risette'' (operetta, with Bodanzky), music by Leo Fall, 1910 *''Die Sirene'' (operetta, with Leo Stein), music by Leo Fall, 1911 *''Der Eisenhammer'' (Opera), music by Blagoje Bersa, 1911 (as ''Oganj'') *''Der flotte Bob'' (operetta, with ), music by K. Stigler, 1911 *''Die kleine Freundin'' (operetta, with Leo Stein), music by Oscar Straus, 1911 *''Eva as Fabriksmädel' (operetta, with Bodanzky), music by Lehár, 1911 *''Casimirs Himmelfahrt'' (burleske Operette, with Bodanzky), music by Bruno Granichstaedten, 1911 *''Prinzess Gretl'' (operetta, with Bodanzky), music by Reinhardt, 1913 *''Endlich allein'' (operetta, with Bodanzky), music by Lehár, 1914 *''Der Schuster von Delft'' (Opera, with Wilhelm), music by Bersa, 1914 (as ''Postolar iz Delfta'') *''Der Märchenprinz'' (operetta, with Sterk), music by Berté, 1914 *''Der Durchgang der Venus'' (operetta, with

Rudolf Österreicher Rudolf Österreicher, also ''Rudolf Oesterreicher'', (19 July 1881 in Vienna – 23 October 1966 idem) was an Austrian writer, librettist, comedy author, author of cabaret texts and biographer. From 1945 to 1947 he was director of the .

), music by

Edmund Eysler Edmund Samuel Eysler (12 March 1874 – 4 October 1949), was an Austrian composer. Biography Edmund Eysler was born in Vienna to a merchant family. He was supposed to enter the engineering profession, but his acquaintance with Leo Fall led ...

, 1914 *''Der künstliche Mensch'' (operetta, with Österreicher), music by Leo Fall, 1915 *''Die erste Frau'' (operetta, with Österreicher), music by Reinhardt, 1915 *''Wenn zwei sich lieben'' (operetta, with Bodanzky), music by Eysler, 1915 *''

'' (Singspiel, with , after R. H. Bartsch: ''Schwammerl''), music by Berté, 1916 *''Die Faschingsfee'' (operetta, with Österreicher), music by Kálmán, 1917 (based on ''

Zsuzsi kisasszony ''Zsuzsi kisasszony'' (literally "Miss Suzy", also known as ''Miss Springtime'' and ''Die Faschingsfee'') is an operetta in 3 acts by Hungarian composer Emmerich Kálmán. It premiered at the Vig theatre in Budapest on February 23, 1915. The Hunga ...

'') *''Die schöne Saskia'' (operetta, with Reichert), music by Oskar Nedbal, 1917 *'' La rondine'' (opera), music by

Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Puccini ( Lucca, 22 December 1858Bruxelles, 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long ...

, 1917 *''Hannerl'' 'Dreimäderlhaus'', part 2(Singspiel, with Reichert), music by K. Lafite, 1918 *'' Wo die Lerche singt'' (operetta, with Reichert), music by Lehár, 1918 *''Johann Nestroy'' (Singspiel, with Österreicher), music by E. Reiterer, 1918 *''Nimm mich mit'' (operetta, with Waldberg), music by H. Dostal, 1919 *''Der heilige Ambrosius'' (comedy, with A. Rebner), music by Leo Fall, 1921 *''Nixchen'' (operetta, with Österreicher), music by Oscar Straus, 1921 *''Das Milliardensouper'' (operetta, with H. Kottow), music by Ernst Steffan, 1921 *''Frasquita'' (operetta, with Reichert), music by Lehár, 1922 *''Libellentanz'' (Revue-Operette), music by Lehár, 1923 *''Agri'' (operetta, with Sterk), music by Ernst Steffan, 1924 *''Ein Ballroman'' er Kavalier von zehn bis vier(operetta, with Österreicher and F. Rotter), music by Robert Stolz, 1924 *''Der Mitternachtswalzer'' (operetta, with Österreicher), music by Robert Stolz, 1926 *''Ade, du liebes Elternhaus'' ie Lori(Singspiel, with Reichert), music by O. Jascha, 1928 *''Rosen aus Florida'' (operetta, with Reichert), music by Korngold, after Leo Fall, 1929 *''

Walzer aus Wien ''Walzer aus Wien'' ("Waltzes from Vienna," titled ''The Great Waltz'' in English) is a singspiel pasticcio in three acts, libretto by Alfred Maria Willner, and Ernst Marischka, music by Johann Strauss II (son), arranged by Erich Wolfgang Korngol ...

'' (Singspiel, with Reichert and Ernst Marischka), music by J. Bittner and Korngold, after J. Strauss II and I, 1930

Filmography

*'' The House of Three Girls'', directed by

Richard Oswald Richard Oswald (5 November 1880 – 11 September 1963) was an Austrian film director, producer, screenwriter, and father of German-American film director Gerd Oswald. Early career Richard Oswald, born in Vienna as Richard W. Ornstein, began ...

(Germany, 1918) *''Das Milliardensouper '', directed by Victor Janson (Germany, 1923) *'' The Count of Luxembourg'', directed by Arthur Gregor (1926) *''Der Mitternachtswalzer'', directed by

Heinz Paul Heinz Paul (13 August 1893 – 14 March 1983) was a German screenwriter, film producer and director. He was married to the actress Hella Moja. Selected filmography Director * '' The Street of Forgetting'' (1923) * '' The Dice Game of Life'' (1925) ...

(Austria, 1929) *''

The Rogue Song ''The Rogue Song'' is a 1930 American pre-Code romantic and musical film that tells the story of a Russian bandit who falls in love with a princess, but takes his revenge on her when her brother rapes and kills his sister. The Metro-Goldwyn-Ma ...

'', directed by

Lionel Barrymore Lionel Barrymore (born Lionel Herbert Blythe; April 28, 1878 – November 15, 1954) was an American actor of stage, screen and radio as well as a film director. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in ''A Free Soul'' (1931 ...

(1930, based on '' Gypsy Love'') *', directed by Hans Steinhoff (Germany, 1931) *'' Waltzes from Vienna'', directed by

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

(UK, 1934) *'' Blossom Time'', directed by Paul L. Stein (UK, 1934) *''

Frasquita ''Frasquita'' is a 1934 Austrian musical film directed by Karel Lamač and starring Jarmila Novotná, Charlott Daudert, and Heinz Rühmann.Ball and Spiess p. 51 An operetta film, it is an adaptation of Franz Lehár's 1922 stage work of the same na ...

'', directed by

Karel Lamač Karel Lamač (27 January 1897 – 2 August 1952) was a Czech film director, actor, screenwriter, producer and singer. He directed more than 100 films in Czechoslovakia, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Life Lam ...

(Austria, 1934) *', directed by Johannes Riemann (Austria, 1935) *'' Three Girls for Schubert'', directed by E. W. Emo (Germany, 1936) *'' Where the Lark Sings'', directed by

(Germany, 1936) *', directed by Hans Wolff (Austria, 1956) *'' The Count of Luxembourg'', directed by

Werner Jacobs Werner Jacobs (1909–1999) was a German film director and 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). Selected fi ...

(West Germany, 1957) *'' The House of Three Girls'', directed by Ernst Marischka (Austria, 1958) *'' The Count of Luxembourg'', directed by Wolfgang Glück (West Germany, 1972)

Sources

* '' The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'', edited by

Stanley Sadie Stanley John Sadie (; 30 October 1930 – 21 March 2005) was an influential and prolific British musicologist, music critic, and editor. He was editor of the sixth edition of the '' Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' (1980), which was pub ...

(1992), and * ''The Oxford Dictionary of Opera'', by John Warrack and Ewan West (1992),

External links

*https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/dr-a-m-willner-9206 (Alfred Maria Willner 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:Willner, Alfred Maria Austrian opera librettists Austrian male writers Austrian operetta librettists Writers from Vienna 1859 births 1929 deaths Austrian philosophers Austrian musicologists Composers from Vienna Musicians from Vienna Burials at Feuerhalle Simmering 19th-century musicologists