Ignaz Saal (26 July 1761 – 30 October 1836) was an operatic

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

and comedian. He was for decades a member of the Imperial Court Theatre in Vienna. Saal performed the bass parts in the world premieres of Haydn's oratorios '' Die Schöpfung'' and '' Die Jahreszeiten'', and appeared as Don Fernando in the premiere of Beethovens ''

Fidelio ''Fidelio'' (; ), originally titled ' (''Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love''), Op. 72, is Ludwig van Beethoven's only opera. The German libretto was originally prepared by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly, w ...

'' on 23 May 1814 at the court theatre.

Life

Born in Geiselhöring, Germany, Saal received musical instructions in voice and instruments early. He ended 1777 as

seminar A seminar is a form of academic instruction, either at an academic institution or offered by a commercial or professional organization. It has the function of bringing together small groups for recurring meetings, focusing each time on some parti ...

ist of the Domus Gregoriana at the Churfürstliches Gymnasium in Munich (today Wilhelmsgymnasium). The same year, he made his debut at the theatre in Munich at the age of 16, and went to

Pressburg Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approximately 140% of ...

in 1781. In Salzburg, he had contact to

Leopold Mozart Johann Georg Leopold Mozart (November 14, 1719 – May 28, 1787) was a German composer, violinist and theorist. He is best known today as the father and teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and for his violin textbook '' Versuch einer gründliche ...

and

Michael Haydn Johann Michael Haydn (; 14 September 173710 August 1806) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period, the younger brother of Joseph Haydn. Life Michael Haydn was born in 1737 in the Austrian village of Rohrau, near the Hungarian border ...

. From 1 March 1782 to 30 November 1821, Saal was a member of the Viennese imperial court theatre and bore the title K. k. Hofschauspieler. He performed leading roles of the German and Italian repertoire, including Almaviva in Mozart's ''

Le nozze di Figaro ''The Marriage of Figaro'' ( it, Le nozze di Figaro, links=no, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It prem ...

'' and Sarastro in ''

Die Zauberflöte ''The Magic Flute'' (German: , ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a '' Singspiel'', a popular form during the time it was written that inc ...

''. In addition he belonged to the ensemble of the

Wiener Hofmusikkapelle The Wiener Hofmusikkapelle is the group of musicians serving at the court chapel in Vienna. It was founded in 1498 under Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor. It was disbanded in 1922 and was the forerunner of the Vienna Boys' Choir. History Pri ...

from 1 July 1795. He sang in the world premieres of Haydn's

oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is mus ...

s '' Die Schöpfung'' on 29 and 30 April 1798 and '' Die Jahreszeiten'' on 24 April 1801. He appeared as the minister Don Fernando in the premiere of the final version of

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

's opera, then called ''

'', on 23 May 1814 at the court theatre. His last residence was located on No. 632 in Vienna, where he died at the age of 75 from a stroke.''

Wiener Zeitung ''Wiener Zeitung'' is an Austrian newspaper. It is one of the oldest, still published newspapers in the world. It is the official publication used by the Government of the Republic of Austria for legally-required announcements, such as company r ...

'', Nr. 252, 3 November 1836,
(digitalised)

Family

Saal's wife was the singer and actress Anna Maria Saal (17621808). Their daughter Therese Saal (17821855) was also a member of the court theatre from 1801 to 1805 and later married the art collector Franz Gawet (17651847). His son Franz Saal (c. 17821862) belonged to the court theatres from 1808 to 1811 and last worked in Brno.

References

Cited sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saal, Ignaz 18th-century Austrian male opera singers Operatic basses 1761 births 1836 deaths 19th-century Austrian male opera singers

Life

Family

References

Cited sources

Further reading

External links