![Ignaz Schnitzer 1839–1921](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Ignaz_Schnitzer_1839%E2%80%931921.jpg)
Ignaz Schnitzer (also Ignatz or Ignác Schnitzer; 4 December 1839 – 18 June 1921) was an Austrian famous writer, journalist, translator,
librettist
A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, 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 litu ...
and newspaper founder of Hungarian origin.
Life
Schnitzer was born in
Ratzersdorf (then
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...
, today a district of
Bratislava, Slovakia). He began studying philosophy in
Pest, but soon worked as a journalist. From 1857 he lived in Vienna and wrote for various newspapers, such as the ''
Pester Lloyd'' and the ', and as an editor for the newspaper ''Der Fortschritt''. In 1867 he returned to Budapest and was first a member of the editorial board of ''Bécsi Debatte''. In 1869 he founded together with
Zsigmond Bródy (1840-1906) the daily newspaper ''Neues Pester Journal'', which he headed as editor-in-chief for a decade.
Besides he worked on Hungarian plays for German theatres; in 1879 he translated Ede Zsigligeti's ''Rauschgold'' for the Viennese
Burgtheater and
Mór Jókai
Móric Jókay de Ásva (, known as ''Mór Jókai''; 18 February 1825 – 5 May 1904), outside Hungary also known as Maurus Jokai or Mauritius Jókai, was a Hungarian nobleman, novelist, dramatist and revolutionary. He was an active participant ...
s ''Held Pálffy'' for the ''
Carltheater
The Carltheater was a theatre in Vienna. It was in the suburbs in Leopoldstadt at Praterstraße 31 (at that time called Jägerzeile).
It was the successor to the Leopoldstädter Theater. After a series of financial difficulties, that theater had ...
''.
After the sale of his share in the ''Neue Pester Journal'' he moved back to Vienna in 1881 and worked mainly as a librettist and translator. Schnitzer was particularly acclaimed for his translations and poems of the works of
Sándor Petőfi
Sándor Petőfi ( []; né Petrovics; sk, Alexander Petrovič; sr, Александар Петровић; 1 January 1823 – most likely 31 July 1849) was a Hungarian poet of Serbian origin and liberal revolutionary. He is considered Hungary' ...
into German. His friendship with
Johann Strauss II led him to the libretto of his ''
Zigeunerbaron'' and the cultural-historical and partly biographical work ''Bunte Geschichten aus der Johann-Strauß-Zeit''.
As co-owner of the amusement park
Venice in Vienna founded by
Gabor Steiner, he organized the financing and operated the construction of new sights, such as the
Vienna Giant Ferris Wheel
The (; 'Vienna Giant errisWheel'), or simply Riesenrad, is a tall Ferris wheel at the entrance of the Prater amusement park in Leopoldstadt, the 2nd district of Austria's capital Vienna. It is one of Vienna's most popular tourist attractions, a ...
. In 1894 he had the idea of commissioning a circular painting entitled "Kaiser Franz Joseph und seine Zeit" (Emperor Franz Joseph and his Time) for the fiftieth anniversary of the reign of Emperor
Franz Joseph I
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his ...
in 1898. It was executed by the history painter Philipp Fleischer, and exhibited at the Ausstellungsstraße 143 in a circular building specially designed for this purpose by
Oskar Marmorek.
![Ignaz Schnitzer (1839–1921) Todesanzeige](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Ignaz_Schnitzer_%281839%E2%80%931921%29_Todesanzeige.jpg)
Schnitzer was married to the daughter of a doctor, Gabriele, née Laszky (10 April 1846 in
Gyöngyös
Gyöngyös (; german: Gengeß) is a town in Heves county in Hungary, east of Budapest. Situated at the foot of the Sár-hegy and Mátra mountains, it is the home of numerous food production plants, including milk production and sausage factori ...
- 28 September 1913 in Vienna). His grave is at the
Kerepesi Cemetery
Kerepesi Cemetery (Hungarian: ''Kerepesi úti temető'' or ''Kerepesi temető'', official name: ''Fiumei úti nemzeti sírkert'', i.e. "Fiume Road National Graveyard") is the most famous cemetery in Budapest. It is one of the oldest cemeteries in ...
in Budapest.
Awards
Honorary memberships in the literary societies of Hungary, namely the Petőfi- and the
Kisfaludy Society
The Kisfaludy Society (Hungarian: ''Kisfaludy Társaság'') was a literary society in Pest, founded in 1836 and named after Károly Kisfaludy, who had died in 1830. It held monthly meetings and was a major force in Hungarian literary life, givin ...
, and the Vienna Hungarian Society.
Works
Compiled according to the catalogues of the Austrian National Library
The Austrian National Library (german: Österreichische Nationalbibliothek) is the largest library in Austria, with more than 12 million items in its various collections. The library is located in the Neue Burg Wing of the Hofburg in center of V ...
and the Wienbibliothek im Rathaus
The Wienbibliothek im Rathaus ( en, Vienna Library in City Hall), formerly known as the ''Wiener Stadt- und Landesbibliothek'' ( en, Vienna City and State Library), is a library and archive containing important documents related to the history of V ...
(as of January 2013).
Libretti
* ''Joggeli''. Opera in three acts. Music by
Wilhelm Taubert
Carl Gottfried Wilhelm Taubert (23 March 1811 – 7 January 1891) was a German pianist, composer, and conductor, and the father of philologist and writer Emil Taubert.
Life
Born in Berlin, Taubert studied under Ludwig Berger (piano) and Bernhard K ...
. 1853.
* ''Muzzedin''. Romantic comic opera in 2 acts. Music by Siegmund Bachrich. 1883.
* ''The Gold Man''. Play in 5 acts by Mór Jókai freely edited by Ignaz Schnitzer. Music by
Joseph Hellmesberger Jr. 1885.
* The gypsy baron. Operetta in 3 acts after a story by
Mór Jókai
Móric Jókay de Ásva (, known as ''Mór Jókai''; 18 February 1825 – 5 May 1904), outside Hungary also known as Maurus Jokai or Mauritius Jókai, was a Hungarian nobleman, novelist, dramatist and revolutionary. He was an active participant ...
. Music by Johann Strauss (son). 1885.
* ''Rafaela''. Comic opera in 3 acts by Adolph Schirmer and Ignaz Schnitzer. Music by
Max Wolf. 1886.
* ''The Oracle''. Operetta in 3 acts. With free use of a motif by
Gregor Csiky
Gergely Csiky (also Gregor Csiky; 8 December 1842 – 19 November 1891) was a Hungarian dramatist of Armenian ancestry (his mother's family is of the Verzár family that was initially called as Stefanian).Gudenus János József: Örmény e ...
. Music by
Josef Hellmesberger junior Josef may refer to
*Josef (given name)
*Josef (surname) Josef is the surname of the following people:
* Jens Josef (born 1967), German composer of classical music, a flutist and academic teacher
* Michelle Josef (born 1954), Canadian musician and tr ...
. 1889
* "The Royal Bride. Romantic comic opera in 3 acts. Music by
Robert Fuchs
Robert Fuchs (15 February 1847 – 19 February 1927) 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 ...
. 1889.
* ''Paris in Vienna''. Decorative posse in 3 pictures. Text by
F. Zell. Singing texts by Ignaz Schnitzer. Music by
Josef Bayer
Josef Bayer (6 March 1852 – 12 March 1913) was an Austrian composer and the director of the Austrian Court Ballet from 1883 until his death. He was born and died in Vienna.
Biography
He studied at the Vienna Conservatory under the elder J ...
. 1890.
* ''The Salzburg Bells''. A Mozart piece in 4 pictures by Ignaz Schnitzer and Sigmund Schlesinger. Not set to music. Around 1890.
* ''Hussar blood''. (also: ''The village judge''). Operetta in 3 acts. Music by
Hugo Felix
Hugo Victor Felix (19 November 1866 – 25 August 1934), born Felix Hugo Hayman, was an Austrian composer of operettas and musicals born in Budapest, Austrian Empire. Gänzl, Kurt"Felix the composer" ''Kurt of Gerolstein'', 19 December 2018
F ...
. 1894.
* ''The
Venus of Murán''. Opera in three acts by Ignaz Schnitzer and Georg Verö. Not set to music. Around 1900.
* ''Kaspar'' (thus ''The beautiful Kaspar''). Comic operetta in 3 acts. Text by F. Zell and Ignaz Schnitzer. Music by Josef Bayer. 1902.
* ''
Bruder Straubinger''. Operetta in 3 acts by
Moritz West and Ignaz Schnitzer. Music by
Edmund Eysler. 1903.
* ''Pufferl''. Operetta in 3 acts by Sigmund Schlesinger and Ignaz Schnitzer. Music by Edmund Eysler. 1905.
* ''The electrician''. Operetta in 3 acts by Sigmund Schlesinger and Ignaz Schnitzer. Music by Carl Josef Fromm. 1906.
* ''Tip Top''. Operetta in 3 acts by Ignaz Schnitzer and Sigmund Schlesinger. Music by Josef Stritzko. 1907.
* ''Creole blood''. Operetta in 3 acts by Ignaz Schnitzer and Emerich von Gatti. Music by
Heinrich Berté
Heinrich Berté (), born Heinrich Bettelheim (8 May 1858 – 23 August 1924) was an Austria-Hungarian composer of operas and operettas.
Life
Heinrich Berté was born in Galgócz, Hungary (now Hlohovec, Slovakia) in a Jewish family. At the b ...
. 1910.
Lieder texts
* ''Seltsame Geschichte''. Chanson. Text after Samdo Petöfi. Music by Béla Laszky.
* ''Vater
Radetzky
Johann Josef Wenzel Anton Franz Karl, Graf Radetzky von Radetz ( en, John Joseph Wenceslaus Anthony Francis Charles, Count Radetzky of Radetz; cz, Jan Josef Václav Antonín František Karel hrabě Radecký z Radče; sl, Janez Jožef Vencelj ...
ruft!'' Soldatenlied. Music by
Franz Lehár
Franz Lehár ( ; hu, Lehár Ferenc ; 30 April 1870 – 24 October 1948) was an Austro-Hungarian composer. He is mainly known for his operettas, of which the most successful and best known is ''The Merry Widow'' (''Die lustige Witwe'').
Life a ...
. 1914.
Translations
* Eduard Szigligeti: ''Rauschgold''. A comedy in three acts. After the Hungarian language. Hungaria, Budapest 1879.
* Gergely Csiky: ''Die Großmama''. A comedy in three acts. After the Hungarian language. Entsch, Berlin 1892.
* Stephen Phillips: ''Herodes''. Tragedy in three acts. German adaptation. Fischer, Vienna 1901.
*
Sándor Petőfi
Sándor Petőfi ( []; né Petrovics; sk, Alexander Petrovič; sr, Александар Петровић; 1 January 1823 – most likely 31 July 1849) was a Hungarian poet of Serbian origin and liberal revolutionary. He is considered Hungary' ...
: ''Poetische Werke in sechs Bänden.'' German adaptation. Halm & Goldmann, Vienna 1910.
Book publications
* ''
Franz Joseph I. und seine Zeit. Cultur-historischer Rückblick auf die francisco-josephinische Epoche.'' Lechner, Vienna 1898.
* ''Meister Johann. Bunte Geschichten aus der Johann Strauß-Zeit.'' 2 volumes. Halm, Vienna 1920.
References
Further reading
*
Salomon Wininger
Salomon Wininger (; 13 December 1877, Gura Humora, Bukovina – December 1968, in Ramat Gan, Israel) was an Austrian-Jewish biographer. He has been called one of the greatest Jewish biographers of all time.
Before World War I, Wininger lived in ...
: ''Große Jüdische National-Biographie''. (volume 5). Czernowitz 1931, .
* (with wrong birthplace)
* Susanne Blumesberger, Michael Doppelhofer, Gabriele Mauthe: ''Handbuch österreichischer Autorinnen und Autoren jüdischer Herkunft 18. bis 20. Jahrhundert.'' Volume 3: ''S–Z, Register.'' Edited by the Österreichischen Nationalbibliothek.
K.G. Saur
K. G. Saur Verlag is a German publisher that specializes in reference information for libraries. The publishing house, founded by Karl Saur, is owned by Walter de Gruyter and is based in Munich.
In 1987, K. G. Saur was acquired by Reed Intern ...
, Munich 2002, , .
*
Czeike in '
* Peter D. Forgács: ''Ignaz Schnitzer und die wahre Geschichte des Zigeunerbarons.'' In ''Wiener Geschichtsblätter'', volume 59, issue 2, 2004, .
*
Rudolf Flotzinger
Rudolf Flotzinger (born 22 September 1939) is an Austrian musicologist.
Career
Born in Vorchdorf (Austria), Flotzinger graduated from the where he was a student from 1951 to 1958. (edit.): ''
Oesterreichisches Musiklexikon
The ''Oesterreichisches Musiklexikon'Oesterreichisch'' with ''Oe'' is the spelling of the print and online output. is a five-volume music encyclopedia founded by the Austrian Academy of Sciences' Commission for Music Research. It was officiall ...
''. (volume 4). Published by the
Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 2005, .
External links
*
*
*
Der Zigeunerbaron With complete libretto. (Retrieved on 14 December 2019)
: Contemporary press articles
* To the seventieth birthday:
*
*
* Obituary by Heinrich Glücksmann:
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schnitzer, Ignaz
Translators from Hungarian
Translators to German
Austro-Hungarian writers
Austro-Hungarian journalists
German librettists
19th-century German journalists
19th-century German male writers
20th-century German journalists
1839 births
1921 deaths
Writers from Bratislava