Carl Friedrich Clemens Weinmüller (also Karl Weinmiller) (8 November 1764 – 16 March 1828) was an operatic

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

and

theatre director A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production such as a play, opera, dance, drama, musical theatre performance, etc. by unifying various endeavors a ...

. A bass with the Imperial Ccourt Opera in Vienna, he is known for performing Rocco in the premiere of Beethoven's ''

Fidelio ''Fidelio'' (; ), originally titled ' (''Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love''), Opus number, Op. 72, is the sole opera by German composer Ludwig van Beethoven. The libretto was originally prepared by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of ...

''.

Life

Born in

Dillingen an der Donau Dillingen an der Donau (; officially Dillingen a.d.Donau; ) is a Town#Germany, town in Swabia (Bavaria), Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. It is the administrative center of the district of Dillingen (district), Dillingen. Besides the town of Dillingen ...

, Weinmüller received first musical instruction in the church choir of his hometown. He studied in Vienna. In 1783, he joined a travelling troupe that played in

Wiener Neustadt Wiener Neustadt (; Lower_Austria.html" ;"title=".e. Lower Austria">.e. Lower Austria , ) is a city located south of Vienna, in the state of Lower Austria, in northeast Austria. It is a self-governed city and the seat of the district administr ...

Sankt Pölten Sankt Pölten (; Central Bavarian: ''St. Pödn''), mostly abbreviated to the official name St. Pölten, is the capital and largest city of the States of Austria, State of Lower Austria in northeast Austria, with 55,538 inhabitants as of 1 Januar ...

Burg Haimburg Haimburg Castle ''(Burg Haimburg)'', also called Heunburg'','' is a rock castle located in the village of Haimburg near the town of Völkermarkt in the Carinthia, Austria. History The castle was first attested in 1103 as Huneburch. The Counts ...

and other small towns. In 1788, he moved to Ofen and Pest, where he was the first bass and the opera director. On 6 November 1796 he started with the Viennese Imperial Court Opera, appearing as the pharmacist Stößel in Dittersdorf's ''

Doktor und Apotheker (''Doctor and Apothecary'') is a German-language two-act singspiel by Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf, with a libretto by Johann Gottlieb Stephanie the Younger, based on the anonymous French comedy ''L'apothicaire de Murcie'' (The Apothecary of ...

''. He was then engaged permanently, together with his wife, by the Imperial Court Opera. He was soon regarded as one of the most important bass singers and also known for his considerable acting talent. From July 1798 until his death, he also belonged to the Wiener Hofmusikkapelle. He enjoyed performing as a concert singer as well, for example at the academies of

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

. His voice ranged from D to f′ at the height of his career. In recognition of his numerous merits, Weinmüller received the citizens diploma of the City of Vienna in 1810. Together with Ignaz Saal and

Johann Michael Vogl Johann Michael Vogl (August 10, 1768 – November 19, Michael Lorenz: ''Studien zum Schubertkreis'', Phil. Diss. Vienna, 2001 1840), was an Austrian baritone singer and composer. Though famous in his day, he is remembered mainly for his close ...

, he was instrumental in making Beethoven revise his only opera, which had failed in the premiere. Titled ''

'' in its third and final version, it was premiered on 23 May 1814 at the Court Theatre, with Weinmüller as Rocco. Weinmüller retired on 30 November 1821. His last residence was Ledererhof Nr. 337, near the Altes Rathaus, where he died in March 1828 from "hardening of the liver" at age 63.

Family

Weinmüller's wife was Aloisia Weinmüller, née Moerisch (1761–1852), who worked at the Viennese court theatres from 1796 to 1798.

References

Cited sources

Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich ''Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich'' (English, ''Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire'') (abbreviated ''Wurzbach'' from the author's surname) is a 60-volume work, edited and published by Constantin von Wurzbach, cont ...

''. 54. Theil. Kaiserlich-königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, Vienna 1886,
Weinmiller, Karl Friedrich Clemens
* ''Katalog der Portrait-Sammlung der k. u. k. General-Intendanz der k. k. Hoftheater. Zugleich ein biographisches Hilfsbuch auf dem Gebiet von Theater und Musik. Zweite Abtheilung. Gruppe IV. Wiener Hoftheater'', Vienna 1892, {{DEFAULTSORT:Weinmuller, Carl Austrian basses Operatic basses 1764 births 1828 deaths People from Dillingen an der Donau Male singers from the Holy Roman Empire Austrian theatre directors

Life

Family

References

Cited sources

Further reading