Johann Nestroy
Encyclopedia
Johann Nepomuk Eduard Ambrosius Nestroy (7 December 1801, Vienna 25 May 1862, Graz
) was a singer, actor
and playwright
in the popular Austrian tradition of the Biedermeier
period and its immediate aftermath. Dubbed the "Austrian Shakespeare
", in style he is more comparable to Molière
.
Nestroy was a law student in Vienna from 1817 to 1822, before abandoning his studies to become a singer. He joined the Theater am Kärntnertor
, beginning with Sarastro in The Magic Flute
on 24 August 1822. After a year of singing in Vienna, he went to Amsterdam where he appeared in baritone
rolesfor two years at the local German Theatre. From 1825 to 1831 he accepted engagements to sing and act in Brno
, Graz
, Pressburg, Klagenfurt
, Vienna and Lemberg. He then returned to his native Vienna and started to write, as well as continue performing.
Nestroy's career as a playwright was an immediate success: his 1833 play Der böse Geist Lumpazivagabundus was a major hit. He soon became a leading figure in Austrian culture and society. Nestroy succeeded Ferdinand Raimund
as the leading actor-dramatist on the Volkstheater
, the Viennese commercial stage or 'people's theatre'.
Whereas Raimund concentrated on romantic and magical fantasies, Nestroy used comedy
for parody
and criticism
. Working at the time of conservative minister Clemens Metternich
, he had to carefully draft his plays to skirt the strict censorship
in place. His interest in word play was legendary, and his characters often mixed Viennese German
with less-than-successful attempts at more "educated" speech. Music
held an important role in his work, with songs elaborating the theme or helping on with the plot.
Nestroy wrote nearly eighty comedies between the 1830s and the 1850s. Among the most important were Der böse Geist Lumpazivagabundus, Liebesgeschichten und Heiratssachen, Der Talisman (made into the 1939 musical comedy Titus macht Karriere by Edmund Nick
), Einen Jux will er sich machen
(translated as On the Razzle
by Tom Stoppard
in 1981) and Der Zerrissene, all of which were marked by social criticism and biting satire. He died in Graz
, Austria.
Nestroy remained a singer all his life, and virtually all his plays include music. He worked closely with a relatively small number of composers: Adolf Müller, who set 41 of Nestroy's texts between 1832 and 1847, Michael Hebenstreit who set 10 works from 1843 to 1850, Karl Binder who set seven from 1851 to 1859, as well as Anton M. Storch, Franz Roser, Carl Franz Stenzel, and Andreas Skutta.
Most of his works were designated as some form of Posse or farce, and of these the majority were Possen mit Gesang
(i.e 'with singing'). He also produced a number of parodies, both of operas (including Cendrillion
, La Cenerentola
, Lohengrin
, Martha
Robert le diable
, Tannhäuser
and Zampa
) and dramas (including von Holtei
s Lorbeerbaum und Bettelstab and Raupach's Robert der Teufel). In addition he wrote four Quodlibet
, two Burlesken
, a Travestie and finally an Operette using music by Jacques Offenbach
.
His early works were performed in Graz
and Pressburg, then from 1832 to 1846 he worked exclusively at the Theater an der Wien
where 45 of his plays were premiered. After two productions at the Theater in der Leopoldstadt
, he then moved to the Carltheater
from 1847 to 1859 where another 20 were performed.
into English
. Only one, Einen Jux will er sich machen, has become well known to English-speaking theatregoers. Interestingly, it has become a classic more than once. It was first adapted as Thornton Wilder
's The Matchmaker
(which later became the musical Hello, Dolly!
) and later achieved success as the comic masterpiece On the Razzle
, which was translated by Stephen Plaice
and adapted by Tom Stoppard
.
Nestroy has a square—Nestroyplatz—named after him in Vienna, as well as a station on Line 1 of the Vienna U-Bahn
, which opened in 1979. When the Reichsbrücke
had to be rebuilt after its collapse in 1976, the tender was won by a consortium named Project Johann Nestroy. The official name of the newly built bridge is probably Johann Nestroy Brückehttp://derstandard.at/?url=/?id=2983102http://oesterreich.orf.at/wien/stories/44339/http://www.kleinezeitung.at/nachrichten/chronik/518887/index.do, but that name doesn't seem to have any currency.
The most important German speaking Theatre Award is named after Nestroy. The "Nestroy Award" is an annual award for German Theatre with Oscar-like categories. Its ceremony is held in Vienna and broadcast live to the National Television.
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
) was a singer, actor
Acting
Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....
and playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
in the popular Austrian tradition of the Biedermeier
Biedermeier
In Central Europe, the Biedermeier era refers to the middle-class sensibilities of the historical period between 1815, the year of the Congress of Vienna at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, and 1848, the year of the European revolutions...
period and its immediate aftermath. Dubbed the "Austrian Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
", in style he is more comparable to Molière
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...
.
Nestroy was a law student in Vienna from 1817 to 1822, before abandoning his studies to become a singer. He joined the Theater am Kärntnertor
Theater am Kärntnertor
Theater am Kärntnertor or Kärntnertortheater was a prestigious theatre in Vienna during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries...
, beginning with Sarastro in The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute is an opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a Singspiel, a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue....
on 24 August 1822. After a year of singing in Vienna, he went to Amsterdam where he appeared in baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
rolesfor two years at the local German Theatre. From 1825 to 1831 he accepted engagements to sing and act in Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
, Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
, Pressburg, Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt
-Name:Carinthia's eminent linguists Primus Lessiak and Eberhard Kranzmayer assumed that the city's name, which literally translates as "ford of lament" or "ford of complaints", had something to do with the superstitious thought that fateful fairies or demons tend to live around treacherous waters...
, Vienna and Lemberg. He then returned to his native Vienna and started to write, as well as continue performing.
Nestroy's career as a playwright was an immediate success: his 1833 play Der böse Geist Lumpazivagabundus was a major hit. He soon became a leading figure in Austrian culture and society. Nestroy succeeded Ferdinand Raimund
Ferdinand Raimund
Ferdinand Raimund was an Austrian actor and dramatist.- Life and work :...
as the leading actor-dramatist on the Volkstheater
Volkstheater, Vienna
The Volkstheater in Vienna was founded in 1889 by request of the citizens of Vienna, amongst them the dramatist Ludwig Anzengruber and the furniture manufacturer Thonet, in order to offer a popular counter weight to the Hofburgtheater...
, the Viennese commercial stage or 'people's theatre'.
Whereas Raimund concentrated on romantic and magical fantasies, Nestroy used comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
for parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
and criticism
Criticism
Criticism is the judgement of the merits and faults of the work or actions of an individual or group by another . To criticize does not necessarily imply to find fault, but the word is often taken to mean the simple expression of an objection against prejudice, or a disapproval.Another meaning of...
. Working at the time of conservative minister Clemens Metternich
Klemens Wenzel von Metternich
Prince Klemens Wenzel von Metternich was a German-born Austrian politician and statesman and was one of the most important diplomats of his era...
, he had to carefully draft his plays to skirt the strict censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
in place. His interest in word play was legendary, and his characters often mixed Viennese German
Viennese German
Viennese German is the city dialect spoken in Vienna, the capital of Austria and is counted among the Bavarian dialects. Even in Lower Austria, the state surrounding the city, many of its expressions are not used, while farther to the west they are often not even understood.- Linguistic...
with less-than-successful attempts at more "educated" speech. Music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
held an important role in his work, with songs elaborating the theme or helping on with the plot.
Nestroy wrote nearly eighty comedies between the 1830s and the 1850s. Among the most important were Der böse Geist Lumpazivagabundus, Liebesgeschichten und Heiratssachen, Der Talisman (made into the 1939 musical comedy Titus macht Karriere by Edmund Nick
Edmund Nick
Edmund Nick was a German composer, conductor, and music writer.-Biography:The son of a merchant, Nick studied from 1910 to 1915 law in Vienna and Graz. At the same time, he studied music at the Vienna Music Academy and at the Conservatorium Dresden. He received his doctorate in law from the...
), Einen Jux will er sich machen
Einen Jux will er sich machen
Einen Jux will er sich machen , , is a three-act musical play, designated as a Posse mit Gesang, by Austrian playwright Johann Nestroy first performed at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna on 10 March 1842...
(translated as On the Razzle
On the Razzle (play)
On the Razzle is a play by Tom Stoppard. It is an adaptation of the Viennese play Einen Jux will er sich machen by Johann Nestroy, which previously was adapted twice by Thornton Wilder...
by Tom Stoppard
Tom Stoppard
Sir Tom Stoppard OM, CBE, FRSL is a British playwright, knighted in 1997. He has written prolifically for TV, radio, film and stage, finding prominence with plays such as Arcadia, The Coast of Utopia, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Professional Foul, The Real Thing, and Rosencrantz and...
in 1981) and Der Zerrissene, all of which were marked by social criticism and biting satire. He died in Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
, Austria.
Works
Nestroy remained a singer all his life, and virtually all his plays include music. He worked closely with a relatively small number of composers: Adolf Müller, who set 41 of Nestroy's texts between 1832 and 1847, Michael Hebenstreit who set 10 works from 1843 to 1850, Karl Binder who set seven from 1851 to 1859, as well as Anton M. Storch, Franz Roser, Carl Franz Stenzel, and Andreas Skutta.
Most of his works were designated as some form of Posse or farce, and of these the majority were Possen mit Gesang
Posse mit Gesang
Posse mit Gesang is a form of popular German-language music drama, that developed in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Early examples are sometimes called 'Possenspil' or 'Possenspiel'...
(i.e 'with singing'). He also produced a number of parodies, both of operas (including Cendrillion
Cendrillon (Isouard)
Cendrillon is a French opera in three acts by the Maltese-born composer Nicolas Isouard. It takes the form of an opéra comique with spoken dialogue between the musical numbers, although its authors designated it an opéra série. The libretto, by Charles Guillaume Etienne, is based on Charles...
, La Cenerentola
La Cenerentola
La Cenerentola, ossia La bontà in trionfo is an operatic dramma giocoso in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The libretto was written by Jacopo Ferretti, based on the fairy tale Cinderella...
, Lohengrin
Lohengrin
Lohengrin is a character in German Arthurian literature. The son of Parzival , he is a knight of the Holy Grail sent in a boat pulled by swans to rescue a maiden who can never ask his identity. His story, which first appears in Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival, is a version of the Knight of the...
, Martha
Martha (opera)
Martha, oder Der Markt zu Richmond is a 'romantic comic' opera in four acts by Friedrich von Flotow, set to a German libretto by Friedrich Wilhelm Riese and based on a story by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges....
Robert le diable
Robert le diable (opera)
Robert le diable is an opera by Giacomo Meyerbeer, often regarded as the first grand opera. The libretto was written by Eugène Scribe and Casimir Delavigne and has little connection to the medieval legend of Robert the Devil. Originally planned as a three-act opéra comique, "Meyerbeer persuaded...
, Tannhäuser
Tannhäuser
Tannhäuser was a German Minnesänger and poet. Historically, his biography is obscure beyond the poetry, which dates between 1245 and 1265...
and Zampa
Zampa
Zampa, ou La fiancée de marbre is an opéra comique in three acts by French composer Louis Joseph Ferdinand Hérold...
) and dramas (including von Holtei
Karl Eduard von Holtei
Karl Eduard von Holtei was a German poet and actor.-Life and career:Karl Eduard von Holtei was born at Breslau, the son of an officer of Hussars...
s Lorbeerbaum und Bettelstab and Raupach's Robert der Teufel). In addition he wrote four Quodlibet
Quodlibet
A quodlibet is a piece of music combining several different melodies, usually popular tunes, in counterpoint and often a light-hearted, humorous manner...
, two Burlesken
Burlesque
Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects...
, a Travestie and finally an Operette using music by Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach was a Prussian-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Johann Strauss, Jr....
.
His early works were performed in Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
and Pressburg, then from 1832 to 1846 he worked exclusively at the Theater an der Wien
Theater an der Wien
The Theater an der Wien is a historic theatre on the Left Wienzeile in the Mariahilf district of Vienna. Completed in 1801, it has seen the premieres of many celebrated works of theatre, opera, and symphonic music...
where 45 of his plays were premiered. After two productions at the Theater in der Leopoldstadt
Theater in der Leopoldstadt
The Theater in der Leopoldstadt was an opera house in Vienna, founded in 1781 by Karl von Marinelli, following the Schauspielfreiheit by Joseph II in 1776...
, he then moved to the Carltheater
Carltheater
The Carltheater was a theatre in Vienna. It was in the suburbs in Leopoldstadt at Praterstraße 31 .It was the successor to the Leopoldstädter Theater. After a series of financial difficulties, that theater had been sold in 1838 to the director, Carl Carl, who continued to run it in parallel to his...
from 1847 to 1859 where another 20 were performed.
Nestroy's legacy
About half of Nestroy's works have been revived by the modern German-speaking theatres and many are part and parcel of today's Viennese repertoire. However, few have ever been translatedTranslation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. Only one, Einen Jux will er sich machen, has become well known to English-speaking theatregoers. Interestingly, it has become a classic more than once. It was first adapted as Thornton Wilder
Thornton Wilder
Thornton Niven Wilder was an American playwright and novelist. He received three Pulitzer Prizes, one for his novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey and two for his plays Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth, and a National Book Award for his novel The Eighth Day.-Early years:Wilder was born in Madison,...
's The Matchmaker
The Matchmaker
The Matchmaker is a play by Thornton Wilder.The play has a long and colorful history. John Oxenford's 1835 one-act farce A Day Well Spent had been extended into a full-length play entitled Einen Jux will er sich machen by Austrian playwright Johann Nestroy in 1842...
(which later became the musical Hello, Dolly!
Hello, Dolly! (musical)
Hello, Dolly! is a musical with lyrics and music by Jerry Herman and a book by Michael Stewart, based on Thornton Wilder's 1938 farce The Merchant of Yonkers, which Wilder revised and retitled The Matchmaker in 1955....
) and later achieved success as the comic masterpiece On the Razzle
On the Razzle (play)
On the Razzle is a play by Tom Stoppard. It is an adaptation of the Viennese play Einen Jux will er sich machen by Johann Nestroy, which previously was adapted twice by Thornton Wilder...
, which was translated by Stephen Plaice
Stephen Plaice
Stephen Plaice is a UK based dramatist and scriptwriter who has written extensively for theatre, opera and television.-Early Career:...
and adapted by Tom Stoppard
Tom Stoppard
Sir Tom Stoppard OM, CBE, FRSL is a British playwright, knighted in 1997. He has written prolifically for TV, radio, film and stage, finding prominence with plays such as Arcadia, The Coast of Utopia, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Professional Foul, The Real Thing, and Rosencrantz and...
.
Nestroy has a square—Nestroyplatz—named after him in Vienna, as well as a station on Line 1 of the Vienna U-Bahn
Vienna U-Bahn
The Vienna U-Bahn is a rapid transit system consisting of five lines. It is the backbone of one of the best performing public transport systems worldwide according to UITP in June 2009. More than 1.3 million passengers use the Vienna U-Bahn every day...
, which opened in 1979. When the Reichsbrücke
Reichsbrücke
The Reichsbrücke is Vienna's most famous bridge, linking Mexicoplatz in Leopoldstadt with the Donauinsel in Donaustadt on the other side of the Danube. It lies on an important axis leading from the city centre at Stephansplatz, through Praterstern, and on to Kagran in the north-east...
had to be rebuilt after its collapse in 1976, the tender was won by a consortium named Project Johann Nestroy. The official name of the newly built bridge is probably Johann Nestroy Brückehttp://derstandard.at/?url=/?id=2983102http://oesterreich.orf.at/wien/stories/44339/http://www.kleinezeitung.at/nachrichten/chronik/518887/index.do, but that name doesn't seem to have any currency.
The most important German speaking Theatre Award is named after Nestroy. The "Nestroy Award" is an annual award for German Theatre with Oscar-like categories. Its ceremony is held in Vienna and broadcast live to the National Television.
External links
- Internationales Nestroy Zentrum (in German)
- Nestroy information from aeiou.at (in German)