Felix Mottl
Encyclopedia
Felix Josef von Mottl was an Austria
n conductor
and composer. He was regarded as one of the most brilliant conductors of his day. He composed three operas, of which Agnes Bernauer (Weimar
, 1880) was the most successful, as well as a string quartet and numerous songs and other music. His orchestration of Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder
is still the most commonly performed version. He was also a teacher, counting among his pupils Ernest van Dyck
and Wilhelm Petersen
.
Born in Unter Sankt Veit, today Hietzing
, Vienna
, Mottl's birth date has been reported variously as 29 July, 24 August, and 29 August. After early voice training at the Löwenburg Konvikt, a training school for the Imperial Court Chapel, Mottl had a successful career at the Vienna Conservatoire. He became known as a gifted conductor of Wagner
's music, and assisted Hans Richter
in the preparations for the first complete Ring Cycle at Bayreuth; in 1886 he directed the performance of Tristan und Isolde
at the Bayreuth Festival
. From 1881 to 1903 he was conductor at the Karlsruhe
Opera, and made a wide reputation for his activity there, particularly in producing the works of Wagner, Hector Berlioz
and Emmanuel Chabrier
, whose operas he championed; Mottl also orchestrated Chabrier's Bourrée fantasque
and Trois valses romantiques
. In later years, as a conductor of Wagner especially, he visited London and New York, where he was guest conductor for the Metropolitan Opera
in 1903. In 1904 he was made a director of the Akademie der Künste
at Berlin.
In June 1907 he cut some player piano
rolls with Welte-Mignon
, including his own piano transcription of the Prelude, the Love Duet and Brangäne's Warning from Tristan. He suffered a heart attack on 21 June 1911, while conducting his 100th performance of Tristan in Munich. He was taken to hospital, where he died 11 days later, on 2 July, but not before marrying his longtime mistress, the soprano Zdenka Fassbender.
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 conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
and composer. He was regarded as one of the most brilliant conductors of his day. He composed three operas, of which Agnes Bernauer (Weimar
Weimar
Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
, 1880) was the most successful, as well as a string quartet and numerous songs and other music. His orchestration of Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder
Wesendonck Lieder
The Wesendonck Lieder is a song cycle composed by Richard Wagner while he was working on Die Walküre. This, and the Siegfried Idyll, are his only two non-operatic works that are still regularly performed....
is still the most commonly performed version. He was also a teacher, counting among his pupils Ernest van Dyck
Ernest van Dyck
Ernest van Dyck was a Belgian dramatic tenor who was closely identified with the Wagnerian repertoire.A native of Antwerp, van Dyck studied both law and journalism before deciding to become an opera singer...
and Wilhelm Petersen
Wilhelm Petersen (composer)
Wilhelm Petersen was a German composer and conductor.He was born in Athens and spent his childhood in Darmstadt. From 1908 to 1913 he studied in Munich with Friedrich Klose, Felix Mottl and Rudolf Louis...
.
Born in Unter Sankt Veit, today Hietzing
Hietzing
Hietzing is the 13th municipal District of Vienna . It is located west of the central districts, west of Meidling...
, 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...
, Mottl's birth date has been reported variously as 29 July, 24 August, and 29 August. After early voice training at the Löwenburg Konvikt, a training school for the Imperial Court Chapel, Mottl had a successful career at the Vienna Conservatoire. He became known as a gifted conductor of Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
's music, and assisted Hans Richter
Hans Richter (conductor)
Hans Richter was an Austrian orchestral and operatic conductor.-Biography:Richter was born in Raab , Kingdom of Hungary, Austro-Hungarian Empire. His mother was opera-singer Jozsefa Csazenszky. He studied at the Vienna Conservatory...
in the preparations for the first complete Ring Cycle at Bayreuth; in 1886 he directed the performance of Tristan und Isolde
Tristan und Isolde
Tristan und Isolde is an opera, or music drama, in three acts by Richard Wagner to a German libretto by the composer, based largely on the romance by Gottfried von Straßburg. It was composed between 1857 and 1859 and premiered in Munich on 10 June 1865 with Hans von Bülow conducting...
at the Bayreuth Festival
Bayreuth Festival
The Bayreuth Festival is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of operas by the 19th century German composer Richard Wagner are presented...
. From 1881 to 1903 he was conductor at the Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
Opera, and made a wide reputation for his activity there, particularly in producing the works of Wagner, Hector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer, best known for his compositions Symphonie fantastique and Grande messe des morts . Berlioz made significant contributions to the modern orchestra with his Treatise on Instrumentation. He specified huge orchestral forces for some of his works; as a...
and Emmanuel Chabrier
Emmanuel Chabrier
Emmanuel Chabrier was a French Romantic composer and pianist. Although known primarily for two of his orchestral works, España and Joyeuse marche, he left an important corpus of operas , songs, and piano music as well...
, whose operas he championed; Mottl also orchestrated Chabrier's Bourrée fantasque
Bourrée fantasque
Bourrée fantasque is a piece of music for solo piano by Emmanuel Chabrier , being one of his last major completed works.-Background:...
and Trois valses romantiques
Trois valses romantiques
The Trois valses romantiques are a set of three pieces for two pianos by Emmanuel Chabrier.-History:Chabrier began the composition in mid 1880, completing the first two; the third was not completed until the summer of 1883...
. In later years, as a conductor of Wagner especially, he visited London and New York, where he was guest conductor for the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in 1903. In 1904 he was made a director of the Akademie der Künste
Akademie der Künste
The Akademie der Künste, Berlin is an arts institution in Berlin, Germany. It was founded in 1696 by Elector Frederick III of Brandenburg as the Prussian Academy of Arts, an academic institution where members could meet and discuss and share ideas...
at Berlin.
In June 1907 he cut some player piano
Player piano
A player piano is a self-playing piano, containing a pneumatic or electro-mechanical mechanism that operates the piano action via pre-programmed music perforated paper, or in rare instances, metallic rolls. The rise of the player piano grew with the rise of the mass-produced piano for the home in...
rolls with Welte-Mignon
Welte-Mignon
M. Welte & Sons, Freiburg and New York was a manufacturer of orchestrions, organs and reproducing pianos, established in Vöhrenbach by Michael Welte in 1832.-Overview:...
, including his own piano transcription of the Prelude, the Love Duet and Brangäne's Warning from Tristan. He suffered a heart attack on 21 June 1911, while conducting his 100th performance of Tristan in Munich. He was taken to hospital, where he died 11 days later, on 2 July, but not before marrying his longtime mistress, the soprano Zdenka Fassbender.