Theater auf der Wieden
Encyclopedia
The Theater auf der Wieden, also called the Freihaus-Theater auf der Wieden or the Wiednertheater, was a theater located in the then-suburban Wieden
district of Vienna
in the late 18th century. It existed for only 14 years (1787-1801), but during this time it was the venue for the premiere of no fewer than 350 theatrical works, of which the most celebrated was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
's opera The Magic Flute
. During most of this period the director of the theater was Emanuel Schikaneder
, remembered today as librettist and impresario of The Magic Flute.
The Freihaus attracted intensive development because by an earlier Imperial decree (1647) it was free from taxation. The complex was called the "Starhembergische Freihaus" ("free-house of the Starhembergs"), from which was derived the name "Freihaus-Theater".
Christian Rossbach, a theater director who had already been successfully mounting productions in Vienna for several years,, made an application to build a new theater in the Freihaus. This was approved 16 March 1787, and construction began, following a design by the architect Andreas Zach. The building was completed within six months and was opened for its first performance on 14 October.
The stage area was substantial, forming 12 meters of 30 meter length of the building. Honolka judges that it was "planned from the beginning for opulent scenic design." Examining the plays and librettos of Emanuel Schikaneder, Buch infers "a mechanical stage with three trap doors, movable flats and backdrops, and devices to accommodate flying machines, storms, sea battles, and similar effects."
Rossbach was succeeded by Johann Friedel, who ran the productions from March 1788 to his death in March 1789. Friedel worked in collaboration with his lover Eleonore Schikaneder, the estranged wife of Friedel's former theatrical colleague Emanuel Schikaneder. Like Rossbach Friedel was unable to make the theater a success, despite making improvements to the property and mounting as many as nine productions within a period of two weeks; Honolka comments that "they can scarcely have been properly rehearsed."
Following Friedel's death, Eleonore reconciled with her husband and invited him to take on the directorship, which he held from July 1789 until the theater's closure in June 1801. Schikaneder created a new troupe partly from the participants in Friedel's ensemble, and partly from personnel he brought with him from his former troupe, playing in Regensburg
. The company offered "mostly German operas and plays with songs and incidental music (tragedies, comedies, and spectacles with elaborate stage machinery)". The company staged Mozart
's Abduction from the Seraglio in April and May of 1789.
Starting in 1789, Schikaneder's company staged a series of fairy tale operas. These included Der Stein der Weisen (The Philosopher's Stone), a collaboratively written work to which Mozart contributed a small portion of the music (see Benedikt Schack
). The fairy tale series culminated with the premiere in September 1791 of Mozart's The Magic Flute
. The latter was a success, and played for over 100 performances in its first year alone, 223 over the life of the theater. And there had been a sequel of this opera by Schikaneder himself and Peter von Winter: The Magic Flute Second Part (1798).
The theater continued to be used for opera until 1801, when Schikaneder moved the troupe to his newly-built Theater an der Wien
. Prince Starhemberg, an efficient businessman, promptly tore down the old theater and replaced it with apartment housing. The roof tiles were reinstalled on the parish church of Perchtoldsdorf
, where they can be seen to this day (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:At_perchtoldsdorf02.jpg).
(1776–1841) was the musical director of the theater from 1798 to 1801, continuing in this role at the Theater an der Wien until 1826. In 1840, he wrote a contribution to the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik (12/46, 5 June 1840) in which he described the Theater an der Wieden in rather derogatory terms: "... for that limited venue, not much better than a wooden shack [German Holzbude], Mozart composed his immortal Magic Flute". As recent archival research has shown, this description is certainly false.
Wieden
Wieden is the 4th municipal District of Vienna, Austria . It is near the center of Vienna and was established as a district in 1850, but borders changed later...
district of Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in the late 18th century. It existed for only 14 years (1787-1801), but during this time it was the venue for the premiere of no fewer than 350 theatrical works, of which the most celebrated was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
's opera 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....
. During most of this period the director of the theater was Emanuel Schikaneder
Emanuel Schikaneder
Emanuel Schikaneder , born Johann Joseph Schickeneder, was a German impresario, dramatist, actor, singer and composer. He was the librettist of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera The Magic Flute and the builder of the Theater an der Wien...
, remembered today as librettist and impresario of The Magic Flute.
Origin
The "Freihaus" was a large complex of businesses and residences belonging to the Starhemberg family. It was located at the northern edge of the Wiedner suburb, separated from the inner city by the "Glacis", the ring of open land that surrounded inner Vienna for purposes of military defense.The Freihaus attracted intensive development because by an earlier Imperial decree (1647) it was free from taxation. The complex was called the "Starhembergische Freihaus" ("free-house of the Starhembergs"), from which was derived the name "Freihaus-Theater".
Christian Rossbach, a theater director who had already been successfully mounting productions in Vienna for several years,, made an application to build a new theater in the Freihaus. This was approved 16 March 1787, and construction began, following a design by the architect Andreas Zach. The building was completed within six months and was opened for its first performance on 14 October.
Structure
The theater was a three-story structure having a divided parterre (ground level) and two galleries (balconies). The external walls and roof were of brick and the interior was of wood. According to Krzeszowiak the theater had "very good acoustics". No description of the theater's capacity survives. The dimensions of the theater were 30 by 15 meters; Buch judges that the theater must have held over 500 spectators; Honolka estimates 800, then 1000 following an expansion carried out by Emanuel Schikaneder.The stage area was substantial, forming 12 meters of 30 meter length of the building. Honolka judges that it was "planned from the beginning for opulent scenic design." Examining the plays and librettos of Emanuel Schikaneder, Buch infers "a mechanical stage with three trap doors, movable flats and backdrops, and devices to accommodate flying machines, storms, sea battles, and similar effects."
Performance history
The founding director was Christian Rossbach, who served from October 1787 to March 1788. Rossbach's venture lasted only a few months and ended in financial failure, despite a dispensation from the Emperor to perform during Lent. He first tried playing in cheaper venues in Vienna, then left Vienna with half of his troupe to play the provinces in Moravia.Rossbach was succeeded by Johann Friedel, who ran the productions from March 1788 to his death in March 1789. Friedel worked in collaboration with his lover Eleonore Schikaneder, the estranged wife of Friedel's former theatrical colleague Emanuel Schikaneder. Like Rossbach Friedel was unable to make the theater a success, despite making improvements to the property and mounting as many as nine productions within a period of two weeks; Honolka comments that "they can scarcely have been properly rehearsed."
Following Friedel's death, Eleonore reconciled with her husband and invited him to take on the directorship, which he held from July 1789 until the theater's closure in June 1801. Schikaneder created a new troupe partly from the participants in Friedel's ensemble, and partly from personnel he brought with him from his former troupe, playing in Regensburg
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
. The company offered "mostly German operas and plays with songs and incidental music (tragedies, comedies, and spectacles with elaborate stage machinery)". The company staged Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
's Abduction from the Seraglio in April and May of 1789.
Starting in 1789, Schikaneder's company staged a series of fairy tale operas. These included Der Stein der Weisen (The Philosopher's Stone), a collaboratively written work to which Mozart contributed a small portion of the music (see Benedikt Schack
Benedikt Schack
Benedikt Schack was a composer and tenor of the Classical era, a close friend of Mozart and the first performer of the role of Tamino in Mozart's opera The Magic Flute.- Early life :...
). The fairy tale series culminated with the premiere in September 1791 of Mozart's 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....
. The latter was a success, and played for over 100 performances in its first year alone, 223 over the life of the theater. And there had been a sequel of this opera by Schikaneder himself and Peter von Winter: The Magic Flute Second Part (1798).
The theater continued to be used for opera until 1801, when Schikaneder moved the troupe to his newly-built 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...
. Prince Starhemberg, an efficient businessman, promptly tore down the old theater and replaced it with apartment housing. The roof tiles were reinstalled on the parish church of Perchtoldsdorf
Perchtoldsdorf
Perchtoldsdorf is a town in the district of Mödling in the Austrian state of Lower Austria, located about 16 km southwest of the viennese inner city.-History:...
, where they can be seen to this day (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:At_perchtoldsdorf02.jpg).
A shack?
Ignaz von SeyfriedIgnaz von Seyfried
Ignaz Xaver Ritter von Seyfried was an Austrian musician, conductor and composer.Seyfried was born in Vienna. According to a statement in his handwritten memoirs he was a pupil of both Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Albrechtsberger. He published Albrechtsberger's complete written works after...
(1776–1841) was the musical director of the theater from 1798 to 1801, continuing in this role at the Theater an der Wien until 1826. In 1840, he wrote a contribution to the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik (12/46, 5 June 1840) in which he described the Theater an der Wieden in rather derogatory terms: "... for that limited venue, not much better than a wooden shack [German Holzbude], Mozart composed his immortal Magic Flute". As recent archival research has shown, this description is certainly false.