In an effort to promote German opera compositions in the verismo style, Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha, initiated a competition for German one-act operas in 1893. Among the works sent in were operas by Franz Lehár (Rodrigo) and Leo Blech (Aglaja). Just two operas out of 124 manuscripts that had been sent in were awarded a prize, the first. It went jointly to Josef Forster (1838-1917) for 'Rose von Pontevedra' and Paul Umlauft (1853-1934) for 'Evanthia'.
A quick search for some music by at least one of the prize winners has led to this Notturno (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xf3hv5fbrwc) op. 4 No. 1 by Umlauft.
In an article in the 'Musikalisches Wochenblatt' of 29 June, 1893 the critic, publisher and composer Bohumil Pazdirek, writing as J. P. Gotthard, was highly critical of this competition, mainly, it would appear, for nationalistic reasons. The original German is here (https://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/anno?aid=muw&datum=18930615&query=%22Paul+Umlauft%22+%22Sachsen-Coburg%22&ref=anno-search&seite=8).
Translation:
QuoteOpen discussion forum.
The final outcome of a German opera competition.
The latest German opera competition, initiated by the generosity of His Highness Duke Ernst
of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, has inspired our contemporary generation of composers in Germany and Austria to produce exceptional works in the field of opera. and in view of the special interest which the high patron of the arts has shown in German musical literature by endowing a prize of considerable value, it was to be assumed that the composers would, without exception, feel themselves to be German artists and that the judges would therefore devote their attention exclusively to works which display German subject matter with German musical artistry and thoroughness.
The Italian and French opera propaganda, the former in particular, which is being pursued from Milan with success that is shameful for us Germans in our own country, should obviously be combated at a time when, with its unprecedented successes, it has already spread far beyond the German borders on both sides, and one would think that there could be no more effective means of countering this blatant Young Italian opera invasion, which with particular fondness advocates adultery and betrayal through murder and manslaughter, than by taking the opposite approach: with examples of noble morals and customs!
The stage has the task of ennobling the audience through the presentation of dignified works of art, and must not and should not, through crude products of money-hungry makers that are in every respect devastating to morals and taste, reveal what unfortunately happens enough in life anyway.
Mascagni's 'Cavalleria rusticana', in itself a work full of dramatic talent, has since its creation opened the floodgates to a deluge of sensationalist opera productions from Italy and therefore the noble initiative of the art-loving German prince had to be heartily welcomed by every like-minded person truly devoted to German art, as it had undoubtedly arisen from the conviction that it would offer German composers a welcome opportunity to document a contrary expression of their artistic tendencies.
The unrestrained addiction of French and Italian opera composers to material that excites the heart and mind should not have been met with the same response on the German side; the opposite should have been sought and it should have been expressly emphasised in the ducal competition announcement that material from the life and suffering of the German peoples should form the basis of the librettos, and that they should be considered without exception. The remark made, among other things, that the works to be submitted had to be original works was, as the final outcome of the competition showed, widely misunderstood. Thus, many composers used librettos based on famous ancient tales of German heroes, but for this reason, as we have learned from reliable sources, their operas were immediately rejected. On the other hand, works that conspicuously follow the well-known traces of 'Cavalleria' were considered. Forster's one-act opera 'Die Rose von Pontevedra', which had to share the prize with the opera by the Leipzig composer Paul Umlauft because no agreement could be reached on a single prize, is the most telling proof of our assertion, with the small difference that in the German
prize opera, the story of adultery and murder takes place among the peasant population on Spanish soil.
We had hoped for a German opera from the numerous entries and will now be regaled with a Spanish one. Yet many a score lay untouched in Coburg, which showed an eminently German tendency. It is puzzling that no representative of German artistic principles stood up for this unquestionable cause in the ducal commission!
When a Frenchman (see Massenet) bastardises a Goethe, the directors of German theatres are thrown into considerable turmoil and rush to present the foreign concoction to their audience as enthusiastically as possible. But if a German composer dares to produce a patriotic work of art, he is gently pushed aside.
We rightly fear that the noble intention of the art-loving Duke to bring a German opera from his circle into the light of day has been thoroughly thwarted by a position taken by the judges, which was not correctly understood in advance, and therefore express our lively regret, notwithstanding the fact that an Austrian composer is participating in the competition. There was no need for an act of opera tantamount to suicide, a so-called German 'Cavalleria'! J. P. G.
Evidently verismo was considered beneath serious-minded German composers.
Actually, I don't think it should be hard to find music by the other winner. He was, iirc, the father of a better-known Czech composer (of German family, of course) who was friends with Mahler... if anything probably, I suspect, music by Josef Foerster will turn up and be misattributed to his son despite the fact that it was published before JB Foerster was even born.
Also, btw, Lehar was among Josef/Joseph Foerster's pupils :)
The Josef Forster who won this competition was not related to Joseph Foerster unless I am utterly mistaken. The spelling of his surname is without e.
His German and English wikipedia entries (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_Forster_(composer)) are very similar, but it is only the former that mentions that his c minor Symphony mostly received negative reviews.
Ah ok, Josef Foerster (father of JB Foerster)'s dates were 1833-1907 (and his father of the same name, 1804-1892). So when I see J. Förster/Foerster mentioned in HMB with publications (mostly church music and arrangements from operas, I think) with dates that are too early for JB Foerster, it's one of those two, not JB Foerster but also, yes, not this fellow- understood. That makes sense.
I'd be interested to know if the other competition entries are known and if there still exists a collection somewhere that might house them?
I'll write to the library at Coburg, they may know more. I found them very helpful when I contacted them about another matter a while back.
Would d'Albert's Tiefland be an example of an almost-German verismo opera?
According to this entry on Verismo (https://www.musiklexikon.ac.at/ml/musik_V/Verismo.xml) in the 'Oesterreichisches Musiklexikon' it would indeed – Tiefland is mentioned at the end of the second paragraph.
I must dig out my copy and give it a listen...
I recall Tiefland being described as such in the booklet of my copy. I'd say this description is quite fitting.
But then, also Max Von Schillings' Mona Lisa was described as German Verismo -- as much as I like this opera, not quite what I feel is Verismo (maybe more because of the historical topic than because of the music) ...
The helpful librarian at the Coburg Library (Landsbibliothek) has replied saying that while a complete list of entries does not exist, one could possibly be reconstructed based on their manuscript collections. These include confirmations of receipt, short appraisals etc.
The Coburg State Archives also have materials, especially referring to the "Opernfest" that was apparently held in connection with the competition.
That's a helpful response - thanks.
Thanks, Wheesht. I'll contact them for my own information and can share details here (if I get anywhere with it).
Wheesht / All – below is the response I have received this morning from the Coburg librarians:
QuoteJust because it would be possible to compile a (presumably incomplete) list of the Verismo Opera Competition based on the material doesn't mean we would do it. The actual work with the holdings is left to our users.
We can offer to digitize the manuscripts Ms. 299/2,1-51. This will take some time. You will then have to search for the call numbers individually in the catalog to view the digital copies. We will notify you as soon as everything is online. Would that be an option?
Digitizing means paying out for the privilege and I don't have the resources for that, but if anyone else here is interested, you could either let me know or I can put you in contact with the person I am currently dealing with.
4c
I have now placed an order for the manuscripts Ms. 299/2,1-51 to be digitised and will post here once it has been done.
I could also contact the Coburg State Archives to see what their holdings can tell us about the opera competition, but it will take some time before I get around to doing that.
The librarian in Coburg has written to say that a list of all 124 entries has been found. There is apparently a folder for each opera, with correspondence and appraisals. Here are all entries:
1. Franz Rosenkranz: Balder.
2. W. Steinhart : Die Banditen-Braut.
3. Bernhard Scholz: Der Nachtwächter.
4. Adolf Mohr: Das Marienbild.
5. Camillo Feller: Gianettino l'Inglese.
6. Ludwig Meyer: Baronin als Bäuerin.
7. Rudolf Wurmb: Charlotte d'Jory.
8. Eduard Braun: Capitain Corner.
9. Joseph Rieß: Die Sühne.
10. Ludwig Grünberger: Das Volksgericht auf Capri
11. Kaspar Mynona: Ein Traumgebilde.
12. Rudolph Spuller : Der Spion.
13. Paul Lorberg: Margaretha's Verbannung.
14. Franz Parsche: Die Biedermänner.
15. Anonym: Der Vetter Veit.
16. Carl Zimmermann: Die Braut von Abydos.
17. Robert Horst: Nils.
18. Clemens Frankenstein: Suleika.
19. Max Weydert: Francesco Michieli.
20. Alexander Myon: Der Deserteur.
21. Alfred Ernst: Irrige Rache.
22. Otto Kurth: Das Glück von Hohenstein.
23. Leopold Bauer: Elsa.
24. Louis Seibert: Helge.
25. Stieber (Halle): Das Verlöbnis im Dunkeln.
26. Thadäus von Borodzics: Die Sühne.
27. G. Fr.Mögling: Die Wunderblume.
28. Peter Faßbaender: Gudrun.
29. Josef Zbiral: Enoch Arden.
30. Hugo Möbius: Terameo und Rosa.
31. Richard Kronstorfer: Ostermontag in Palermo.
32. C.A. Raida: Des Königs Cadetten.
33. Eduard Behm: Sarolta.
34. G. Grunewald: Astrella.
35. W. Freudenberg: Das Mädchen von Treppi.
36. Carl Grammann: Das Irrlicht.
37. A. Leitermayer: Hans Burgauer.
38. Emil Liepe: Colomba.
39. Hans Dütschke: Die Wurzel d e r Wahrheit.
40. Franz Kurti: Erlöst.
41. Alfred Wernicke: Der Wilderer.
42. Friedrich Schuchard: Engelsliebe.
43. Valentin Albert: Männertreue.
44. Carl Grammann: Ingrid.
45. Victor Boschetti: Die Brüder.
46. Wilhelm Floderer: Gunther.
47. F. Rörich: Sheraba.
48. Hans Maria Wallner: Isabell.
49. Josef Richard: Der Berggeist.
50. Fritz Char: Der Schelm von Bergen.
51. Paul Niepel: Mariella.
52. Max Puchats: Die Entsühnten.
53. Franz Lehar: Rodrigo.
54. Julius Georg Baumann: Gerroth.
55. Julius L. Wulf: La noche triste.
56. Fr. Becker: Das hohe C.
57. Br. Oelsner: Der Brautgang
58. Hugo Bohlig: Azur.
59. Gustav Schreck: Aino.
60. M. Charisius: Ein großer Schatz.
61. Victor Hausmann: Enoch Arden.
62. Adolph Sonnenfeld: Fiorita.
63. H. Klocke: Helione.
64. Gustav Hohmann: Susanna.
65. K. Zillmann: Ingurd.
66. Albert Kanders: Der Minnesänger.
67. Hugo Rückbeil: Eine Kyffhäusersage.
68. Gustav Adolf Schmidt: Die Wägrader Hochzeit.
69. Paul Umlauft: Evanthia;
70. Emil Kaiser: Das Hexenlied.
71. Adalbert Spiller: Madame Olympia.
72. Robert Wiemann: Der Gefangene im Kaukasus.
73. Heinrich Zöllner: Eine Nacht im Kriege.
74. Anonym: Der Strike der Schmiede.
75. Karl Rella: Majuma.
76. H. Schulz - Beuthen: Ohne Mann.
77. Arthur Möller: Magdalena.
78. Ludwig Burger: König Mathias erste Liebe.
79. R. Thoma: Jone.
80. Carl Stix: Der Schmied von Alcala.
81. Carl Stenzel: Ein Tag des Herrn.
82. Robert Kratz: Die Burgfrau.
83. Jean Grimm: Zuleima.
84. Bernhard Tittel: Hilda.
85. Georg Rauchenecker: Sanna.
86. J.B. Zerlett: Die Strandhexe.
87. Carl Somborn: Thilenor.
88. C . Josef Brambach: Ein deutscher Tell.
89. Carl Goepfert: Der Geiger von Gmünd.
90. Josef Forster: Die Rose von Pontevedra.
91. Leo Blech: Ajlaja.
92. Otto Lies: Des Nächsten Weib.
93. H. Schilling: Frauenliebe .
94. Otto Fiebach: Dittas Zopf.
95. Paul Damas: Deutsche Perlen.
96. Felix Woyrsch: Helga.
97. Heinrich Schulz-Beuthen: Die Paria.
98. Victor von Erlanger: In einer Frühlingsnacht.
99. Anonym: Strandgut.
100. Hermann Soucouß: Verbotene Liebe.
101. Heinrich Rietsch: Walter von der Vogelweide
102. J.P. Gotthard: Hermann und Dorothea.
103. Baptist Wilhelm Hanekam: Der Tugendpreis.
104. Anton Beer: Liebe.
105. Hermann Franz: Schön Suschen.
106. Georg Pittrich: Mara.
107. K. Dibbern: Edeltraute.
108. E.Jordan: Ein Abendteuer Heinrich IV. v. Frankreich.
109. Alfred Kaiser: Unehrlich Volk.
110. Otto Wolf: Flora.
111. Rudolph Freiherr von Procházka: Agamemnon.
112. Wenzel Josef Heller: Im Zauberwald.
113. E. Mestenhauser: Bei Murten.
114. Alfred Lorenz: Helge's Erwachen.
115. Hermann Schorcht: Der Wilderer.
116. Gustav Rüdiger: Der Hexenmeister.
117. L. Wahlke: Der Stein der Weisen & Auf Tod und Leben.
118. Georg Langenbeck: Thankmar.
119. Mathias Neumann: Die Wetterhexe.
120. Max Marschalk: Phanor und Phanette.
121. Franz de la Motte: Das Gottesurtheil.
122. Heinrich Weidt: Madeleine.
123. Heinrich Schmidt: Deutsche Treue.
124. Otto Böhme: Der Franzose.
The composer for no. 52 is most probably Max Puchat, not Puchats.
Which makes sense- Max Puchats would mean "By/Of Max Puchat", I think. Max Puchat's string quartet is pretty good.
Wow! A few familiar (or at least known) names there, but the vast majority have sunk without trace.
and some are at best known who people to browse IMSLP and back issues of NZM etc. like us committed music dorks :)
Quote from: eschiss1 on Saturday 08 November 2025, 13:18committed music dorks :)
As one such music dork, I am happy to state that the digitalisation of Ms. 299/2,1-51 from Coburg Library has now arrived. I will/would take a considerable amount of time to go through it all. If anyone is interested in a link to my folder with the 85 .tif files I was sent, they can PM me.
The letters are to or from these composers and conductors:
Hermann Levi, Carl Goldmark, Emanuel Faltis, Carl Reinecke, plus several drafts of letters by people whose names are not known. They are all in the old German handwriting.
Not to be discouraging, but good luck with that. I find it utterly indecipherable.
Agreed, it is often rather more intricate than copperplate. Still, depending on an individual's handwriting and the condition of the document or the quality of the scan, I may be able to decipher parts at least. Especially if the contents appear to be promising.
That's always an incentive, I agree. Bon chance! Thomas.
Thank you Wheesht for starting this thread, and moreover for communicating with the library about their materials related to the contest.
I've been studying Umlauft's Evanthia a little. It feels like a pretty good opera, based on the vocal score.
The Coburg Library website has digitized the "Evanthia" folder, which contains correspondence from the judges with their evaluations on the work. I'm no expert with German handwriting and it's a real struggle to copy it. After hardship I managed to transcribe just one of the letters to some satisfaction.
Ernst Schuch (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_von_Schuch), from Dresden, writes:
QuoteEin zweifellos hervorragendes Werk, jedenfalls in erste Linie zu stellen – als Höhepunkt musikalisch erscheint das Liebesduett – (Scene 10). Endlich ein Dichter, der den Muth hat, zum Ideal zurückzukehren, uns gute Menschen, gute, ideale Beweggründe zu schildern – und wie schön und prägnant in der Form. Preis dem Dichter und Componisten, hier haben wir die Arbeit eines grossen Talentes vor uns. —
Die ruhelose Harmonik wirkt oft befremdend. Selten dass ein Accord sich naturgemäss auflöst und die Folge von mehreren Septimenaccorden – z. B. 12 Takte vor der fünften Scene in 3 Takten fünf in directer Folge, wird zur [...].
There are letters from
Joseph Sucher (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Sucher), from Berlin,
Emanuel Faltis (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emanuel_Faltis), from Coburg, and
Carl Reinecke (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Reinecke), from Leipzig, which I couldn't transcribe sufficiently. No letter or recommendation from
Hermann Levi (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Levi) for Evanthia appears in this digitized folder.
Finally, the succinct
Carl Goldmark (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Goldmark), from Wien, writes:
QuoteEvanthia ohne jede Erfindung.
PS. For a bit of fun trivia, there's an article in
The Sun, a NY newspaper from 17 September 1893, in which in addition to information on the winning entries some info on nationalities and occupations of the participants is disclosed:
QuoteOf the 124 competitors fourty-eight were from Prussia, twelve from Bavaria, four from Baden, thirty-three from Austria, four from Hungary, two from Württemberg, one from Mecklenburg, one from Hessen, one from Hanover, one was a German in Holland, one in England and one ignotus. Of these, moreover, two were priests, one a doctor, one still at school, two in the army, four schoolmasters, two music teachers, one an opera singer, three orchestra members, eight conductors, one conservatory director, twelve musical directors, and eighty-seven "true artists" and composers. Assuredly a goodly and motley array!
That list is amazing. Can you imagine living in a world where an opera competition produces 124 entries?
At least one entry was by a female composer. No. 60. Ein großer Schatz, was composed by Magdalena/Magdalene Charisius, born Friedlaender (1840-1901), a composer and music teacher who lived most of her life in Königsberg, East Prussia (today's Kaliningrad).
According to the Lexikon deutscher Frauen der Feder, published in 1898, she was the author of 3 operas, one oratorio and about 500 vocal works (four of these are kept at the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin). With the heavy bombings Königsberg suffered during World War II, followed by the expulsion of the German population, and the demolition conducted by the Soviet government, one would expect almost nothing remains of Charisius' compositions, beside this opera.
3 vocal works and a libretto, I think. But yes, if there's anything else surviving I wouldn't know where to look.
Ok, so who are the composers in this list?
I mean, I am stumped already on the first entry:
1. Franz Rosenkranz: Balder.
I can find absolutely no information on this composer, though there is a composer and oboist from the classical era with that name which makes searches a bit tricky. Could it be a pseudonym? At least the title of his entry suggests that he, like many others on the list, didn't really care too much about (or understand) the "verismo" request.
2. W. Steinhart : Die Banditen-Braut.
I find little information on this composer either, though Kalliope-Verbund gives us Wilhelm Steinhart (1819-1899). Since he is designated as "conductor" elsewhere, I suppose he was a local Theaterkapellmeister. He is also significantly older than most of the other participants; that, and the title of his work, make one suspect he submitted a distinctly old-fashioned robber opera.
3. Bernhard Scholz: Der Nachtwächter.
Scholz is familiar enough to people on this forum, though one might note that Wikipedia (and other) lists of his operas don't list Der Nachtwächter. Apparently, Scholz simply dusted off a minor 1871 operetta and submitted it. According to the rules ("original work"), it should have been immediately disqualified (and might have been).
4. Adolf Mohr: Das Marienbild.
5. Camillo Feller: Gianettino l'Inglese.
At least these two were real (if obscure) composers: Adolf Mohr (1841-1905) has a brief stub in Catalan (?) wikipedia, Camillo Feller (1863-1942) a brief stub in Czech wikipedia.
6. Ludwig Meyer: Baronin als Bäuerin.
Another mystery. As someone else has pointed out somewhere (I think?), there is a composer with that name listed with a number of works on IMSLP but that's probably not the right one. There are, however, apparently records of a Ludwig Meyer working as a theatre manager and artistic director at the Hamburg Stadttheater and various local theatres who would be a more likely candidate. The Pushkin setting (I assume) would also probably miss the "verismo" mark.
7. Rudolf Wurmb: Charlotte d'Jory.
At least this is a real person: Rudolf Wurmb (1842–1907) was an Austrian composer, opera singer and vocal coach, and there are at least some lieder published in his name.
8. Eduard Braun: Capitain Corner.
Difficult to find much information on this one either, but there is one "Eduard Braun" who did some arrangements of Carl Loewe songs. One hypothesis could be that Braun was a professional musician working for publishing houses like Schott, but I don't know. That Captain Corner was a real, semi-legendary figure in the 19th century suggests a romantic naval adventure opera that probably missed the verismo mark.
9. Joseph Rieß: Die Sühne.
Also a complete unknown to me. The topic is at least appropriately verismo. Ingeborg Bronsart published an opera on the same topic some 16 years later, but it is perhaps farfetched to wonder whether this could be the same work submitted under a pseudonym?
10. Ludwig Grünberger: Das Volksgericht auf Capri
Grünberger (1839-1896) is real and has a German wikipedia page. It attributes one single opera to him, Die Heimkehr, performed in 1894, which is definitely the same work ("Die Handlung spielt am Abend der Sommersonnenwende, in einem Dorf auf der Insel Capri. Themen sind Eifersucht, Mord und Flucht")
11. Kaspar Mynona: Ein Traumgebilde.
Hard not to notice that "Mynona" is "Anonym" backwards. Since I found no match for the title of the opera, I suppose this one will be tricky.
12. Rudolph Spuller: Der Spion.
For this one we can at least find some contemporaneous newspaper articles talking about performances by "piano virtuoso" Rudolf Spuller. I assume it is the same person: a professional pianist who tried his hand at an entry here (at least the title suggests that he understood what the competition was looking for). But I find little other information.
Well, those are my results after quick google searches for the first 12 entries, but I am not remotely a music scholar and have no idea what sources to consult to locate more information. Anyone else know anything?
Ok, I did some googling on the next 8 entries, too. I would really like some feedback on my speculations regarding entry 17 ("Robert Horst")
13. Paul Lorberg: Margaretha's Verbannung.
Paul Lorberg (1834-1911) is possibly somewhat better known for some lieder and pedagogical piano pieces. His submission, Margaretha's Verbannung, was apparently not even really an opera but incidental music for a spoken Otto Caspari stage play. It had also already been performed before the competition, thus violating the rules. It also fails the requirement that the libretto should be original.
14. Franz Parsche: Die Biedermänner.
Another dead end; I don't know who Franz Parsche might have been, and the fact that he shares his name with a more famous Austrian politician and industrialist (could they be the same person?) makes searches a bit difficult.
15. Anonym: Der Vetter Veit.
Since I get no hits on the title of the opera, this one's a dead end for me.
16. Carl Zimmermann: Die Braut von Abydos.
Probably not the instrument maker. A more likely candidate is the violinist Richard Carl Zimmermann, who emigrated to New Zealand (and could be the candidate contemporary newspapers characterized as working in Britain), but who knows? That hypothesis might be supported by the choice of Byron for the opera, a choice that would put the submission about as far away from verismo as one could imagine.
17. Robert Horst: Nils.
Another completely obscure entry, and there is no composer in any record with that name. It could, however, be a pseudonym (after all, the competition requested anonymity) and that points to a somewhat remarkable possibility: The main protagonist in Delius's opera Irmelin is named "Nils". That opera was completed in 1892 and never performed in Delius' lifetime. Without having looked at the score, it strikes me as a distinct possibility that Robert Horst's Nils is, in fact, Delius' Irmelin (after all, as an Englishman, Delius would obviously use a German-sounding pseudonym to prevent bias; and he did try to break into the German opera scene at the time). Also, Delius later submitted Margot la Rouge to a Sonzogno competition, so I wouldn't put it past him to participate here.
18. Clemens Frankenstein: Suleika.
Clemens Franckenstein (1875-1942) should be familiar enough but notice those dates: Suleika would be a very young student's work: one might surmise, given the title, that its style, themes and exoticism point forward to the mature composer. In that case, Suleika would presumably also miss the parameters for this competition. It has, as far as I know, sunk without a trace and never been revived (and the composer might, for all I know, have pilfered it for later works).
19. Max Weydert: Francesco Michieli.
Another obscure name, though Max Weydert did publish a number of lieder (according to the LiederNet Archive); I have little information beyond that (apparently Weydert attempted to stage an opera on Enoch Arden in Vienna a few years later) and no dates. The title of his opera refers to a famous bandit, rebel and folk figure, suggesting that Weydert understood what the competition was looking for better than many of the others.
20. Alexander Myon: Der Deserteur.
That there is an anagram of "anonym" embedded in that name, would strongly suggest a pseudonym. However, there *is*, in fact, records of an Alexander Myon (1870-1919), composer, conductor, pianist and Musikdirektor in Brixen in Tyrol, and the name occurs in a couple of other concert programs from the time (and in Tyrolean libraries). The title also suggests a submission that might have been in line with the competition guidelines.
G.D., thank you for sleuthing this information about the entries so far. It's very much appreciated. Regarding your findings about the possible Delius connection to "Nils": you seem to be making a convincing case for it. I'm no Delius expert so I can neither confirm or deny, but I encourage you and others to pursue this fascinating lead further.
I'll save you the trouble for three further operas coming up in the list:
36. Das Irrlicht (The Will-o-Wisp), by Carl Grammann. Libretto by Kurt Geucke. The story takes place on a pilot-boat station on the Normandian coast. The music, as well as the text, is dramatic and veristic but not quite Wagnerian. Ernst Schuch calls it "Neo-Italianer". Very powerful and expressive music. Well received when it was premiered in Dresden in 1894, it was also later performed in a couple of other cities. It seems to me that the composer's unexpected death in 1897 stalled any further performances and prevented the opera from otherwise becoming much a better known work.
I'm currently typesetting this opera, though because of the notation-wise complex work involved it will be taking a lot of time.
44. Ingrid, by Carl Grammann. Libretto by Theodor Kersten. The story is set in Norway, and the opera was quickly dismissed when it was premiered. It was criticized for having a very poor libretto. In addition, the music failed to make an impression on its audience. This opera is in two acts, so it's strange that it was accepted into the competition. Perhaps it was disqualified? Grammann, by the way, submitted two (!) operas for this competition.
59. Aino, by Gustav Schreck. This work is interesting to me, as a Finn, because of the composer being connected to the Krohn family through his wife, Emmy. I'm currently writing an article about this work.
By the way, I created a work-in-progress database of sorts to keep track of my notes regarding this contest. I've included some transcriptions of the German letters from the Coburg City Library's collections as well (hover over green or red fields to see the transcriptions). You can view it here: Opera Contest (1893) (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zNKm4FPazlZ6LcSDQjV9xOn5dNoMwgS3_KUbm3vdh8s/edit?usp=sharing)
viaf suggests Rosenkranz may have been Friedrich Christian Rosenkranz (1818-1903).
Schreck interests me too, I recall uploading a chamber work of his years ago to IMSLP I think...
Looking at some of the (few) comments from judges in tpaloj's link might actually shed some light on some of the entries I've already tried to google. Apparently Ernst von Schuch completely dismissed the operas by the otherwise mysterious Joseph Rieß and Franz Parsche as "vollständig dilettantisch" and "Ganz unmöglich – kindische Posse", respectively. That might suggest that these composers were, indeed, happy amateurs, perhaps belonging to Duke Ernst's own circle, which would explain the lack of records of these composers.
Another thing to consider: Apparenly, it is supposedly the case that Ferdinand Hummel (1855-1928) – one of the foremost champions of a genuinely verismo style in Germany – submitted his one-act opera Mara to the competition under a pseudonym (and probably with a different title for the opera). Where Hummel's Mara might be hiding in that list, if it does, is tricky to determine: It is definitely not "106. Georg Pittrich: Mara", since that one (actually "Marga"; "Mara" must be a clerical error) is one of the few submissions with a subsequent track record, and it is probably not "72. Robert Wiemann: Der Gefangene im Kaukasus" (the title of which would fit the setting of Hummel's opera), since Wiemann was a real composer.
Some more googling:
21. Alfred Ernst: Irrige Rache.
The composer, Alfred Ernst (1868-1916) [not to be confused with Alfred Ernst (1860-1898), the son of Wilhelm Ernst], seems like a remarkable figure: born in Germany, moved to the US in 1894 to lead the St. Louis Choral-Symphony Society (now the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra) until 1907 (he worked with Scott Joplin and may have helped with the groundwork for Treemonisha), before returning to Germany and getting killed on the front in WW1. Apparently, he had some later operas staged, too, but his 1893 entry was no success (according comments from both Goldmark ("Musik unmöglich") and Schuch ("Als unmöglich weitergesandt") and might reflect Ernst's relative inexperience at the time. Has a German Wikipedia page.
22. Otto Kurth: Das Glück von Hohenstein.
Though pretty obscure, Otto Kurth (1846-1906) was a music teacher and seminary instructor in Lüneburg, who at one point corresponded with Hans von Bülow and who composed quite a bit of music (including, apparently, three symphonies) without garnering much attention. Von Shuch apparently didn't appreciate this one ("Outdated and ponderous in its entire style. A luridly spectacular chivalric tragedy – revenge, fire [...] and [...]. The intended pathos would likely turn into comedy on stage"), but, somewhat remarkably, it was actually – as one of few among the submissions – eventually staged, first in December 1900 at the Kiel City Theater and subsequently in a couple of other places as well. Von Schuch was at least correct that the libretto, based on a novel by a popular German writer (Natalie von Eschstruth), doesn't fit the verismo criteria.
23. Leopold Bauer: Elsa.
Here, I draw a blank. The title strikes one as a bold move given the Wagner association, and one can't help but suspect that "Leopold Bauer" might be a pretty silly pen name for one of Duke Ernst's aristocratic friends.
24. Louis Seibert: Helge
Ludwig "Louis" Seibert (1833 –1903) was a German music director in Wiesbaden and composer – particularly of songs and choral works, but also some larger-scale works. The title of the opera suggests a piece of Nordic or Germantic romantic medievalism of the sort that the competition was actively trying to move away from.
25. Stieber (Halle): Das Verlöbnis im Dunkeln
This strikes me as one of the more enigmatic entries of all. There *is* a significant composer Hans Stieber who was the founding director of the Hochschule für Theater und Musik in Halle an der Saale, but he was born in 1886, so this is not him. Now, Von Schuch's comment is "Ganz niedrig, nicht beachtenswerth" suggests that the submission might not even have been classical opera at all but rather a populist farce or amateur singspiel ("niedrig" rather than "schwach" or "dilettantisch") by someone who completely misunderstood the lofty artistic ideals behind the competition. Though Hans Stieber's immediate family were lawyers and judges, some of them had some connection with the theatre, too. Perhaps I'll imagine some amateur – maybe more than one – in Hans Stieber's close family working on the score with young Hans hanging around, thereby – though the result was doomed to fail – awakening Hans's interest in being a composer.
More google:
26. Thadäus von Borodzics: Die Sühne.
Records of Thaddeus von Borodzicz (or Taddäus von Borodzicz, or – apparently – some related variant) primarily concern a protracted legal battle he had to get his opera König Lear staged (the theater management refused, and von Borodzicz took aggressive, high-profile, persistent, and unsuccessful legal action over damages). I struggle to find much other information about him, including dates. The title of his entry suggests a reasonable match with the competition criteria (same as 9. Joseph Rieß' choice), though von Schuch's comments are "unfinished and drawn-out" and "a congratulatory chorus that has absolutely nothing to do with the action."
27. G. Fr. Mögling: Die Wunderblume.
A complete mystery: there is no record of the name anywhere. Von Schuch's comment is "The composer strives for pleasing, melodic invention—though by no means outstanding. The text is unclear and muddled." One might guess at some amateur lieder composer trying to adapt a fairytale, but who knows?
28. Peter Faßbaender: Gudrun.
German-Swiss composer Peter Fassbänder (1869-1920) has a thread (well: a single post) on this forum and a German wiki page. The title of the opera suggests that he, like most others, missed the mark a bit, and if one wonders how he managed to fit the saga into a single-act format, then he probably didn't: Von Schuch's comment is "A score executed with great care, testifying in every respect to superior technical craftsmanship. The invention, however, is perhaps a bit heavy-handed – reminiscent, once again, of Wagner. The verses [...] are good. But – this is not a drama, nor an opera – it is really just two scenes torn from a drama, from a larger work." I don't know what Gudrun's subsequent fate might have been, but Fassbänder wrote four operas in total, and given the positive feedback on the music, the music was presumably reused. Sounds like a composer worth looking further into.
29. Josef Zbiral: Enoch Arden.
Another mystery: there are records of a Josef Zbiral (1875-1932), professional bassoonist and possibly a minor composer, but he seems a bit too young (true, Franckenstein was the same age, but Franckenstein has a record of early ambitions). Perhaps a relative? Or some relative submitting a work in the future bassoonist's name? As for the setting, Enoch Arden could, I suppose, work as verismo.
30. Hugo Möbius: Terameo und Rosa.
Yet another mysterious entry: The only hit on the name is a school director in Dresden, so this could be pseudonym ... on the other hand, that school director did have ties to Coburg, having written a biography on the local Coburg folk-writer Heinrich Schaumberger, so it is far from impossible. Von Schuch's comment is "Musicalisch mittelgut, textlich ganz unmöglich", which might in fact support the school director hypothesis: An amateur with some background in music theory and a solid literary background, but no experience writing librettos, which led to a literary, overstuffed libretto unsuitable for the stage.
Max Weydert was born in 1871 (https://ia600904.us.archive.org/view_archive.php?archive=/14/items/musicsack-profiles-20240122/profiles.tar&file=100247600.html).
Horst possibly Robert Eduard Wilhelm Horst, born 1858 June 4 in Schleiz, died 1931. See VIAF (https://viaf.org/en/viaf/1634166414902002740001) and MusicSack archive (https://ia600904.us.archive.org/view_archive.php?archive=/14/items/musicsack-profiles-20240122/profiles.tar&file=100035151.html).
Thanks for the dates on Weydert and the pointers on Horst. Unfortunately, it is hard for me to get access to the source material from MusicSack so I can't doublecheck, but it is certainly likely that virtually all traces of many minor composers could have been more or less completely obliterated by e.g. WWII, so the fact that I can't find any info using google might not mean very much.
I doubt all copies of the reference materials were destroyed during WWII as the person who compiled MusicSack presumably had access to them, but yes, one might have to go to a library to read the 1977 edition of Opernlexikon, for copyright reasons. (Or not. Internet Archive. (https://archive.org/details/opernlexikonteil0002stie))
Yes, I didn't think the sources MusicSack refers to were destroyed; it was rather a possible explanation for why there are so few resources and why the composers are otherwise lost to time to the extent there are. One could easily imagine minor composers whose entire output, apart from their Coburg submission, is lost, for instance.
Anyways, more google:
31. Richard Kronstorfer: Ostermontag in Palermo.
The only hit on the name is a school teacher in Vienna (ca. 1873-1928). Von Schuch's brief comment is merciless ("Schwacher Versuch eines Dilettanten. Textlich unmöglich"), so the hypothesis that Kronstorfer was an amateur is not exactly disconfirmed. One imagines that the opera shares topic with Verdi's Sicilian Vesper, which would at least not be entirely unsuitable for verismo treatment.
32. C.A. Raida: Des Königs Cadetten.
Karl Alexander Raida (1852-1923) was a writer, conductor, theatre manager and composer, mostly of operettas. Indeed, his worklist shows a comic opera "Des Königs Cadetten", with a text written by Wilhelm Fellechner, from ca. 1879. He probably dusted that one off (possibly tweaking the orchestration a little) and submitted what would certainly be a massive stylistic mismatch with the competition criteria. The jury apparently recognized it for what it was; von Schuch's comment is simply "Zur Concurrenz nicht [...]", which I suspect should be completed with "nicht zugelassen" or something similar.
33. Eduard Behm: Sarolta.
Eduard Behm (1862-1946) is a more familiar name and has a thread on this forum. Without having heard a note of his music, I assume that his style (Schumann, Brahms, Reinecke) might have been a tad old-fashioned for the competition. German Wikipedia lists three operas but does not mention Sarolta; I have no idea what happened to it. It is, I suppose, a coincidence (and a piece of silly trivia) that Behm was born only weeks before the premiere of Ferenc Erkel's opera "Sarolta", but it did mess a bit with some of my searches.
34. G. Grunewald: Astrella.
An important entry. Though forgotten today, Gottfried Grünewald (1857-1929) was a Magdeburg-based choral director (ultimately Königlicher Musikdirektor) and composer of operas and choral works (he has a stub in Wikipedia), and although Astrella didn't succeed in Coburg, Grünewald understood and fulfilled the competition criteria; Astrella enjoyed some success after its subsequent 1894 premiere, and musicologists apparently consider it an early prime examples of the German verismo wave (alongside e.g. Ferdinand Hummel's Mara).
35. W. Freudenberg: Das Mädchen von Treppi.
Wilhelm Freudenberg (1838–1928) was a conductor, musicologist, theater director and prolific composer of operas, of which some eight were staged (the most successful might have been Der Sanct Katharinentag in 1889); German Wikipedia also mentions some unpublished ones, including the present one. The source material, a novel by later Nobel laureate Paul Heyse, would arguably fit the verismo criteria perfectly, and the submission was commended by von Schuch: "Highly noteworthy, containing much that is appealing and effective. Since the author adheres quite closely to Heyse's novella, the result is – naturally – a very fine drama" (though also with some caveats: "The character of the police inspector, however, is entirely unclear – as is the backstory to the unfolding action.")
36. Carl Grammann: Das Irrlicht.
tpaloj has already described this one, one of Carl Grammann's (1844-1897) two submissions to the competition. Das Irrlich received praise from von Schuch and is one of relatively few submissions with a subsequent performance history. The composer is also not quite as obscure as many of the others (he even has an English Wikipedia stub!).
The next ones are easier, but notice no. 40!
37. A. Leitermayer: Hans Burgauer.
The Vienna-based Leitermayer family produced a number of musicians, of whom everyone is completely forgotten today. Alexander Leitermayer (1826-1898) was a clarinetist and bandmaster who produced a large amount of works for military use but also a number of operas. "Hans Burgauer" sounds like an opera on a historical theme and I can't imagine that it remotely matched the competition criteria.
38. Emil Liepe: Colomba.
Emil Liepe (1860-1940) was primarily known in his time as an operatic baritone, voice teacher and editor, but he also composed operas and symphonic poems. Colomba, based on the novel by Carmen author Prosper Mérimée, seems to have been an appropriately intense and blood-soaked verismo affair, and it was eventually produced in Königsberg in 1894 but failed to gain a toehold in the repertoire.
39. Hans Dütschke: Die Wurzel der Wahrheit.
There is plenty of information about Hans Dütschke (1848-1928), a celebrated German classical scholar, archaeologist, art historian and figure in German 19th century academic life. But Dütschke, a genuine Renessaince man, also composed – mostly lieder and chamber music but also opera – and was also, notably, a driving force behind the German Handel resurgence in the 1920s and arranged performance versions of a number of Handel works. This opera didn't succeed (von Schuch is damning: "Musically far weaker than some of the other operas, yet not without talent in its libretto – a charming little rustic comedy – it is simply that the author seems to have lacked practical skill"), but Dütschke apparently had another opera (or the same work under a different title), Trinitatisnacht, staged in Dortmund in 1894.
40. Franz Kurti: Erlöst.
Franz Curti (or Kurti) (1854-1898) was a successful Swiss-German opera composer (and successful dentist, of all things). He had already enjoyed a major success with his opera Hertha in 1887, and his later opera Lili-Tsee (1896) was performed at the Metropolitan. Erlöst, however, failed in Coburg, and von Schuch's comment is interesting: "Musically far superior to the previous one [a bit unclear which one], but objectionable in terms of its libretto. How could anyone be so unfeeling and tasteless as to adapt this subject matter for an opera? A man – who divorced his first wife because she lost her sanity after childbirth – brings his second wife into those very same rooms. On the wedding night, the madwoman returns, cured, and a ghastly catastrophe ensues. The reader is truly relieved [Erlöst] to put this book down." In other words, it was *von Schuch* who failed to adhere to the competition criteria here (and who reveals the inherent tension between verismo and the governing bourgeois morality that was really at work). Erlöst was at least successfully staged later and – crucially – partially revived in 2005: Apparently, a double CD with excerpts from the opera (I don't know what) is, with excerpts from other Curti operas and some songs, available from the franzcurtifestival website! As far as I can tell (thus far), that makes Erlöst the only competition entry, apart from the prelude to Lehar's Rodrigo, that actually exists, at least in part, on record in any form. I have sent an e-mail to them to see if it is possible to get ahold of this one.
I see that this festival has already been discussed on this site (apparently I don't master the search function here very well, which might bode ill for my Coburg search project). Some of you might even have this double cd. Does anyone know exactly what's on it?
Madwoman on the... that sounds somewhat like Jane Eyre, which I have no trouble at all imagining von Schuch also despised for similar reasons. (I only had the pleasure of reading the latter recently, but that delay was my loss.)
Quote from: G.D. on Tuesday 13 October 2026, 09:48I see that this festival has already been discussed on this site (apparently I don't master the search function here very well, which might bode ill for my Coburg search project). Some of you might even have this double cd. Does anyone know exactly what's on it?
CD1:
Track 1. Ouverture de l'Opéra
Erlöst (8.41) [live recording, Victoria Hall, Geneva, 28 May 2005]
Tracks 2 to 7. Large extraits de l'opéra en une acte
Lili Tsee (59:19) [live recording, Victoria Hall, Geneva, 28 May 2005]
CD2:
Tracks 1 to 5: Cinq Lieder– one of which is "Das Frotholied" from the opera Hertha. Text by Margarete Vollhardt-Wittich
Tracks 6 to 10: Cantate dramatique
Die Gletscherjungfrau, 1ère partie [live recording, Victoria Hall, Geneva, 28 May 2005] (32:58)
104. Anton Beer: Liebe
This is the composer Anton Beer-Walbrunn, before he added his mother's maiden name Walbrunn to his own. He has his own threads here on UC.
G.D.: when you say you've tried to Google them, is this a shorthand for "Google + VIAF + Musicsack-Archive (this site (https://www2.dbmiller.org/musicsack.html))", for starters? (+ Wikidata, but VIAF usually includes a link to that?)
I find that using google books search and limiting searches to 1800-1899 (1900 and newer are usually restricted from access) usually comes up with interesting results from old newspapers and journals where occasionally even minor composers are mentioned.
Deutsche Zeitungsportal is also a useful resource for regional newspapers: https://www.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de/newspaper (https://www.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de/newspaper)
Fair enough, and don't ignore the Nekrolog of various journals (small obituaries) - I wouldn't trust too much Google Books scans if you have the misfortune as I do of living in the US, they seem to have the most capricious reasons for making books published well over a century ago only accessible in snippets, but some of these same books can be accessed at other sites, like MDZ, in more fully digitized forms.
I admit that my efforts have been pretty superficial and variable, and no, I haven't even consistently checked with VIAF, or overlooked it if there is no immediately available information. I don't have immediate access to many of the databases (and little experience using them); I am just hoping to identify the obvious ones and identify which ones will require further work.
I might mention that one source that keeps popping up on MusicSack is Frank, Paul & Altmann, Wilhelm Kurzgefasstes Tonkunstler Lexikon: fur Musiker und Freunde der Musik (and often as the only source for an entry). Unfortunately, I don't have access to a complete version of that: Internet Archive provides only parts, and the wrong parts. Moreover, that someone appears in Frank & Altmann might not mean that they are a real person: As far as I understand how it worked (it's just a catalogue of composers with birth place and institutional affiliation if available), the authors would scour various sources, and If anyone submitted an opera under the pseudonym "Harry Smith" to the Coburg competition, then Altmann might dutifully record an entry for "Smith, Harry", and the name would then get a listing on MusicSack; it doesn't necessarily mean that "Harry Smith" refers to anyone.
One example of a mystery I could have easily solved with more effort is no. 23, Leopold Bauer: Indeed, just a casual check with ccm would have given me an entry for one Leopold Bauer (1873-1925), who studied music with Josef Labor and later made a career as a schulrektor in Vienna, and who at least wrote a number of male choruses. I suppose that one is a decent fit – an ambitious young composer who eventually settled into a different career path.
As for entries I have thus far deemed mysterious, I think eschiss1's suggestion for Franz Rosenkranz sounds plausible: Friedrich Christian Rosenkranz (1818-1903) was a (by then retired) military bandmaster, trombone teacher and conductor of the Bad Nauheim civil orchestra. Though he was on the older side in 1893, he was certainly a comprehensively trained musician, and one can imagine an ageing bandmaster and spa orchestra composer who'd long nurtured aspirations to produce something more serious than marches, quadrilles and arrangements, who'd accordingly been working on a grand opera for years, who saw the competition advertised, and who sent off his score, not caring too much about the "verismo" part of the assignment – maybe just in the hopes of getting someone to take a look at his life's work. As for "Franz"/"Friedrich": I mean, if he just signed off with "Fr. Rosenkranz", then mere clerical sloppiness might have turned it into "Franz". (There are other examples of clerical sloppiness in the list, cf. entry 106.)
As for Robert Horst, yes, you are right, eschiss1: VIAF has a listing for Robert Eduard Wilhelm Horst (1858-1931). So he was definitely a real person, but one who might have left preciously few records of his life (I am, however, unable to access the necessary archives; there might be more there); there is nothing on RISM, for instance.
But I can't quite let go of my "Nils-Irmelin" hypothesis quite yet, though; in fact, viewed with some bias, one might easily end up thinking "the plot thickens" at this point: After all, the only thing I can conclude with some certainty about Robert Horst's career, based on the meagre sources I can see, is that he was definitely enrolled as a student at the Leipzig Conservatory. Of course, so was Delius, and they were probably there at around the same time.
Ok, it might look like an elaborate conspiracy-theory-like thing now, and I apologize for that, but I'll try to justify my speculations. As my point of departure: I can't shake the feeling that with Irmelin just completed and given his well-documented desire to make an impact on the German operatic scene, it actually seems surprising that Delius didn't submit the score (or a truncated version of it) to Coburg.
But how would he have gone about actually doing that? Submitting the opera under his own name or even revealing his own name to the judges would be out of the question. It would have immediately doomed his submission: though the competition wasn't officially restricted to people from Germany or Austria (as long as the libretto was in German), there is quite obviously an element of nationalism at work here that Delius would have been very much sensitive to: how would the judges look, in this effort to initiate a German verismo tradition, if an Englishman ran off with the prize?
Above I suggested that the solution might have been to use a pseudonym. But that is, in fact, implausible: One thing is using a pseudonym for official lists; another thing is to hide one's identity from the judges, which Delius would have needed to do, and which would have been hard given the need for correspondence and (presumably) verification of credentials. It seems that the only option available, if Delius wished to participate in Coburg, would have been to borrow the identity of a real (and willing) German conservatory-trained musician, someone he was acquainted with from Leipzig and who would go along with the scheme, and who might not have had any great aspirations as a composer himself (but had the right credentials). Robert Horst might have fit the bill.
I admit that this is very speculative, but the title of the opera (and the Leipzig connection) makes it difficult for me to let it go. A scheme like this doesn't seem out of character for Delius either.
Well, looking at the score itself would immediately settle the issue.
Well, as Nielsen song fans will also say, sometimes the prospect of a Irmelin conspiracy seems practically rosy.
Looks like the second new recording of works of his to be released in three years (the other, in 2023, a new recording of his symphony in D minor with two other works). Neat!