Viktor (or Victor) Ernst Nessler (28 January 1841 – 28 May 1890) was an Alsatian composer who worked mainly in

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...

. Nessler was born at Baldenheim near

Sélestat Sélestat (; Alsatian: ''Schlettstàdt''; German: ''Schlettstadt'') is a commune in the Grand Est region of France. An administrative division (sous-préfecture) of the Bas-Rhin department, the town lies on the Ill river, from the Rhine and th ...

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

. At Strasbourg he began his university career with the study of

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

, but he concluded it with the production of a light

opera 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 libr ...

entitled ''Fleurette'' (1864). To complete his knowledge of music Nessler went to

to study with

Moritz Hauptmann Moritz Hauptmann (13 October 1792, Dresden – 3 January 1868, Leipzig), was a German music theorist, teacher and composer. His principal theoretical work is the 1853 ''Die Natur der Harmonie und der Metrik'' explores numerous topics, particular ...

. In 1870, he was appointed chorus master and later conductor of the Caroltheater, Leipzig."Nessler, Victor" ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera''. John Warrack and Ewan West. Oxford University Press, 1996. ''Oxford Reference Online''. Oxford University Press. (Retrieved April 01, 2008), ./ His musically conservative, mock-Gothic, fairy-tale operas, notably '' Der Rattenfänger von Hameln'' (''

The Pied Piper of Hamelin The Pied Piper of Hamelin (german: der Rattenfänger von Hameln, also known as the Pan Piper or the Rat-Catcher of Hamelin) is the title character of a legend from the town of Hamelin (Hameln), Lower Saxony, Germany. The legend dates back to ...

'') (1879) and '' Der Trompeter von Säkkingen'' (1884), based on the famous poem by

Joseph Viktor von Scheffel Joseph Victor von Scheffel (16 February 1826 – 9 April 1886) was a German poet and novelist. Biography He was born at Karlsruhe. His father, a retired major in the Baden army, was a civil engineer and member of the commission for regulating the ...

, were very popular in the 19th century. The great conductor

Artur Nikisch Arthur Nikisch (12 October 185523 January 1922) was a Hungarian conductor who performed internationally, holding posts in Boston, London, Leipzig and—most importantly—Berlin. He was considered an outstanding interpreter of the music of Br ...

composed an orchestral arrangement of material from ''Der Trompeter von Säkkingen''. Besides a number of other operas, Nessler wrote many songs and choral works; but it is with the ''Trompeter von Säkkingen'' that his name is most closely associated. In 1895 a monument to him by the sculptor

Alfred Marzolff Frédéric Alfred Marzolff (1867-1936) was a French sculptor and medallist, known especially for his monumental figures. Biography His father was a master cooper. He completed an apprenticeship with the sculptor and designer, , who was enga ...

was erected in Strasbourg, the place of his death.

Works

* ''Fleurette'' (1864 Strasbourg) * ''Dornröschens Brautfahrt'' (1867

) * ''Die Hochzeitsreise'' (1867 Leipzig) * ''Am Alexandertag'' (1869 Leipzig) * ''Nachtwächter und Student'' (1871 Leipzig) * ''Irmingard'' (1876 Leipzig) * '' Der Rattenfänger von Hameln'' (1879 Leipzig) * ''Der wilde Jäger'' (1881 Leipzig) * '' Der Trompeter von Säckingen'' (1884 Leipzig) * ''Otto der Schütz '' (1886 Leipzig) * ''Die Rose von Strassburg'' (1890

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

)

References

External links

* * * Nessler, Victor Nessler, Victor German Romantic composers German opera composers Male opera composers People from Bas-Rhin 19th-century classical composers German male classical composers Alsatian people 19th-century German composers 19th-century German male musicians {{Germany-composer-stub