Five "Wunder Women" of Operetta

It doesn’t take a musicologist to know that the operetta scene is dominated by male librettists and composers, and that it is these credits that make certain names and faces synonymous with the beloved art form. But without some of the talented women who brought these works to life on stage and behind the scenes, these operettas may not have achieved the same special sparkle of notoriety that has helped them stand the test of three-quarter time.

As we select operetta pieces for our Salute to Vienna New Year's Concert programmes, we take a look at some of the women who helped make operetta history.

Marie Geistinger: The Queen of Operetta

If Marie Geistinger was the queen, Johann Strauss II, Franz von Suppé, and Jacques Offenbach were her lords-in-waiting, assisting her onto her throne by casting her in a number of their operettas. Geistinger is best known for her roe of Rosalinda in the 1874 première of Die Fledermaus at the Theater an der Wien.

The Austrian soprano and actress was born to an opera singer father and actor mother. She began acting at the age of eight and at age 16 started touring, performing primarily in Germany and Latvia. On invitation from Theater an der Wien director Friedrich Strampfer, she returned to Vienna to star in Jacques Offenbach's operetta La Belle Hélène. For the next 10 years, she was a regular leading lady in Viennese operettas, then spent the remainder of her life bouncing between Germany, Austria and the United States, performing until age 64.

Katharina Schratt: Star and Staple of the Stage

Katharina Schratt’s parents were so desperate for her to drop her actress ambitions that they sent her to boarding school. It seems, however, Schratt’s time away only cemented the dream she had had since age six, and by age 17 she was making her theatrical debut. Before she turned 20, she had made her way to Vienna and established herself as a leading lady. Save for a stint touring overseas, she was a staple on the Austrian stage for nearly 30 years. Schratt was known as “the uncrowned Empress of Austria,” not because of her talents, but because of her close friendship with Emperor Franz Joseph.

Adèle Strauss: The Waltz King’s Queen

Johann Strauss II was one of the proverbial successful men with a successful woman by his side. Adèle Deutsch, Strauss’s third wife, charmed him so deeply he became a German citizen and converted to Lutheran Protestantism in order to marry her (as Johann’s divorce from his second wife was not recognized by the Catholic church).

Adèle not only actively supported Strauss Jr. in his career, her presence also inspired Strauss to create some of his most memorable works, such as the operetta Der Zigeunerbaron and the Kaiser Waltzes. At 31 years younger than her husband, Adèle continued to work hard to maintain the Waltz King’s legacy following his death, and we have her to thank for the preservation of some of the operettas we still enjoy today. 

Fanny Elssler: Getting the Ball Rolling for Ballet

At age six, Fanny Elssler was already dancing ballet at the Kärntnertortheater in Vienna. With ties to music from childhood (her father was a valet to Franz Jospeh Haydn) Elssler was a teenager when she moved to Naples to continue her dance studies. It wasn’t long, however, until Elssler became pregnant (via King Ferdinand I’s son, Prince Leopold). With her son in foster care, Elssler’s dancing took her to Berlin and then France. Her career took off as she began dancing at the Paris Opera.

In 1840, the Austrian ballerina became the first female European artist to tour North America and Cuba, and she continued to dance in Europe until 1851. Elssler was one of the most famous dancers of her time, helping to set the stage for the integration of dance into operetta. In fact, she was the subject of an operetta: Die Tänzerin Fanny Elssler is a posthumous operetta with music by Johann Strauss II, adapted for the stage by Bernard Grun and Oskar Stalla.

Josefine Gallmeyer: A Rocky Road to Singing Success

Born to an actress mom and an opera singer dad, Josefine Gallmeyer took those genes and ran with them. Debuting on stage at age 15, the Austrian actress was terminated from her role with a German theatre in Budapest due to “disobedience and insubordination.” This theme would continue during her early career as Gallmeryer hopped between German companies, losing work due to “erratic behaviour.”

Her career took off in 1862 when she worked with Ottokar Franz Ebersberg and Karl Costa at Theter an der Wien, but she left following the arrival and success of Marie Gestinger, much to the media’s delight. Moving to Carltheater, she achieved popularity as a singing sensation. Gallmeyer then made a move to directing with Strampfer-Theater, but it closed within a decade. She spent the remainder of her short life touring the United States and Germany, and died at age 46 in poverty, reportedly due to being too charitable with her fortune.

Of course this is far from a definitive list of operetta’s favourite femmes, but these word windows offer a glimpse at a few of the women whose careers and lives were as admirable (and as messy) as those of the male composers we hear so much about.

This year, as you enjoy Salute to Vienna New Year’s Concert, not only can you close your eyes and imagine The Waltz King himself poised at the conductor’s stand, but you might envision Marie Geistinger centre stage and Adèle Strauss offering support from the wings.