Viktor Nessler: Der Trompeter von Sakkingen.

[Revilod]

Does anyone know this opera? I have always been curious about it.  It dates from 1884 and was was enormously popular in its time. There is a recording available on Capriccio.

[Alan Howe]

Excerpts here:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Viktor-Nessler-Der-Trompeter-von-S%E4ckingen/hnum/3058292

Although designated an opera, this sounds more like an operetta to me.

[adriano]

There is even a silent film on the legendary trumpeter Franz Werner Kirchhofer (1633-1690, from Bad Säckingen, Germany) who also was a teacher and chorus conductor. The opera (as it is definitely called on the score's front page) is based on a biography by Joseph Victor von Scheffel. Nessler was a conductor of the Leipzig Opera. His opera was performed over 900 times - and this alone in 1888! In other words: unsung today only!

[Alan Howe]

Oh, I know it calls itself an opera. Nevertheless...

[adriano]

Neveretheless what?? In this case you should also disagree on Lortzing's "Zar und Zimmermann" and "Der Wildschütz" being called "komische Oper" and Nicolai's "Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor" a "komisch-fantastische Oper". The genre of "Deutsche Spieloper" is clearly recognised and I don't see any reasons for the "Trompeter von Säckingen" not belonging to this same category. Have you ever heard the opera in complete or do you know only the famous aria?

[Alan Howe]

I bow to your greater knowledge of the genre(s) involved. My sole concern was to flag up that this is an opera of a lighter kind.

[adriano]

Frankly, none amongst light or comic German operas à la Lortzing, Flotow or Nicolai reach the "humour virtuosity" of Verdi's "Falstaff" - this meaning the music :-) Not to speak about Rossini and Donizetti - and, why not, about Respighi's opera "Belfagor"?
Germany's humour in arts seems to excel more in the illustative arts of Wildhelm Buscha and Loriot - or in literature - but in this domain I have to search desperately...

[Double-A]

Well, there is plenty of humor--or at least wit--in Beethoven, not to mention Haydn if you don't count him out as Austrian and semi-Hungarian.

[Alan Howe]

I imagine that Adriano was thinking of humour in the operatic field.

[adriano]

Yes I did, Alan :-)
And this as far as the musical expression is concerned, and also not the libretti, which, obviously must be comic.