The Viennese Theatrical Music School

[pcc]

My own term, I admit, but coined after reading about the Viennese bass-baritone/actor/dramatist Johann Nestroy and his regular composer Adolf Müller (1801-1886), the latter being Franz von Suppé's predecessor as conductor at the Theater an der Wien. He turned out over 600 stage pieces including incidental music, overtures, dances, etc., many of which survive in Vienna at the Landesbibliothek, and he was one of a groups of other popular Viennese theatrical composer-conductors doing the same thing at about the same rate.  I am tempted to call it a "school" because five of them are in an 1852 Kriehuber lithograph around a piano, at https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_Proch#/media/File:Wiener_Musiker_1852.jpg : Anton M. Storch (1813-1887), Karl Binder (1816-1860, remembered for what is usually thought of as Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld overture which he put together for the operetta's Vienna premiere shortly before his death), , Anton Emil Titl (1809-1882, known for the once-ubiquitous Serenade for Horn and Flute and - principally in bands - the overture to his opera Der Tambour der Garde). and Heinrich Proch (1809-1878, composer of the once-indispensable Theme and Variations op. 164 for soprano and orchestra).

Outside of the pieces named, and of course Suppé's works, has anyone here heard or had access to anything by these fellows? They were all active throughout their (mostly) long lives, and very successful. Suppé is so appealing and professional, and often much richer in content than he's given credit for, that there might be a whole realm of intriguing material here. 

[mikehopf]

I had an LP of Nestroy's Tannhauser parody but I note that  there is now a DVD entitled " Tannhauser in 80 minuten"attributed to Nestroy & Binder. It's available through Amazon Germany.

[mikehopf]

There are four songs  by Proch coupled with others by Lachner and Schubert on a Bella Musica CD entitled Schubert & Co. by the Arion Trio.

[mikehopf]

There is a CD entitled Das Waren Zeiten which  features Hans Moser singing various numbers by this Viennese group including Drechsler, Kreutzer & Raimund.

An acquired taste, maybe, but I love exploring these by-ways...