Nico Dostal (full name: Nikolaus Josef Michael Dostal) (27 November 1895 – 27 October 1981) 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 who later specialised in operetta and

film music A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...

Life

Dostal was born in

Korneuburg Korneuburg () is a town in Austria. It is located in the state Lower Austria and is the administrative center of the district of Korneuburg. Korneuburg is situated on the left bank of the Danube, opposite the city of Klosterneuburg, and is 12&n ...

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 ...

, and was the nephew of composer Hermann Dostal. He initially studied

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

at the

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 histor ...

, but turned to studying music at the Academy for Church Music in

Klosterneuburg Klosterneuburg (; frequently abbreviated as Kloburg by locals) is a town in Tulln District in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. It has a population of about 27,500. The Klosterneuburg Monastery, which was established in 1114 and soon after give ...

, and made a name for himself when his ''Great Mass in D major'' premiered in

Linz Linz ( , ; cs, Linec) is the capital of Upper Austria and third-largest city in Austria. In the north of the country, it is on the Danube south of the Czech border. In 2018, the population was 204,846. In 2009, it was a European Capital of ...

in 1913. After participating in

World War I 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 ...

, Dostal worked as the theatre

Kapellmeister (, also , ) from German ''Kapelle'' (chapel) and ''Meister'' (master)'','' literally "master of the chapel choir" designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians. Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel, the term ha ...

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...

St. Pölten ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy ...

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

Chernivtsi Chernivtsi ( uk, Чернівці́}, ; ro, Cernăuți, ; see also other names) is a city in the historical region of Bukovina, which is now divided along the borders of Romania and Ukraine, including this city, which is situated on the upp ...

and

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

, before moving to

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

in 1924, where he turned his hand to secular music. He worked in

music publishing A music publisher is a type of publisher that specializes in distributing music. Music publishers originally published sheet music. When copyright became legally protected, music publishers started to play a role in the management of the intellect ...

and as a freelance arranger for Oscar Straus,

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 ...

and

Robert Stolz Robert Elisabeth Stolz (25 August 188027 June 1975) was an Austrian songwriter and conductor as well as a composer of operettas and film music.Stanley Sadie Ed. (2002) ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'', Oxford University Press Biogra ...

, among others. Whilst working as a Kapellmeister and composer, Dostal wrote the music for the film '' The Emperor's Waltz'' (1933) and enjoyed great success with his first operetta ''

Clivia ''Clivia'' is a genus of monocot flowering plants native to southern Africa. They are from the family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. Common names are Natal lily or bush lily. They are herbaceous or evergreen perennial plants, with g ...

''. This was followed by '' Die Vielgeliebte'' (1934) (''The Much-Loved''), '' Die ungarische Hochzeit'' (1939) (''The Hungarian Wedding''), and numerous pieces of film music. In 1946 Dostal moved to Vienna, then in 1954 to Salzburg, where he continued to devote himself to composition, writing there among other pieces the chamber musical ''So macht man Karriere'' (1961) (''How To Make a Career''). Dostal also composed church music along with operettas and film music. In 1942 he married the

opera singer Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libretti ...

Lillie Claus, by whom he had one son, Roman Dostal, later a conductor. Dostal died in Salzburg, where he is buried in a grave of honour in the main cemetery, the '' Salzburger Kommunalfriedhof''.

Works

Operettas

*''Die exzentrische Frau'', 1922 (''The Eccentric Woman'') *''Lagunenzauber'', 1923 (''Lagoon Magic'') *''

'', 1933 *'' Die Vielgeliebte'', 1934 (''The Much-Loved'') *'' Prinzessin Nofretete'', 1936 (''Princess Nefertiti'') *''Extrablätter'', 1937 (''Extra Sheets'') *'' Monika'', 1937 *'' Die ungarische Hochzeit'', 1939 (''The Hungarian Wedding'') *''Die Flucht ins Glück'', 1940 (''The Flight into Happiness'') *''Die große Tänzerin'', 1942 (''The Great Dancer'') *''Eva im Abendkleid'', 1942 (''Eva in Evening Dress'') *'' Manina'', 1942 *''Verzauberte Herzen'', 1946 (''Enchanted Hearts'') *''Ein Fremder in Venedig'', 1946 (''A Stranger in Venice'') *''Süße kleine Freundin'', 1949 (''Sweet Little Girlfriend'') *''Zirkusblut'', 1950 (''Circus Blood'') *''Der Kurier der Königin'', 1950 (''The Queen's Courier'') *'' :de:Doktor Eisenbart'', 1952 (''Dr. Eisenbarth'') *'' :de:Der dritte Wunsch'', 1954 (''The Third Wish'') *''Liebesbriefe Operette'', 1955 (''Love Letters Operetta'') *''So macht man Karriere'', 1961 (''How To Make A Career'') *''Rhapsodie der Liebe'', 1963 (''Rhapsody of Love'') *''Der goldene Spiegel'' (''The Golden Mirror'') *''Don Juan und Figaro oder Das Lamm des Armen'', 1990 (''Don Juan and Figaro, or the Lamb of the Poor'')

Film music

* '' Everybody Wins'' (1930) *''

Three Days Confined to Barracks ''Three Days Confined to Barracks'' (German: ''Drei Tage Mittelarrest'') is a 1930 German comedy film directed by Carl Boese and starring Max Adalbert, Ida Wüst, and Gretl Theimer. The film is a farce set around a military barracks. It was a m ...

'' (1930) *''

Headfirst into Happiness ''Headfirst into Happiness'' (german: Kopfüber ins Glück) is a 1931 German comedy film directed by Hans Steinhoff and starring Jenny Jugo, Fritz Schulz and S. Z. Sakall. A separate French-language version '' Everybody Wins'' was also produced ...

'' (1931) *'' The Emperor's Waltz'' (1933) * ''

The Cabbie's Song ''The Cabbie's Song'' (german: Fiakerlied) is a 1936 German romantic drama film directed by E. W. Emo and starring Paul Hörbiger, Gusti Huber, and Franz Schafheitlin. The film offers a nostalgic view of Vienna during the old Imperial Era. It ...

'' (1936) *''Der Optimist'', 1938, with

Theo Lingen Theo Lingen (; 10 June 1903 – 10 November 1978), born Franz Theodor Schmitz, was a German actor, film director and screenwriter. He appeared in more than 230 films between 1929 and 1978, and directed 21 films between 1936 and 1960. Life and c ...

(''The Optimist'') *''Mordsache Holm'', 1938 (''The Holm Murder Case'') *'' Thirteen Chairs'' (1938) *'' Heimatland'', 1939, with

Wolf Albach-Retty Wolf Albach-Retty (born Wolfgang Helmuth Albert Albach; 28 May 1906 – 21 February 1967) was an Austrian actor. He was the father of Romy Schneider with the German actress Magda Schneider. Career Born as Wolfgang Helmuth Albert Albach in Vienna ...

(''Homeland'') *'' Das Lied der Wüste'', 1939, with

Zarah Leander Zarah Leander (; 15 March 1907 – 23 June 1981) was a Swedish singer and actress whose greatest success was in Germany between 1936 and 1943, when she was contracted to work for the state-owned Universum Film AG (UFA). Although no exact record ...

Gustav Knuth Gustav Knuth (7 July 1901 – 1 February 1987) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1935 and 1982 and starred in the TV series '' Alle meine Tiere''. He was married to the actress Elisabeth Lennartz. Selected ...

(''The Desert Song'') *'' The Vulture Wally'' (1940) *'' Black on White'' (1943) *''Glück bei Frauen'', 1944, with

Johannes Heesters Johan Marius Nicolaas Heesters (5 December 1903 – 24 December 2011), known professionally as Johannes Heesters, was a Dutch actor of stage, television and film, as well as a vocalist of numerous recordings and performer on the concert stag ...

(''Luck/Happiness with Women'') *''

Child of the Danube ''Child of the Danube'' (German: ''Kind der Donau'') is a 1950 Austrian musical film directed by Georg Jacoby and starring Marika Rökk, Fred Liewehr and Harry Fuß. It was one of a cycle of popular musicals made by Jacoby and Rökk.Davidson, J ...

'' (1950) *''

Spring on Ice ''Spring on Ice'' (German: ''Frühling auf dem Eis'') is a 1951 Austrian musical comedy film directed by Georg Jacoby and starring Eva Pawlik, Herta Mayen and Hans Holt. It is set around the Vienna Ice Revue. The film was shot using Agfacolor a ...

'' (1951) *', 1951 (''The Heart of a Woman'') *', 1952 (''Sea Stars'') *'' A Night in Venice'' (1953) *''Die Ungarische Hochzeit'', 1969, with

Maria Schell Maria Margarethe Anna Schell (15 January 1926 – 26 April 2005) was an Austrian-Swiss actress. She was one of the leading stars of German cinema in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1954, she was awarded the Cannes Best Actress Award for her performance ...

(''The Hungarian Wedding'')

Sources

Much of the content of this article comes from the equivalent German-language Wikipedia article (retrieved September, 2007).

Life

Works

Operettas

Film music

Sources

See also