Robert Elisabeth Stolz (25 August 188027 June 1975) was an Austrian

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

and conductor as well as a composer of operettas and

film music A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...

.Stanley Sadie Ed. (2002) ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'',

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

Biography

Stolz was born of musical parents in Graz. His father was conductor and composer Jakob Stolz, his mother was concert pianist Ida Bondy, and he was the great-nephew of the soprano

Teresa Stolz Teresa Stolz (born 2 June 1834, Elbekosteletz (Czech: Kostelec nad Labem), Bohemia – died 23 August 1902, Milan) was a Bohemian soprano, long resident in Italy, who was associated with significant premieres of the works of Giuseppe Verdi, a ...

. At the age of seven, he toured Europe as a pianist, playing Mozart.''The Oxford Dictionary of Music'' 2nd ed. (1995), Oxford University Press He studied at the Vienna Conservatory with Robert Fuchs and Engelbert Humperdinck. From 1899 he held successive conducting posts at Maribor (then called Marburg),

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label= Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...

and Brno before succeeding

Artur Bodanzky Artur Bodanzky (also written as Artur Bodzansky) (16 December 1877 – 23 November 1939) was an Austrian-American conductor particularly associated with the operas of Wagner. He conducted Enrico Caruso's last performance at the Metropolitan Oper ...

at 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 prima ...

in 1907. There he conducted, among other pieces, the first performance of Oscar Straus's ''Der tapfere Soldat'' (''

The Chocolate Soldier ''The Chocolate Soldier'' (German: ''Der tapfere Soldat'' he courageous soldieror ''Der Praliné-Soldat'') is an operetta composed in 1908 by Oscar Straus (composer), Oscar Straus based on George Bernard Shaw's 1894 play, ''Arms and the Man' ...

'') in 1908, before leaving in 1910 to become a freelance composer and conductor. Meanwhile, he had begun to compose operettas and individual songs and had a number of successes in these fields. After serving in the

Austrian Army The Austrian Armed Forces (german: Bundesheer, lit=Federal Army) are the combined military forces of the Republic of Austria. The military consists of 22,050 active-duty personnel and 125,600 reservists. The military budget is 0.74% of nati ...

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Stolz devoted himself mainly to

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining o ...

, and moved to

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

in 1925. Around 1930, he started to compose music for films, such as the first German sound film ''Zwei Herzen im Dreivierteltakt'' (''

Two Hearts in Waltz Time 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many cultur ...

''), of which the title-waltz rapidly became a popular favourite. Some earlier Stolz compositions, such as "Adieu, mein kleiner Gardeoffizier" from his operetta ''Die lustigen Weiber von Wien'', became known to wider audiences through the medium of film, after it was interpolated into Im weißen Rößl (The White Horse Inn). The rise of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

led Stolz to return to Vienna, where his title-song for the film ''

Ungeküsst soll man nicht schlafen gehn ''Ungeküsst soll man nicht schlafen gehn'' ( en, You Should Not Go to Sleep Unkissed, italic=yes, link=yes) is a 1936 Austrian comedy film. The screenplay was written by Fritz Koselka, the title song was composed by Robert Stolz, and the film ...

'' was a hit. He remained active in Berlin as well. He used to travel by car between the two cities, so he smuggled Jews and political refugees across the German-Austrian border in the trunk of his limousine. He managed to do so 21 times. Then came the ''

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany ...

'', and he moved again, first to

Zürich , neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon , twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco Zürich ...

and then to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, where in 1939 he was

interned Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...

as an

enemy alien In customary international law, an enemy alien is any native, citizen, denizen or subject of any foreign nation or government with which a domestic nation or government is in conflict and who is liable to be apprehended, restrained, secured and ...

. With the help of friends he was released and in 1940 made his way to New York.

In America, Stolz achieved fame with his concerts of Viennese music, starting with "A Night in Vienna" at Carnegie Hall. As a result, he received many invitations to compose music for shows and films, and he received two

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nominations: "Waltzing in the Clouds" for '' Spring Parade'' was nominated for Best Original Song in 1941, and his score for '' It Happened Tomorrow'' was nominated for Best Dramatic or Comedy Picture Score in 1945. In 1946 Stolz returned to Vienna, where he lived for the rest of his life. In the 1960s and 1970s he made numerous recordings of operettas by composers such as

Johann Strauss 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 ...

Franz Lehár Franz Lehár ( ; hu, Lehár Ferenc ; 30 April 1870 – 24 October 1948) was an Austro-Hungarian composer. He is mainly known for his operettas, of which the most successful and best known is ''The Merry Widow'' (''Die lustige Witwe''). Life a ...

Emmerich Kálmán Emmerich Kálmán ( hu, Kálmán Imre; 24 October 1882 – 30 October 1953) was a Hungarian composer of operettas and a prominent figure in the development of Viennese operetta in the 20th century. Among his most popular works are ''Die Csárd� ...

, and

Leo Fall Leopold Fall (2 February 187316 September 1925) was an Austrian Kapellmeister and composer of operettas. Life Born in Olmütz (Olomouc), Leo (or Leopold) Fall was taught by his father Moritz Fall (1848–1922), a bandmaster and composer, who sett ...

, whom he had known previously. In 1952, he began to compose for the

Vienna Ice Revue The Vienna Ice Revue (Wiener Eisrevue) was an internationally highly successful ice show based upon Austria's great figure-skating tradition, presenting a large number of world-class figure skaters mainly from Vienna from 1945 to 1971. Representing ...

. He dedicated his first of 19 ice operettas ("Eternal Eve") to European Champion

Eva Pawlik Eva Pawlik (4 October 1927 – 31 July 1983) was an Austrian figure skater, show star, actress and commentator. She was the 1948 Olympic silver medalist, the 1948 World silver medalist, and the 1949 European champion. Early life Born in 1927, ...

. In 1970, to mark his 90th birthday, he was made an Honorary Citizen of Vienna. He was also awarded Vienna's Grand Medal of Honour, being only the second musician ever to be so honoured (after Richard Strauss). In later years he used a baton inherited from

, which had been originally owned by

and contained Strauss's initials engraved in silver. After his death in Berlin in 1975, Robert Stolz received the honour of a lying-in-state in the foyer of the Vienna State Opera House. He was buried near Johannes Brahms and Johann Strauss II in Vienna's

Zentralfriedhof The Vienna Central Cemetery (german: Wiener Zentralfriedhof) is one of the largest cemeteries in the world by number of interred, and is the most well-known cemetery among Vienna's nearly 50 cemeteries. The cemetery's name is descriptive of its ...

, and statues to him were erected in the Wiener Stadtpark, the

Prater The Prater () is a large public park in Leopoldstadt, Vienna, Austria. The Wurstelprater, an amusement park that is often simply called "Prater", lies in one corner of the Wiener Prater and includes the Wiener Riesenrad Ferris wheel. Name The ...

, Berlin-Grunewald, Stuttgart, Baden-Baden, and other places across Germany and Austria. A place is named after him - Robert-Stolz Platz, where he lived until his death - just off the Opernring in Vienna, close to the State Opera. There are further streets named after him throughout Germany (Duesseldorf, Ulm, Wiesbaden, Aalen, Bremen) and Austria (Linz, Graz, Villach). He also appeared on a series of commemorative

postage stamps A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the f ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, as well as in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

and

San Marino San Marino (, ), officially the Republic of San Marino ( it, Repubblica di San Marino; ), also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino ( it, Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, links=no), is the fifth-smallest country in the world an ...

Marriages

Robert Stolz was married five times. His first and second wives (Grete Holm and Franzi Ressel), were singers. His third wife was Josephine Zernitz and the fourth was named Lilli. His fifth wife Yvonne Louise Ulrich (1912-2004), called "Einzi" or "die Einzige" for her role assisting German and Austrian artists in exile in Paris during the Second World War, was his manager until his death. She had one daughter from her first marriage, whom Robert Stolz adopted: Clarissa. Robert Stolz's grandchildren are French writer Natacha Henry and entrepreneur and financier Nick Henry-Stolz.

Selected operettas

*''Das Glücksmädel'' (1910) * '' Der Tanz ins Glück'' (''The Dance into Happiness'') (1921) * ''Im weißen Rößl'' (''

The White Horse Inn ''The White Horse Inn'' (or ''White Horse Inn'') (German title: ''Im weißen Rößl'' ) is an operetta or musical comedy by Ralph Benatzky and Robert Stolz in collaboration with a number of other composers and writers, set in the picturesque Salz ...

'') (1930), jointly with

Ralph Benatzky Ralph Benatzky (5 June 1884 – 16 October 1957), born in Mährisch Budwitz ( Moravské Budějovice) as Rudolph Franz rantišekJosef Benatzky, was an Austrian composer of Moravian origin. He composed operas and operettas, such as '' Casanova ...

* ''Wenn die kleinen Veilchen blühen'' (''When the Little Violets Bloom'' or ''Wild Violets'') (1932) * '' Venus in Seide'' (1932) * ''Der verlorene Walzer'', a stage version of the film ''Zwei Herzen im Dreivierteltakt'' (1933)

Selected songs

*"Servus Du" (1912) words by

Benno Vigny Benno Vigny (real name Benoit Philippe Weinfeld; 28 October 1889 – 31 October 1965) was a French-German novelist and screenwriter. Life and works Vigny was born in Commercy and grew up in Vienna. He moved to Berlin in the 1920s. There he b ...

*"Wien wird erst schön bei Nacht" words by *"Im Prater blühn wieder die Bäume" words by Kurt Robitschek *"Das ist der Frühling in Wien" words by Arthur Rebner *"Du, du, du sollst der Kaiser meiner Seele sein." (1916) *"Hallo, du süsse Klingelfee" (1919) words by Arthur Rebner *"Salome, schönste Blume des Morgenlands" (1920) words by Arthur Rebner *"Ich will deine Kameradin sein" words by Walter Reisch *"Die ganze Welt ist himmelblau" words by Robert Gilbert *"Zwei Herzen im Dreivierteltakt" (Two Hearts in 3/4 Time) words by Walter Reisch *"Das Lied ist aus" (Frag nicht warum) (1930) with words by Walter ReischDiscogs from the 1930 film ''

The Song Is Ended ''The Song Is Ended'' (german: Das Lied ist aus) is a 1930 German romantic musical film directed by Géza von Bolváry, and starring Liane Haid, Willi Forst, and Margarete Schlegel. A separate French-language version ''Petit officier... Adie ...

'' directed by Géza von Bolváry *"Wiener-Café" (Waltz) *"Adieu mein kleiner Gardeoffizier" words by Bruno Balz

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (1930) * '' Hocuspocus'' (1930) * ''

'' (1930) * '' The Merry Wives of Vienna'' (1931) * '' The Theft of the Mona Lisa'' (1931) * ''

Madame Pompadour Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour (, ; 29 December 1721 – 15 April 1764), commonly known as Madame de Pompadour, was a member of the French court. She was the official chief mistress of King Louis XV from 1745 to 1751, and rema ...

'' (1931) * '' The Prince of Arcadia'' (1932) * '' A Man with Heart'' (1932) * ''

I Do Not Want to Know Who You Are ''I Do Not Want to Know Who You Are'' (german: Ich will nicht wissen, wer du bist) is a 1932 German comedy film directed by Géza von Bolváry and starring Liane Haid, Gustav Fröhlich, and S.Z. Sakall. The film's sets were designed by the a ...

'' (1932) * ''

What Women Dream ''What Women Dream'' (german: Was Frauen träumen) is a 1933 German comedy crime film directed by Géza von Bolváry and starring Nora Gregor, Gustav Fröhlich, and Otto Wallburg. In 1934, it was remade as an American film ''One Exciting Adve ...

'' (1933) * '' My Heart Calls You'' (1934) * ''

'' (1934) * ''

My Heart Is Calling You ''My Heart Is Calling You'' (French: ''Mon coeur t'appelle'') is the 1934 French version of a German musical film directed by Carmine Gallone and Serge Véber, written by Ernst Marischka, produced by Arnold Pressburger. The film stars Jan Kiep ...

'' (1934) * '' Spring Parade'' (1934) * '' Adventure on the Southern Express'' (1934) * '' The Gentleman Without a Residence'' (1934) * '' Circus Saran'' (1935) * '' Heaven on Earth'' (1935) * '' The Charm of La Boheme'' (1937) * '' Who's Your Lady Friend?'' (1937) * ''

'' (1952) * '' Come Back'' (1953) * ''

A Breath of Scandal ''A Breath of Scandal'' (released as ''Olympia'' in Italy) is a 1960 American/Italian international co-production romantic comedy-drama film directed by Michael Curtiz, based on the stage play ''Olympia'' by Ferenc Molnár. It stars Sophia Lore ...

'' (1960) Comprehensive list o
IMDB Robert Stolz

Honours and awards include

* 1934: Venice International Film Festival: Great Medal (Best Musical) for ''Spring Parade'' * 1941:

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nomination (Best Original Song) for the song ''Waltzing in the clouds'' from ''Spring Parade'' * 1945: Academy Award nomination (Best Musical) for ''It Happened Tomorrow'' * 1946: Professor Honoris Causa by the Austrian Government * 1947: Citizens charter of the city of Vienna * 1962: Great Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

* 1964: First honorary member of the

Vienna Volksoper The Vienna Volksoper (''Volksoper'' or ''Vienna People's Opera'') is an opera house in Vienna, Austria. It produces three hundred performances of twenty-five German language productions of opera, operetta, musicals, and ballet, during an annual s ...

* 1965: Ring of Honour of the City of Graz * 1968: Honorary Ring of Styria * 1969: Film Award for many years of excellent work in German films * 1969: Ring of Honor at the

Bregenz Festival Bregenzer Festspiele (; Bregenz Festival) is a performing arts festival which is held every July and August in Bregenz in Vorarlberg (Austria). It features a large floating stage which is situated on Lake Constance. History The Festival becam ...

* 1970: Honorary Citizen of the City of Vienna * 1970: Cultural honor letter of Passau * 1970: Honorary Citizen of the City of Graz * 1970: Honorary Medal of the City of Rotterdam * 1970: Ring of Honour of

Gesellschaft für musikalische Aufführungs- und mechanische Vervielfältigungsrechte The Gesellschaft für musikalische Aufführungs- und mechanische Vervielfältigungsrechte (GEMA; "Society for musical performing and mechanical reproduction rights") is a government-mandated collecting society and performance rights organization ...

* 1970:

Austrian Decoration for Science and Art The Austrian Decoration for Science and Art (german: Österreichisches Ehrenzeichen für Wissenschaft und Kunst) is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria and forms part of the Austrian national honours system. History The "Austrian ...

* 1970 Honorary Medal of the City of Jerusalem * 1971 Jerusalem Medal (for the flight assistance to Jewish citizens)

References

Bibliography

* Bakshian, A. 1983. ''The Barbed Wire Waltz: The Memoirs of the Last Waltz King'' Melbourne: Robert Stolz Publishing.

External links

*
Biography and pictures of stamps
*
Robert Stolz french web siteStolz at the Johann Strauss Society of Great Britain
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stolz, Robert 1880 births 1975 deaths Composers from Graz Austrian classical composers Male conductors (music) Austrian opera composers Male opera composers Eurovision Song Contest conductors Wienerlied Austrian refugees Austrian people of Czech descent Burials at the Vienna Central Cemetery Recipients of the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Austrian expatriates in the United States Emigrants from Austria after the Anschluss Austrian male classical composers 20th-century Austrian conductors (music) 20th-century Austrian male musicians 20th-century Austrian composers Musicians from Graz