Fall, Leo(pold)

Fall, Leo(pold), notable Austrian composer; b. Olmutz, Feb. 2, 1873; d. Vienna, Sept. 16, 1925. He began his musical training with his father, Moritz Fall (1840–1922), a military bandmaster and composer. At 14, he enrolled at the Vienna Cons, to study violin and piano, and also had courses in harmony and counter-point with J.N. Fuchs and R. Fuchs. He was active as a theater conductor in Berlin (1894–96), and then was conductor of the Centralhallen-Theater in Hamburg (1896–98). Returning to Berlin, he conducted in theaters before becoming music director of the Intimes-Theater, a cabaret. There he brought out his comic opera Paroli (Oct. 4, 1902). After the failure of his grand opera Irrlicht (Mannheim, 1905), Fall concentrated his efforts on lighter stage works. Although his first operetta Der Rebell (Vienna, Nov. 28, 1905) was a failure at its premiere, its rev. version as Der Hebe Augustin (Berlin, Feb. 3, 1912) was a resounding success. In the meantime, Fall scored his first unqualified success with Der fidele Bauer (Mannheim, July 25, 1907). With Die Dollarprinzessin (Vienna, Nov. 2, 1907), Fall also was acclaimed in Great Britain and America, establishing him as one of the principal operetta composers of his time. His Die geschiedene Frau (Vienna, Dec. 23, 1908) was so successful that it was heard around the world. His success continued with Das Puppenmadel (Vienna, Nov. 4, 1910), Die shone Risette (Vienna, Nov. 19, 1910), Die Sirene (Vienna, Jan. 5, 1911), and The Eternal Waltz (London, Dec. 22, 1911). During World War I, Fall continued to compose, producing the outstanding Die Kaiserin or Furstenliebe (Berlin, Oct. 16, 1916) and the popular Die Rose von Stambul (Vienna, Dec. 2, 1916). With the war over, Fall turned out the notable scores Der goldene Vogel (Dresden, May 21, 1920), Die spanische Nachtigall (Berlin, Nov. 18, 1920), and Die Strassensangerin (Berlin, Sept. 24, 1921). His greatest postwar success came with his Madame Pompadour (Berlin, Sept. 9, 1922), which became an international favorite. His brother, Richard Fall (b. Gewitsch, April 3, 1882; d. in the concentration camp in Auschwitz about Nov. 20, 1943), was also a composer. He wrote operettas, revues, and film scores. Among his best known stage works were Der Wiener Fratz (Vienna, Jan. 1, 1912), Der Weltenbummler (Berlin, Nov. 18, 1915), Die Puppenbaronessen (Vienna, Sept. 1, 1917), and Grossstadtmarchen (Vienna, Jan. 10, 1920).

Works

DRAMATIC M u s i c T h e a t e r : Lustige Blatter (Hamburg, July 25, 1896); 1842 or Der grosse Brand (Hamburg, Aug. 1, 1897); Der Brandstifter (Berlin, Jan. 1, 1899); Die Jagd nach dem Gliick (Berlin, Feb. 1, 1900); ’ne feine Nummer (Berlin, Feb. 16, 1901; in collaboration with V. Hollander); Paroli or Frau Denise (Vienna, Oct. 4, 1902); Der Rebell (Vienna, Nov. 28, 1905; rev. version as Der liebe Augustin, Berlin, Feb. 3, 1912); Der Fuss (Chemnitz, Sept. 18, 1906); Der fidele Bauer (Mannheim, July 25, 1907); Die Dollarprinzessin (Vienna, Nov. 2, 1907); Die geschiedene Frau (Vienna, Dec. 23, 1908); Briiderlein fein (Berlin, Dec. 31, 1908); Die Schrei nach der Ohrfeige (1909); Briiderlein fein (Vienna, Dec. 1, 1909); Das Puppenmadel (Vienna, Nov. 4, 1910); Die schone Risette (Vienna, Nov. 19, 1910); Die Sirene (Vienna, Jan. 5, 1911); The Eternal Waltz (London, Dec. 11, 1911); Die Studentengrafin (Berlin, Jan. 18, 1913); Der Nachtschnellzug (Vienna, Dec. 18, 1913); Jung England (Berlin, Feb. 14, 1914; rev. version as Frau Ministerprasident, Dresden, Feb. 3, 1920); Der kunstliche Mensch (Berlin, Oct. 2, 1915); Die Kaiserin or Furstenliebe (Berlin, Oct. 16, 1915); Tantalus im Dachstuberl (Wiirzburg, March 26, 1916); Seemansliebchen (Berlin, Sept. 4, 1916; in collaboration with F. Warnke); Die Rose von Stambul (Vienna, Dec. 2, 1916); Der goldene Vogel (Dresden, May 21, 1920); Die spanische Nachtigall (Berlin, Nov. 18, 1920); Die Strassensangerin (Berlin, Sept. 24, 1921); Der heilige Ambrosius (Berlin, Nov. 3, 1921); Madame Pompadour (Berlin, Sept. 9, 1922); Der susse Kavalier (Vienna, Dec. 11, 1923); Jugen in Mai (Dresden, Oct. 22, 1926); Rosen aus Florida (Vienna, Feb. 22, 1929; arranged by E. Korngold). OTHER: Waltzes; songs.

Bibliography

W Zimmerli, L F. (Zurich, 1957).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire