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

songwriter A songwriter is a person who creates 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 genre and film scoring. ...

and conductor as well as a

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 ...

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 ...

s 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 ...

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

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

Biography

Stolz was born of musical parents in

Graz Graz () is the capital of the Austrian Federal states of Austria, federal state of Styria and the List of cities and towns in Austria, second-largest city in Austria, after Vienna. On 1 January 2025, Graz had a population of 306,068 (343,461 inc ...

. 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 Tereza Stolzová; 2 June 1834 – 23 August 1902) was a spinto soprano from Bohemia, for long a resident in Italy, who was associated with significant performances of the works of Giuseppe Verdi, some with his supervision i ...

. 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 Maribor ( , , ; also known by other #Name, historical names) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Lower Styria. It is the seat of the ...

(then called Marburg),

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

and

Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...

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 Ope ...

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 prim ...

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

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, 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, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

, and moved to

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

in 1925. Around 1930, he started to compose music for

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

s, such as the first German sound film ''Zwei Herzen im Dreivierteltakt'' ('' Two Hearts in Waltz Time''), 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, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

led Stolz to return to Vienna, where his title-song for the film '' Ungeküsst soll man nicht schlafen gehn'' 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 (, ), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a "German Question, Greater Germany") arose after t ...

'', and he moved again, first to

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

and then to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, where in 1939 he was

interned Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without Criminal charge, charges or Indictment, intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects ...

as an

enemy alien In customary international law, an enemy alien is any alien 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, secur ...

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

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

In America, Stolz achieved fame with his concerts of Viennese music, starting with "A Night in Vienna" at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

. As a result, he received many invitations to compose music for shows and films, and he received two

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

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 A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, re ...

of operettas by composers such as Johann Strauss,

Franz Lehár Franz Lehár ( ; ; 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 and career L ...

Emmerich Kálmán Emmerich Kálmán ( ; 24 October 1882 – 30 October 1953) was a Kingdom of Hungary, Hungarian composer of operettas and a prominent figure in the development of Operetta#Austria–Hungary, Viennese operetta in the 20th century. Among his most p ...

, and Leo Fall, whom he had known previously. In 1952, he began to compose for the Vienna Ice Revue. He dedicated his first of 19 ice operettas ("Eternal Eve") to European Champion Eva Pawlik. 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 Richard Georg Strauss (; ; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer and conductor best known for his Tone poems (Strauss), tone poems and List of operas by Richard Strauss, operas. Considered a leading composer of the late Roman ...

). In later years he used a baton inherited from

, which had been originally owned by Johann Strauss 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 Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period (music), Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, oft ...

and

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 ...

in Vienna's

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

, and statues to him were erected in the

Wiener Stadtpark The Stadtpark (, ''City Park'') in Vienna, Austria is a large municipal park that extends from the Ringstraße in the Innere Stadt first district up to the Heumarkt (Hay Market) in the Landstraße third district. The park is divided in two sectio ...

, the Prater, 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 (Düsseldorf, Ulm, Wiesbaden, Aalen, Bremen) and Austria (Linz, Graz, Villach). He also appeared on a series of commemorative

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Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

and

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, as well as in

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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 Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

and

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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'') (1930), jointly with Ralph Benatzky * ''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 *"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 Walter Reisch (May 23, 1903 – March 28, 1983) was an Austrian-born director and screenwriter. He also wrote lyrics to several songs featured in his films, one popular title is "Flieger, grüß mir die Sonne". He was married to the dancer and ...

*"Das Lied ist aus" (Frag nicht warum) (1930) with words by Walter ReischDiscogs from the 1930 film '' The Song Is Ended'' directed by

Géza von Bolváry Géza von Bolváry (born Géza Gyula Mária Bolváry Zahn, ; 26 December 1897 – 10 August 1961) was a Hungarian actor, screenwriter, and film director, who worked principally in Germany and Austria. Biography Géza von Bolváry was born i ...

*"Wiener-Café" (Waltz) *"Adieu mein kleiner Gardeoffizier" words by Walter Reisch, also known as "Goodbye" words by Harry Graham

Selected filmography

* '' Two Hearts in Waltz Time'' (1930) * '' Hocuspocus'' (1930) * '' The Song Is Ended'' (1930) * '' A Gentleman for Hire'' (1930) * '' The Merry Wives of Vienna'' (1931) * ''

The Theft of the Mona Lisa ''The Theft of the Mona Lisa'' () is a 1931 German drama film directed by Géza von Bolváry and starring Trude von Molo, Willi Forst, and Gustaf Gründgens. It is based on Mona Lisa#Refuge, theft, and vandalism, a true story. It was shot at the ...

'' (1931) * '' Madame Pompadour'' (1931) * '' The Prince of Arcadia'' (1932) * '' A Man with Heart'' (1932) * '' I Do Not Want to Know Who You Are'' (1932) * '' What Women Dream'' (1933) * '' My Heart Calls You'' (1934) * '' Two Hearts in Waltz Time'' (1934) * '' My Heart Is Calling You'' (1934) * '' Spring Parade'' (1934) * '' Adventure on the Southern Express'' (1934) * '' The Gentleman Without a Residence'' (1934) * '' Circus Saran'' (1935) * '' I Love All the Women'' (1935) * '' Heaven on Earth'' (1935) * ''

The Charm of La Boheme ''The Charm of La Bohème'' () is a 1937 Austrian musical film directed by Géza von Bolváry and starring Jan Kiepura, Mártha Eggerth, and Paul Kemp. It follows the plot of Giacomo Puccini's 1896 opera ''La bohème''. The film's sets were de ...

'' (1937) * '' The Unexcused Hour'' (1937) * '' Who's Your Lady Friend?'' (1937) * '' One Night at the Tabarin'' (1947) * '' The White Horse Inn'' (1952) * '' Come Back'' (1953) * '' A Breath of Scandal'' (1960)

Honours and awards include

* 1934:

Venice International Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...

: Great Medal (Best Musical) for ''Spring Parade'' * 1941:

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

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 (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...

* 1964: First honorary member of the Vienna Volksoper * 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 Passau (; ) is a city in Lower Bavaria, Germany. It is also known as the ("City of Three Rivers"), as the river Danube is joined by the Inn (river), Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north. Passau's population is about 50,000, of whom ...

* 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 () is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria and forms part of the Orders, decorations, and medals of Austria, Austrian national honours system. History The "Austrian Decoration for Science a ...

* 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 stampsRobert 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 Austrian male conductors (music) Austrian opera composers Austrian male opera composers 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 20th-century Austrian conductors (music) 20th-century Austrian male musicians 20th-century Austrian composers Musicians from Graz