Julius Bittner (born

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, 9 April 1874; died Vienna, 9 January 1939) was an

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n composer.

Life

The son of a judge, Bittner also initially pursued a career in law. Until 1920 he was a judge in

Wolkersdorf im Weinviertel Wolkersdorf im Weinviertel is a town in the district of Mistelbach in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. It is situated in the Weinviertel, about 15 km north of Vienna, on the main road from Vienna to Brno (European route E461). The munic ...

, in

Lower Austria Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P ...

. From 1920 to 1922Bittner, Julius
in ''Österreich-Lexikon'' at AEIOU or 1923"Bittner Julius"
in ''

Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon 1815–1950 The ''Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon 1815–1950'' (''ÖBL''), ''Austrian Biographical Lexicon A lexicon is the vocabulary of a language or branch of knowledge (such as nautical or medical). In linguistics, a lexicon is a language's ...

'' volume 1 (1955), p. 89 (pdf) he was an official in the Austrian Department of Justice. In addition, Julius Bittner became one of the best-known and most performed Austrian opera composers in the first half of the 20th century.Werner Bollert, "Bittner, Julius" in '' Neue Deutsche Biographie'' volume 2 (1955), pp
280

Many of his operas deal with Austrian-Alpine themes. He usually wrote his own libretti. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, however, as a typical representative of late Romantic opera in the tradition of Richard Wagner, he was gradually forgotten. Critics gave him the somewhat derogatory nickname "the Anzengruber of the opera"; in importance he is comparable to his better known contemporary

Wilhelm Kienzl Wilhelm Kienzl (17 January 1857 – 3 October 1941) was an Austrian composer. Biography Kienzl was born in the small, picturesque Upper Austrian town of Waizenkirchen. His family moved to the Styrian capital of Graz in 1860, where he studied ...

. Bittner was married to the alto Emilie Werner.Kravitt, Edward F
"The Lied in 19th-Century Concert Life"
''Journal of the American Musicological Society'' Vol. 18, No. 2 (Summer, 1965), pp. 207-218 As a leading member of Vienna's judiciary and close friend of Gustav Mahler, he assessed Mahler's estate for probate after his death. He later won the Mahler Prize in 1915. He composed many operas, two symphonies and many songs and was helped and promoted by Mahler and

Bruno Walter Bruno Walter (born Bruno Schlesinger, September 15, 1876February 17, 1962) was a German-born conductor, pianist and composer. Born in Berlin, he escaped Nazi Germany in 1933, was naturalised as a French citizen in 1938, and settled in the U ...

. He was also a close friend of

Erich Wolfgang Korngold Erich Wolfgang Korngold (May 29, 1897November 29, 1957) was an Austrian-born American composer and conductor. A child prodigy, he became one of the most important and influential composers in Hollywood history. He was a noted pianist and compo ...

and Franz Schmidt. He was for a while editor of the Austrian music journal ''Der Merker'' and wrote music criticism for it and other newspapers. He was so influential that he was able to arrange Arnold Schoenberg's release from active military service in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He received numerous awards and honors and became a member of the

Prussian Academy of Arts The Prussian Academy of Arts (German: ''Preußische Akademie der Künste'') was a state arts academy first established in Berlin, Brandenburg, in 1694/1696 by prince-elector Frederick III, in personal union Duke Frederick I of Prussia, and late ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

in 1925. In 1964, the archive containing almost all of his works (autograph sketches, text books, scores and piano reductions) was taken over by the Vienna City Library. Bittner is buried in an honorary grave in Vienna's Central Cemetery (Group 32C, Plot 15).

Works

Operas (selection): * 1907 ''Die rote Gred'' (premièred by conductor Ludwig Rottenberg on 26 October 1907 in Frankfurt am Main. The ''Viennese'' premiere, conducted by

at the Imperial Royal Court Opera, Vienna – today the

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is an opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by August ...

, took place on 10 April 1908.) * 1909 ''Der Musikant'' (premièred by Bruno Walter at the Imperial Royal Court Opera, Vienna – today the Vienna State Opera) * 1911 ''Der Bergsee'' * 1916 ''Das Höllisch Gold'' (his most successful work) * 1917 ''Der liebe Augustin'' (Viennese singspiel) * 1921 ''Die Kohlhaymerin'' * 1923 ''Das Rosengärtlein'' * 1928 ''Mondnacht'' * 1934 ''Das Veilchen'' Julius Bittner also composed two symphonies, two symphonic poems and a work for two pianos and orchestra entitled ''Österreichische Tanze'' (Austrian Dances). He wrote incidental music to plays by Shakespeare, and for popular plays by

Johann Nestroy Johann Nepomuk Eduard Ambrosius Nestroy (; 7 December 1801 – 25 May 1862) was a singer, actor and playwright in the popular Austrian tradition of the Biedermeier period and its immediate aftermath. He participated in the 1848 revolutions and ...

and

Ferdinand Raimund Ferdinand Raimund (born Ferdinand Jakob Raimann; 1 June 1790 – 5 September 1836, Pottenstein, Lower Austria) was an Austrian actor and dramatist. Life and work He was born in Vienna as a son of Bohemian woodturning master craftsman Jako ...

, chamber works (including two string quartets and a still unpublished Cello Sonata) many songs, and a ''Great Mass and Te Deum'' which was a cornerstone of the Austrian choral tradition until World War II. He also composed numerous operettas and three ballets, and assisted his friend

in the creation of the most successful of the

Johann Strauss Johann Baptist Strauss II (25 October 1825 – 3 June 1899), also known as Johann Strauss Jr., the Younger or the Son (german: links=no, Sohn), was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed ove ...

pastiches - ''

Walzer aus Wien ''Walzer aus Wien'' ("Waltzes from Vienna," titled ''The Great Waltz'' in English) is a singspiel pasticcio in three acts, libretto by Alfred Maria Willner, and Ernst Marischka, music by Johann Strauss II (son), arranged by Erich Wolfgang Korngol ...

'' (premièred in Vienna on 30 October 1930), which became known in English as '' The Great Waltz''.

Awards

* 1915 Gustav Mahler Prize * 1918 Raimund Prize * 1925 City of Vienna Arts Prize * 1937

Austrian State Prize The Austrian State Prize is an award given annually or biennially in various artistic fields for excellence by younger and middle-aged artists. The State Prize is currently (2012) worth €8,000. The categories are: : Fine arts (first award in 19 ...

for music and Literature

References

Sources

* Richard Specht. ''Julius Bittner''. Zeitgenössische Komponisten 10. Munich: Drei Masken, 1921. *

Julius Korngold Julius Leopold Korngold (24 December 1860 – 25 September 1945) was an Austrian music critic. He was the leading critic in early twentieth century Vienna, serving as chief music critic of the ''Neue Freie Presse'' from 1904 to 1934. His son wa ...

. "Julius Bittner: 'Die rote Gred', 'Der Musikant', 'Der Bergsee', 'Das höllisch Gold'". In ''Deutsches Opernschaffen der Gegenwart. Kritische Aufsätze''. Leipzig: Leonhardt, 1921. pp. 196–223. * Hermann Ullrich. ''Julius Bittner. Eine Studie''. Österreichische Komponisten des 20. Jahrhunderts 13. Vienna: Lafite, 1968. * Waltraud Zauner. "Studien zu den musikalischen Bühnenwerken von Julius Bittner: mit Beiträgen zur Lebensgeschichte des Komponisten". Dissertation,

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich hist ...

, 1983. * Waltraud Zauner. "Neues zur Lebensgeschichte von Julius Bittner". ''Studien zur Musikwissenschaft'' 35 (1984) 131–184. * Waltraud Zauner. "'Meine tiefe und aufrichtige Verehrung für Ihre Person und Ihr Werk': Briefe an Julius Bittner". ''Österreichische Musikzeitung'' 44.2 (1989) 70–80.

External links

Julius Bittner
in the

German National Library The German National Library (DNB; german: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek) is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany. It is one of the largest libraries in the world. Its task is to colle ...

* http://www.momh.org.uk/exhibitions-detail.php?cat_id=5&prod_id=338&iotm=1 {{DEFAULTSORT:Bittner, Julius 20th-century classical composers Austrian classical composers Austrian opera composers Male opera composers Musicians from Vienna 1874 births 1939 deaths Lawyers from Vienna Burials at the Vienna Central Cemetery Recipients of the Austrian State Prize Austrian male classical composers 20th-century male musicians