Ferdinand Kauer

Ferdinand August Kauer (January 18, 1751 – April 13, 1831) was an Austrian composer and pianist.

Biography

Kauer was born in Klein-Thaya (today Dyjákovičky) near Znaim in South Moravia. He studied in Znaim, Tyrnau, and Vienna, and later settled in Vienna around 1777. In 1781 he joined Karl von Marinelli's newly formed company at Vienna as leader and conductor of the orchestra. From 1782 he also composed music for the theatre, including Singspiele, operas, and incidental music and songs, mostly to texts by the house poet Karl Friedrich Hensler. Their first major success was Das Faustrecht in Thüringen (The Law of the Jungle in Thüringen, 1796–1797), which was eclipsed two years later by the success of Das Donauweibchen (1798).

He was Kapellmeister of the Theater in der Leopoldstadt and Theater in der Josefstadt in Vienna and also in Graz. He directed the Leopoldstadt Theater Music School and by the 1790s had become known for his popular Singspiele. In addition to his successful stage works he composed several tutorial methods for violin, flute, piano and singing (c. 1790). A tragic flood in 1830 destroyed all Kauer's possessions, including most of his scores. He continued to work as the second viola player at the Theater in der Leopoldstadt orchestra until his death in Vienna a year later.

Legacy

He wrote about 200 operas and Singspiele. The romantic opera Das Donauweibchen (1798) was one of the most popular operas of the early 19th century. It was staged in Russia in 1803–1807 as Lesta, dneprovskaya rusalka (Russian: Леста, днепровская русалка) and its three sequels with Russian text and additional music by the naturalised Russian immigrant Catterino Cavos who originally hailed from Venice, and Stepan Davydov (1777–1825).

Das Donauweibchen was the first opera staged in Finland on December 3, 1826 in Viipuri by Schultz’s company. It was not unusual for travelling companies to make an excursion from the nearby Saint Petersburg to Viipuri, Finland being an autonomous Grand Duchy in the Russian Empire at the time.

Kauer also wrote 200 masses, many pieces of chamber music, incidental music (including Das Faustrecht in Thüringen). His "12 Neue Ungarische Tänze" reflect the influence of roaming Gypsy orchestras upon many composers of this era. In his "Sei variazioni" (c. 1810) Kauer introduced the xylophone into western classical music, and from that time this instrument has been adopted as a regular element of the orchestra. His music is rarely performed in modern times, but has been shown to be highly imaginative, tuneful, and worthy of further study.

Selected works
TitleGenreSub­divisionsLibrettoPremière dateTheatre (in Vienna)
Der Streit zwischen dem Zauberer Scionco und der Fee Galantina, oder Kasperl bleibt Kasperlcomedy with machines and music3 acts February 3, 1784Theater in der Leopoldstadt
Der unschuldige BetrugKinder-Operette1 actL HuberJune 22, 1790Theater in der Leopoldstadt
Bastien und BastienneOperetteafter French workAugust 18, 1790Theater in der Leopoldstadt
Die Serenade, oder Der gefoppte AlteSingspiel2 acts June 4, 1792Theater in der Leopoldstadt
Das Faustrecht in Thüringen part 1Schauspiel4 actsKarl Friedrich HenslerApril 7, 1796Theater in der Leopoldstadt
Das Faustrecht in Thüringen part 2Schauspiel4 actsKarl Friedrich HenslerJune 28, 1796Theater in der Leopoldstadt
Das Faustrecht in Thüringen part 3Schauspiel4 actsKarl Friedrich HenslerJanuary 17, 1797Theater in der Leopoldstadt
Das Donauweibchen part 1romantisch-komisches Volksmärchen3 actsKarl Friedrich HenslerJanuary 11, 1798Theater in der Leopoldstadt
Das Donauweibchen part 2romantisch-komisches Volksmärchen3 actsKarl Friedrich HenslerFebruary 13, 1798Theater in der Leopoldstadt
Die LöwenritterSchauspiel4 actsKarl Friedrich HenslerSeptember 5, 1799Theater in der Leopoldstadt
Das Sternenmädchen im Meidlinger Walderomantisch-komisches Volksmärchen3 actsL HuberOctober 20, 1801Theater in der Leopoldstadt
Telemach Prinz von Ithacatravestirtes Singspiel3 actsKarl Friedrich HenslerApril 29, 1801Theater in der Leopoldstadt
Philibert und Kasperl, oder Weiber sind getreuer als MännerZauberoper3 actsKarl Friedrich HenslerFebruary 7, 1804Theater in der Leopoldstadt
FaschingswehenLustspiel3 actsJ F KringsteinerMarch 4, 1805Theater in der Leopoldstadt
Die KreutzerkomödiePosse3 actsJ F KringsteinerJune 21, 1805Theater in der Leopoldstadt
Der travestierte TelemachKarikatur3 actsJoachim PerinetAugust 29, 1805Theater in der Leopoldstadt
Heinrich der Stolze, Herzog von SachsenSchauspiel3 actsJ A GleichOctober 5, 1806Theater in der Leopoldstadt
Orpheus und Euridice, oder So geht es im Olympus zumythologische Karikatur2 actsK MeislFebruary 20, 1813Theater in der Leopoldstadt
Antonius und CleopatraPosse1 actM F Perth, after August von KotzebueFebruary 25, 1814Theater in der Josefstadt
Die Musikanten am Hohen MarktPosse3 actsJ A GleichMarch 28, 1815Theater in der Josefstadt

Ferdinand Kauer’s keyboard "Sonata militaire" was mistakenly attributed to Joseph Haydn as Sonata D major, Hob. XVI: D1.

Bibliography
  • Kauer, Ferdinand. Kurzgefasste Generalbass-Schule für Anfänger. Wien, J. Cappi. c. 1800
  • Kauer, Ferdinand. Kurzgefasste Harmonieschule für Damen mit Tonsystem, worin das H ausgeschlossen wird. c. 1800
  • Manschinger K.: Ferdinand Kauer, doctoral thesis, Vienna 1929
  • Bauer, A.: Das Theater in der Josefstadt, 1957
  • Longyear, R. M.: Ferdinand Kauer's Percussion Enterprises, Galpin Society Journal, vol. 27 (1974), 2–8.
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