Leo Fall
Encyclopedia
Leo Fall was an Austria
n composer
of operetta
s.
(Olomouc), Leo (or Leopold) Fall was taught by his father Moritz Fall (1848–1922), a bandmaster and composer, who settled in Berlin
. The younger Fall studied at the Vienna Conservatory before rejoining his father in Berlin. His teachers in Vienna
were Robert Fuchs
and Johann Nepomuk Fuchs
. In 1895 he began a new career as an operetta conductor in Hamburg
, and started to compose. From 1904 onwards he devoted himself to composition. While less successful than his contemporary Franz Lehár
, he was nevertheless capable of producing melodious and well orchestrated work. After working in Berlin
, Hamburg
and Cologne
he settled in Vienna in 1906, where he died. He is buried at the Vienna Zentralfriedhof
.
His best known operettas in the English-speaking world are The Dollar Princess
and Madame Pompadour
, which had successful runs in London and New York and remained in the repertory in Germany and Austria throughout the 20th century. Der liebe Augustin (1912; Princess Caprice
in London) is reported to have been given an unprecedented 3,360 performances. His opera Der goldene Vogel, which was performed in Dresden
in 1920 with Richard Tauber
and Elisabeth Rethberg
was less successful.
Operettas:
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
of operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
s.
Life
Born in OlmützOlomouc
Olomouc is a city in Moravia, in the east of the Czech Republic. The city is located on the Morava river and is the ecclesiastical metropolis and historical capital city of Moravia. Nowadays, it is an administrative centre of the Olomouc Region and sixth largest city in the Czech Republic...
(Olomouc), Leo (or Leopold) Fall was taught by his father Moritz Fall (1848–1922), a bandmaster and composer, who settled in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. The younger Fall studied at the Vienna Conservatory before rejoining his father in Berlin. His teachers in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
were Robert Fuchs
Robert Fuchs
Robert Fuchs was an Austrian composer and music teacher.As Professor of music theory at the Vienna Conservatory, Fuchs taught many notable composers, while he was himself a highly regarded composer in his lifetime....
and Johann Nepomuk Fuchs
Johann Nepomuk Fuchs
Johann Nepomuk Fuchs was an Austrian composer and conductor, and the brother of Robert Fuchs.Fuchs was born at Frauental, Styria. He worked as a conductor in Bratislava, Brno, Cologne, Hamburg, and Leipzig, before he became Kapellmeister of the Wiener Hofoper in 1880 and Vice Kapellmeister in 1894...
. In 1895 he began a new career as an operetta conductor in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, and started to compose. From 1904 onwards he devoted himself to composition. While less successful than his contemporary Franz Lehár
Franz Lehár
Franz Lehár was an Austrian-Hungarian composer. He is mainly known for his operettas of which the most successful and best known is The Merry Widow .-Biography:...
, he was nevertheless capable of producing melodious and well orchestrated work. After working in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
and Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
he settled in Vienna in 1906, where he died. He is buried at the Vienna Zentralfriedhof
Zentralfriedhof
The Zentralfriedhof is one of the largest cemeteries in the world, largest by number of interred in Europe and most famous cemetery among Vienna's nearly 50 cemeteries.-Name and location:...
.
His best known operettas in the English-speaking world are The Dollar Princess
The Dollar Princess
The Dollar Princess is a musical in three acts by A.M. Willner and Fritz Grünbaum , adapted into English by Basil Hood , with music by Leo Fall and lyrics by Adrian Ross. It opened in London at Daly's Theatre on 25 September 1909, running for 428 performances...
and Madame Pompadour
Madame Pompadour (operetta)
Madame Pompadour is an operetta in three acts, composed by Leo Fall with a libretto by Rudolf Schanzer and Ernst Friedrich Wilhelm Welisch. Conducted by the composer, It opened at the Berliner Theater in Berlin on September 9, 1922 and then at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna on March 2,...
, which had successful runs in London and New York and remained in the repertory in Germany and Austria throughout the 20th century. Der liebe Augustin (1912; Princess Caprice
Princess Caprice
Princess Caprice is a musical theatre work described as a "comedy with music", in three acts, with music by Leo Fall. The book was adapted by Alexander M. Thompson from Fall's operetta Der liebe Augustin by Rudolf Bernauer and Ernst Welisch. The lyrics were by A. Scott-Craven, Harry Beswick and...
in London) is reported to have been given an unprecedented 3,360 performances. His opera Der goldene Vogel, which was performed in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
in 1920 with Richard Tauber
Richard Tauber
Richard Tauber was an Austrian tenor acclaimed as one of the greatest singers of the 20th century. Some critics commented that "his heart felt every word he sang".-Early life:...
and Elisabeth Rethberg
Elisabeth Rethberg
The German soprano Elisabeth Rethberg was an opera singer of international repute active from the period of the First World War through to the early 1940s. Some hailed her as the greatest soprano of her day...
was less successful.
Stage works
Operas:- Paroli (1 act; 1902)
- Irrlicht (1905)
- Der goldene Vogel (1920)
Operettas:
- Der Rebell (Vienna, 1905)
- Der fidele Bauer (MannheimMannheimMannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
, 1907) - Die DollarprinzessinDie DollarprinzessinDie Dollarprinzessin is an operetta by Leo Fall. The German libretto was by Alfred Maria Willner and Fritz Grünbaum.-Performance history:...
(Vienna, 1907; adapted into English as The Dollar PrincessThe Dollar PrincessThe Dollar Princess is a musical in three acts by A.M. Willner and Fritz Grünbaum , adapted into English by Basil Hood , with music by Leo Fall and lyrics by Adrian Ross. It opened in London at Daly's Theatre on 25 September 1909, running for 428 performances...
1909) - Die geschiedene Frau (Vienna, 1908; adapted into English as The Girl in the Train 1910)
- Der Schrei nach der Ohrgeige (Vienna, 1909)
- Brüderlein fein (Vienna, 1909)
- Das Puppenmädel (Vienna, 1910)
- Die schöne Risette (Vienna, 1910)
- Die Sirene (Vienna, 1911; adapted into English as The SirenThe Siren (Musical)The Siren is a Broadway musical production adapted from the operetta Die Sirene by Leo Fall, based on a text by Leo Stein and A. M. Willner. This was first performed in Vienna on 5 January 1911....
1911) - The Eternal Waltz (LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 1911) - Der liebe Augustin (Berlin, 1912) (Princess Caprice) (performed 3,360 times)
- Die Studentengräfin (Berlin, 1913)
- Der Nachtschnellzug (Vienna, 1913)
- Der Frau Ministerpräsident (Berlin, 1914)
- Der künstliche Mensch (Berlin, 1915)
- Die Kaiserin (Fürstenliebe) (Berlin, 1916)
- Die Rose von Stambul (Vienna, 1916)
- Die spanische Nachtigall (Berlin, 1920)
- Der heilige Ambrosius (Berlin, 1921)
- Die Strassensängerin (Vienna, 1922)
- Madame PompadourMadame Pompadour (operetta)Madame Pompadour is an operetta in three acts, composed by Leo Fall with a libretto by Rudolf Schanzer and Ernst Friedrich Wilhelm Welisch. Conducted by the composer, It opened at the Berliner Theater in Berlin on September 9, 1922 and then at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna on March 2,...
(Berlin, 1922) - Der süsse Kavalier (Berlin, 1923)
- Jugend im Mai (Dresden,1926)