Heinrich Berté
Encyclopedia
Heinrich Berté, born Heinrich Bettelheim (May 8, 1858, in Galgócz , Hungary
now Hlohovec, Slovakia
) - August 23, 1924, in Perchtoldsdorf
, Austria
) was an Austria-Hungarian composer
of opera
s and operetta
s.
s and an opera. In 1911 he was offered a libretto
by the writer Alfred Maria Willner for an opera
about Franz Schubert
, based on the novel, Schwammerl by Rudolf Hans Bartsch
, but this was turned down and he was told to use Schubert's music in a pastiche
instead.
On 15 January 1916 his first performed work, an arrangement of Franz Schubert's
Das Dreimäderlhaus
was premiered in the Raimund Theater
in Vienna
, Gretl Schörg's
voice was discovered during the run. The operetta was translated into 22 languages and in 1921 it opened as Blossom Time in New York
, in 1922 as Lilac Time
in London
), and was performed in over 60 countries, it was a worldwide success. The operetta was filmed several times . Berté could not build on this success, his second Schubert operetta was unsuccessful.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
now Hlohovec, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
) - August 23, 1924, in Perchtoldsdorf
Perchtoldsdorf
Perchtoldsdorf is a town in the district of Mödling in the Austrian state of Lower Austria, located about 16 km southwest of the viennese inner city.-History:...
, Austria
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...
) was an Austria-Hungarian 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 opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
s and 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
Heinrich Berté, at the beginning of his career , was a relatively unsuccessful composer of balletBallet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
s and an opera. In 1911 he was offered a libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by the writer Alfred Maria Willner for an opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
about 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...
, based on the novel, Schwammerl by Rudolf Hans Bartsch
Rudolf Hans Bartsch
Rudolf Hans Bartsch , was an Austrian military officer, and writer.-Life and work:...
, but this was turned down and he was told to use Schubert's music in a pastiche
Pastiche
A pastiche is a literary or other artistic genre or technique that is a "hodge-podge" or imitation. The word is also a linguistic term used to describe an early stage in the development of a pidgin language.-Hodge-podge:...
instead.
On 15 January 1916 his first performed work, an arrangement of Franz Schubert's
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...
Das Dreimäderlhaus
Das Dreimäderlhaus
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 , and a libretto by Alfred Maria Willner and Heinz Reichert...
was premiered in the Raimund Theater
Raimund Theater
The Raimund Theater is a theatre in the Mariahilf district of Vienna, Austria.Named after the Austrian dramatist Ferdinand Raimund, the theatre was built by an association of Viennese citizens and opened on 28 November 1893 with Raimund's play Die gefesselte Phantasie...
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...
, Gretl Schörg's
Gretl Schörg
Gretl Schörg was an Austrian operatic soprano and actress. She was particularly known for her performances in operettas...
voice was discovered during the run. The operetta was translated into 22 languages and in 1921 it opened as Blossom Time in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, in 1922 as Lilac Time
Lilac Time
Lilac Time can refer to:*Das Dreimäderlhaus, a 1922 operetta also produced under the name Lilac Time*The Lilac Time, a British alternative rock band...
in London
London
London 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...
), and was performed in over 60 countries, it was a worldwide success. The operetta was filmed several times . Berté could not build on this success, his second Schubert operetta was unsuccessful.
Operettas
- Bureau Malicone (Vienna, 1891)
- Der neue Bürgermeister (Vienna, 1904) - libretto by Ernst Gettke
- Die Millionenbraut (MunichMunichMunich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, 1904) - Der Stadtregent (Munich, 1905)
- Der kleine Chevalier (DresdenDresdenDresden 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....
, 1907) - Der schöne Gardist (Breslau, 1907)
- Der Glücksnarr (Vienna, 1908)
- Kreolenblut (HamburgHamburg-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...
, 1911) - Der Märchenprinz (Hannover, 1914)
- Das DreimäderlhausDas DreimäderlhausDas 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 , and a libretto by Alfred Maria Willner and Heinz Reichert...
(Vienna, 1916; with music by Franz SchubertFranz SchubertFranz 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...
) - Lenz und Liebe (BudapestBudapestBudapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, 1917; with music by Franz Schubert) - Die drei Kavaliere (Vienna, 1919)
- Coulissengeheimnisse (Hamburg, 1920