Das Dreimäderlhaus
Encyclopedia
Das Dreimäderlhaus adapted into English language versions as Blossom Time and Lilac Time, is a Viennese pastiche 'operetta
' with music by Franz Schubert
, rearranged by Hungarian Heinrich Berté
(1857–1924), and a libretto by Alfred Maria Willner and Heinz Reichert. The work gives a fictionalized account of Schubert's romantic life, and the story was adapted from the 1912 novel Schwammerl by Rudolf Hans Bartsch
(1873–1952). Originally the score was mostly Berté, with just one piece of Schubert's ("Ungeduld" from Die schöne Müllerin
), but the producers required Berté to discard his score and create a pasticcio
of Schubert music.
The original production opened at the Raimundtheater in Vienna
on 15 January 1916 and ran for over 650 performances in its original run in Austria and for hundreds more in Germany, followed by many successful revivals. It starred Fritz Schrödter as Schubert and Anny Rainer as Hannerl. Schrödter was already 60 in 1916. In 1886 he had sung the part of the "Prince of Song" (i.e. Schubert) in Franz von Suppé
's operetta about Schubert. The operetta spawned a sequel entitled Hannerl. Debuting during World War I
, the operetta's popularity was fueled by the public's taste for nastalgia, harnessing an old-fashioned, sentimental story and Schubert's familiar music. Schubert worked hard during his lifetime to become a successful opera composer but found little success in this genre of music. With Das Dreimäderlhaus, ironically, his music finally became famous in a stage work.
Das Dreimäderlhaus then premiered in Paris on May 7, 1921 in a French adaptation by Hugues Delorme and Léon Abric called Chanson d'amour (Song of Love). The operetta was a success in France, and soon an English language adaption opened on Broadway
as Blossom Time, with a new arrangement of Schubert's music by Sigmund Romberg
and an adapted libretto by Dorothy Donnelly. This debuted at the Ambassador Theatre
on September 29, 1921, where it ran for 592 performances. In London, the operetta was called Lilac Time, with an adapted libretto by Adrian Ross
and music arranged by George H. Clutsam, using some of Berté's work. Lilac Time opened at the Lyric Theatre
on December 22, 1922 and ran for 626 performances. Both the Broadway and West End versions toured extensively in subsequent decades and were frequently revived until the 1950s.
The operetta received productions in over 60 countries and was translated into numerous languages. By 1961, the piece was estimated to have played over 85,000 performances worldwide. It still receives occasional productions.
A couple of months later, the first two daughters are marrying their fiances at Tschöll's house, and the three roommates are all guests at the wedding. Actress Giuditta Grisi, the mistress of Baron Franz Schober, one of Schubert's friends, arrives. She is jealous and believes that he must be cheating on her. She assumes that Hannerl is the other woman and warns her to stay away from her man. Schubert, still too unable to tell Hannerl that he loves her, instead asks Schober to sing a song that he has written for her ("Ungeduld"). Hannerl misunderstands Grisi's warning, believing it to be about Schubert rather than Schober. She turns away from the composer and falls in love with Schober.
In the Prater the following morning, everyone assembles. Eventually, Schubert ends up alone, disappointed, but consoled by Hannerl's happiness and by his music.
, but in the case of The Student Prince, the entire score was written by Romberg, not by another composer. The Broadway production of Blossom Time opened at the Ambassador Theatre on September 29, 1921, where it ran for 592 performances, starring Bertram Peacock and Olga Cook. It became the second longest-running Broadway musical of the 1920s and, after extensive tours, played Broadway again in 1939 and 1943.
Donnelly changed the character names and several of the settings. The plot follows the basic story of the original, but many significant details are changed, well-known Schubert pieces are gratuitously inserted and historically inaccurate material familiar to Americans of the era is added. For example, in Act I, Schubert writes "Ständchen" for Count Scharntoff, who plans to give it (as his own work) to his wife, who is in love with Schober. Schubert's friends arrange for Hannerl ("Mitzi" in this version) to have singing lessons with Schubert as the cover for why the other daughters are there, when the father appears. They then get him drunk so that he agrees to the double wedding. In Act III, some of Schubert's works are about to be given in a concert, but Schubert is too ill to attend. His friends return to his lodgings after the concert just before Schubert dies, surrounded by angels, as "Ave Maria" is heard.
Act II
Act III
with music by G. H. Clutsam. Clutsam, an Australian composer, moved to London and wrote, among other things, a 1912 biography of Schubert. Later, he turned to the more profitable field of composing scores for musical comedies. Clutsam's adaptation hews more closely to Berté's original than does Romberg's. Lilac Time opened at the Lyric Theatre on December 22, 1922 and ran for 626 performances, starring Courtice Pounds
and Clara Butterworth. Among many revivals was a 1928–1929 production at Daly's Theatre
. In 1959, June Bronhill
and Thomas Round
recorded Lilac Time for HMV when they were stars of Sadler's Wells Opera. The piece enjoyed numerous revivals in London.
The plot of Lilac Time is close to the German original. As in the other adaptations, however, the names of the three sisters are changed. The dialogue is very dated, and a more recent libretto written by Phil Park in 1973 is available, with a new musical adaptation by Ronald Hanmer
.
Act II
Act III
, played Schubert in several productions and tours of Das Dreimäderlhaus in Europe. He presented a version of it in 1933 at the Aldwych Theatre
under the title Lilac Time, translated and adapted by himself and Sylvio Mossée. Tauber also made a film version in 1934 with Jane Baxter
.
Tauber also worked with Clutsam on a new version entitled Blossom Time based on Tauber's 1934 film. Clutsam included more new material in this version. It debuted on tour in the British provinces, moving to the Lyric Theatre
in London on 17 March 1942.
released a recording of Das Dreimäderlhaus. Al Goodman
conducted an album of 10 selections from Blossom Time for RCA Victor in the 1940s, which was briefly issued on LP. Readers Digest included a selection in their album A Treasury of Great Operettas, first offered for sale in 1963. In 2005, UK label Classics for Pleasure, a branch of EMI
, released on CD the 1959 HMV
recording of Lilac Time.
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:...
' with music by Franz Schubert
Franz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...
, rearranged by Hungarian Heinrich Berté
Heinrich Berté
Heinrich Berté, born Heinrich Bettelheim - August 23, 1924, in Perchtoldsdorf, Austria) was an Austria-Hungarian composer of operas and operettas.-Life:...
(1857–1924), and a libretto by Alfred Maria Willner and Heinz Reichert. The work gives a fictionalized account of Schubert's romantic life, and the story was adapted from the 1912 novel Schwammerl by Rudolf Hans Bartsch
Rudolf Hans Bartsch
Rudolf Hans Bartsch , was an Austrian military officer, and writer.-Life and work:...
(1873–1952). Originally the score was mostly Berté, with just one piece of Schubert's ("Ungeduld" from Die schöne Müllerin
Die schöne Müllerin
Die schöne Müllerin , is a song cycle by Franz Schubert on poems by Wilhelm Müller. It is the earliest extended song cycle to be widely performed. The work is considered one of Schubert's most important, and it is widely performed and recorded....
), but the producers required Berté to discard his score and create a pasticcio
Pasticcio
In music, a pasticcio or pastiche is an opera or other musical work composed of works by different composers who may or may not have been working together, or an adaptation or localization of an existing work that is loose, unauthorized, or inauthentic.-Etymology:The term is first attested in the...
of Schubert music.
The original production opened at the Raimundtheater 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...
on 15 January 1916 and ran for over 650 performances in its original run in Austria and for hundreds more in Germany, followed by many successful revivals. It starred Fritz Schrödter as Schubert and Anny Rainer as Hannerl. Schrödter was already 60 in 1916. In 1886 he had sung the part of the "Prince of Song" (i.e. Schubert) in Franz von Suppé
Franz von Suppé
Franz von Suppé or Francesco Suppé Demelli was an Austrian composer of light operas who was born in what is now Croatia during the time his father was working in this outpost of the Austro-Hungarian Empire...
's operetta about Schubert. The operetta spawned a sequel entitled Hannerl. Debuting during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the operetta's popularity was fueled by the public's taste for nastalgia, harnessing an old-fashioned, sentimental story and Schubert's familiar music. Schubert worked hard during his lifetime to become a successful opera composer but found little success in this genre of music. With Das Dreimäderlhaus, ironically, his music finally became famous in a stage work.
Das Dreimäderlhaus then premiered in Paris on May 7, 1921 in a French adaptation by Hugues Delorme and Léon Abric called Chanson d'amour (Song of Love). The operetta was a success in France, and soon an English language adaption opened on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
as Blossom Time, with a new arrangement of Schubert's music by Sigmund Romberg
Sigmund Romberg
Sigmund Romberg was a Hungarian-born American composer, best known for his operettas.-Biography:Romberg was born as Siegmund Rosenberg to a Jewish family in Gross-Kanizsa during the Austro-Hungarian kaiserlich und königlich monarchy period...
and an adapted libretto by Dorothy Donnelly. This debuted at the Ambassador Theatre
Ambassador Theatre (New York)
The Ambassador Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 219 West 49th Street between Broadway and 8th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan.Designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp for the Shuberts, the structure is unusual in that it is situated diagonally on its site to fit the maximum number of...
on September 29, 1921, where it ran for 592 performances. In London, the operetta was called Lilac Time, with an adapted libretto by Adrian Ross
Adrian Ross
For the NFL player see Adrian Ross Arthur Reed Ropes , better known under the pseudonym Adrian Ross, was a prolific writer of lyrics, contributing songs to more than sixty British musical comedies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries...
and music arranged by George H. Clutsam, using some of Berté's work. Lilac Time opened at the Lyric Theatre
Lyric Theatre (London)
The Lyric Theatre is a West End theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster.Designed by architect C. J. Phipps, it was built by producer Henry Leslie with profits from the Alfred Cellier and B. C. Stephenson hit, Dorothy, which he transferred from the Prince of Wales Theatre to open...
on December 22, 1922 and ran for 626 performances. Both the Broadway and West End versions toured extensively in subsequent decades and were frequently revived until the 1950s.
The operetta received productions in over 60 countries and was translated into numerous languages. By 1961, the piece was estimated to have played over 85,000 performances worldwide. It still receives occasional productions.
Synopsis
In the spring of 1826, Schubert, a poor young composer, has quarters in an old Viennese house together with two friends. The three daughters of Christian Tschöll, the court glass maker, visit the three friends. Two of the girls are in love with Schubert's roommates, and the third, Hannerl, is chaperoning her sisters. More of Schubert's friends come to visit. The father arrives in search of his daughters. Schubert's two roommates drink with Tschöll in their courtyard, underneath a Lilac tree, and he agrees to their engagements with his daughters. Schubert takes on Hannerl as his singing pupil, and although the two fall in love, they are each too shy to reveal their feelings.A couple of months later, the first two daughters are marrying their fiances at Tschöll's house, and the three roommates are all guests at the wedding. Actress Giuditta Grisi, the mistress of Baron Franz Schober, one of Schubert's friends, arrives. She is jealous and believes that he must be cheating on her. She assumes that Hannerl is the other woman and warns her to stay away from her man. Schubert, still too unable to tell Hannerl that he loves her, instead asks Schober to sing a song that he has written for her ("Ungeduld"). Hannerl misunderstands Grisi's warning, believing it to be about Schubert rather than Schober. She turns away from the composer and falls in love with Schober.
In the Prater the following morning, everyone assembles. Eventually, Schubert ends up alone, disappointed, but consoled by Hannerl's happiness and by his music.
American version: Blossom Time
Five years after the Vienna opening, in 1921, the Shubert brothers acquired the American rights to Das Dreimäderlhaus with a view to customising the operetta for American audiences. They hired Donnelly and Romberg (their house composer) to adapt the libretto and music. The same team, three years later, adapted Old Heidelberg to make The Student PrinceThe Student Prince
The Student Prince is an operetta in four acts with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Dorothy Donnelly. It is based on Wilhelm Meyer-Förster's play Alt Heidelberg. The piece has elements of melodrama but lacks the swashbuckling style common to Romberg's other works...
, but in the case of The Student Prince, the entire score was written by Romberg, not by another composer. The Broadway production of Blossom Time opened at the Ambassador Theatre on September 29, 1921, where it ran for 592 performances, starring Bertram Peacock and Olga Cook. It became the second longest-running Broadway musical of the 1920s and, after extensive tours, played Broadway again in 1939 and 1943.
Donnelly changed the character names and several of the settings. The plot follows the basic story of the original, but many significant details are changed, well-known Schubert pieces are gratuitously inserted and historically inaccurate material familiar to Americans of the era is added. For example, in Act I, Schubert writes "Ständchen" for Count Scharntoff, who plans to give it (as his own work) to his wife, who is in love with Schober. Schubert's friends arrange for Hannerl ("Mitzi" in this version) to have singing lessons with Schubert as the cover for why the other daughters are there, when the father appears. They then get him drunk so that he agrees to the double wedding. In Act III, some of Schubert's works are about to be given in a concert, but Schubert is too ill to attend. His friends return to his lodgings after the concert just before Schubert dies, surrounded by angels, as "Ave Maria" is heard.
Musical numbers
Act I- Opening - Greta, Kupelweiser, Von Schwind, Vogel, Chorus
- Melody Triste - Bellabruna
- Three Little Maids - Mitzi, Fritzi, Kitzi, Chorus
- Serenade - Baron Franz Schober, Franz Schubert, Vogel, Kupelweiser, Von Schwind, Hansy
- My Springtime Thou Art - Baron Franz Schober, Franz Schubert, Vogel, Kupelweiser, Von Schwind, *Girls
- Song of Love - Franz Schubert, Mitzi
- Finale Act 1 - Ensemble
Act II
- Moment Musicale - Franz Schubert, Hansy, Dancer
- Love Is a Riddle - Baron Franz Schober, Binder, Erkman, Mitzi, Fritzi, Kitzi, Girls
- Let Me Awake - Bellabruna, Baron Franz Schober
- Tell Me Daisy - Mitzi, Franz Schubert
- Only One Love Ever Fills the Heart - Mitzi, Baron Franz Schober
- Finale Act 2 - Mitzi, Franz Schubert, Baron Franz Schober
Act III
- Opening - Greta
- Keep It Dark - Bellabruna, Vogel, Von Schwind, Kupelweiser
- Lonely Hearts - Mitzi, Fritzi, Kitzi, Greta, Franz Schubert
- Finale Act 3 - Ensemble
British version: Lilac Time
In 1922, in England, Das Dreimäderlhaus was adapted as Lilac Time by Adrian RossAdrian Ross
For the NFL player see Adrian Ross Arthur Reed Ropes , better known under the pseudonym Adrian Ross, was a prolific writer of lyrics, contributing songs to more than sixty British musical comedies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries...
with music by G. H. Clutsam. Clutsam, an Australian composer, moved to London and wrote, among other things, a 1912 biography of Schubert. Later, he turned to the more profitable field of composing scores for musical comedies. Clutsam's adaptation hews more closely to Berté's original than does Romberg's. Lilac Time opened at the Lyric Theatre on December 22, 1922 and ran for 626 performances, starring Courtice Pounds
Courtice Pounds
Charles Courtice Pounds , better known by the stage name Courtice Pounds, was an English singer and actor known for his performances in the tenor roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and his later roles in Shakespeare plays and Edwardian musical comedies.As a young member...
and Clara Butterworth. Among many revivals was a 1928–1929 production at Daly's Theatre
Daly's Theatre
Daly's Theatre was a theatre in the City of Westminster. It was located at 2 Cranbourn Street, just off Leicester Square. It opened on 27 June 1893, and was demolished in 1937.-Early years:...
. In 1959, June Bronhill
June Bronhill
June Bronhill OBE was an internationally acclaimed Australian soprano opera singer.-Biography:She was born June Mary Gough in the inland Australian city of Broken Hill, New South Wales...
and Thomas Round
Thomas Round
Thomas Round is a retired English opera singer and actor, best known for his performances in the tenor roles of the Savoy Operas and in grand opera....
recorded Lilac Time for HMV when they were stars of Sadler's Wells Opera. The piece enjoyed numerous revivals in London.
The plot of Lilac Time is close to the German original. As in the other adaptations, however, the names of the three sisters are changed. The dialogue is very dated, and a more recent libretto written by Phil Park in 1973 is available, with a new musical adaptation by Ronald Hanmer
Ronald Hanmer
Ronald Hanmer was a British conductor, composer and arranger of light music, who spent his latter years in Australia. He was best known for his themes to the Adventures of P.C...
.
Musical numbers
Act I- Opening Number - Oh the Maytime is a Gaytime
- Just a Little Ring - Lili, Tilli and Willi
- Four Jolly Brothers - Schober, Vogl, Schwind and Kappel
- Hark, Hark! The Lark! - Schubert, Schober, Vogl, Schwind and Kappel
- Under the Lilac Bough - Schubert, Schober, Vogl, Schwind and Kappel
- The Golden Song - Lili and Schubert
Act II
- Serenade - Schober
- Dance of Bridesmaids and Children
- Dream Enthralling - Schubert
- When Skies Are Blue - Lili, Tilli, Willi, Schober, Binder and Braun
- The Flower - Lili and Schibert
- Girls and Boys - Mrs Veit and Veit
- I Want To Carve Your Name - Finale act II
Act III
- Strolling Through the Morning Air - Promenade Septet
- My Sweetest Song Of All - Schubert
- Maiden Try To Smile - Lili and Schober
- I Ask the Spring Blossom Laden - Finale Act III
Tauber's versions
The noted tenor, Richard TauberRichard 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:...
, played Schubert in several productions and tours of Das Dreimäderlhaus in Europe. He presented a version of it in 1933 at the Aldwych Theatre
Aldwych Theatre
The Aldwych Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Aldwych in the City of Westminster. The theatre was listed Grade II on 20 July 1971. Its seating capacity is 1,200.-Origins:...
under the title Lilac Time, translated and adapted by himself and Sylvio Mossée. Tauber also made a film version in 1934 with Jane Baxter
Jane Baxter
Jane Baxter was a British actress. Her stage career spanned half a century, and she appeared in a number of films and in television.-Early life:...
.
Tauber also worked with Clutsam on a new version entitled Blossom Time based on Tauber's 1934 film. Clutsam included more new material in this version. It debuted on tour in the British provinces, moving to the Lyric Theatre
Lyric Theatre (London)
The Lyric Theatre is a West End theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster.Designed by architect C. J. Phipps, it was built by producer Henry Leslie with profits from the Alfred Cellier and B. C. Stephenson hit, Dorothy, which he transferred from the Prince of Wales Theatre to open...
in London on 17 March 1942.
Recordings
In 2002, Ohio Light OperaOhio Light Opera
The Ohio Light Opera is a professional opera company based in Wooster, Ohio that performs the light opera repertory, including Gilbert and Sullivan, American, British and continental operettas, and other musical theatre works, especially of the late 19th and early 20th centuries...
released a recording of Das Dreimäderlhaus. Al Goodman
Al Goodman
Al Goodman was a conductor, songwriter, stage composer, musical director, arranger, and pianist....
conducted an album of 10 selections from Blossom Time for RCA Victor in the 1940s, which was briefly issued on LP. Readers Digest included a selection in their album A Treasury of Great Operettas, first offered for sale in 1963. In 2005, UK label Classics for Pleasure, a branch of EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
, released on CD the 1959 HMV
HMV
His Master's Voice is a trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record label. The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up gramophone...
recording of Lilac Time.
External links
- A review of Tauber's film called Blossom Time
- Sheet music from Blossom Time
- http://olo.wooster.edu/seasons/2002/haus.phpInformation about the Ohio Light OperaOhio Light OperaThe Ohio Light Opera is a professional opera company based in Wooster, Ohio that performs the light opera repertory, including Gilbert and Sullivan, American, British and continental operettas, and other musical theatre works, especially of the late 19th and early 20th centuries...
2002 production] - Favorable analysis of the Romberg version
- Photos of postcards for Das Dreimäderlhaus
- Poster from French production
- Antique programmes and images from Blossom Time and Lilac Time