Anton Aicher (1859 – 5 February 1930) was the founding

Artistic Director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the ...

of the

Salzburg Marionette Theatre Salzburg Marionette Theatre was established in 1913 and is one of the oldest continuing marionette theatres in the world. It is based in the city of Salzburg, Austria. Original productions featured live actors and musicians. Today soundtracks ar ...

. He founded the company in 1913 and was its leader until his death.

Background

Aicher was born in a small village in southern

Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...

in Austria. His talent for carving was recognised at an early age and he was sent to study with the well known maker of altar pieces. His interest in figures in motion took him to Munich to one of the masters of puppetry

Papa Schmid Papa is a word used in many languages as an affectionate term for father. Papa or PAPA may refer to: Geography and geology * Pápa, a town in Hungary *Papa village (Samoa), on the island of Savai'i *Papa, Scotland, various islands *Papa rock, ...

Salzburg Marionetten Theater, p.30

Influences

One of the greatest influences on Aicher was the work of Count Franz Pocci, founder of the Munich Marionette Theatre.

Salzburg Marionette Theatre

In 1913, Aicher founded the Salzburg Marionette Theatre. The company opened on 27 February 1913 with a production of

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

's opera, ''

Bastien and Bastienne ' (''Bastien and Bastienne''), K. 50 (revised in 1964 to K. 46b) is a one-act singspiel, a comic opera, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. ' was one of Mozart's earliest operas, written in 1768 when he was only twelve years old. It was allegedly commi ...

'' . In October of the same year, Aicher hired the gymnasium of the Borromaeum seminary and installed his company there. The venue was the home of the Salzburg Marionette Theatre for 49 years.Salzburg Marionetten Theater, p.17 World War I did not interrupt the workings of the theatre company. In 1926, Aicher handed over the management of the theatre to his son,

Hermann Aicher Hermann or Herrmann may refer to: * Hermann (name), list of people with this name * Arminius, chieftain of the Germanic Cherusci tribe in the 1st century, known as Hermann in the German language * Éditions Hermann, French publisher * Hermann, Miss ...

. 1927 saw the first tour of the company to Hamburg, Germany. This tour started a tradition that still continues today.

Legacy

Professor Anton Aicher's company continues to flourish today under the artistic direction of his granddaughter, Gretl Aicher.

References

Books and articles

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External links

- Salzburg Marionette Theatre
homepage of the Salzburg Marionette Theatre - available in English and German {{DEFAULTSORT:Aicher, Anton 1859 births 1930 deaths Austrian puppeteers Austrian theatre directors Austrian designers Performing arts presenters People from Salzburg