Emanuel Schikaneder facts for kids
Emanuel Schikaneder (born Johann Joseph Schickeneder; 1 September 1751 – 21 September 1812) was a very talented German theater artist. He was an impresario (someone who manages a theater or opera company), a writer, an actor, a singer, and even a composer! He is most famous for writing the story (called a libretto) for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's famous opera, The Magic Flute. Schikaneder also built the famous Theater an der Wien in Vienna. He worked with other great composers like Salieri, Haydn, and Beethoven.
Contents
Early Life and Theater Beginnings
Emanuel Schikaneder was born in Straubing, a town in Bavaria, Germany. His parents, Joseph Schickeneder and Juliana Schiessl, were very poor and worked as servants. Emanuel was one of four children. His father died when Emanuel was young, and his mother moved to Regensburg. She earned a living by selling religious items.
Emanuel went to a Jesuit school in Regensburg. He also trained as a singer at the local cathedral. As a young man, he started his career in theater around 1773. He joined Andreas Schopf's acting group, performing operas, funny plays (called farces), and German musical plays (called Singspiels). In 1774, he danced in a court ballet in Innsbruck. The next year, his own Singspiel, Die Lyranten, was first performed there. It was a big hit! Schikaneder wrote the story, composed the music, and was the main singer. He was truly a versatile artist.
Becoming Friends with the Mozarts
In 1780, Schikaneder's acting group stayed for a long time in Salzburg. During this time, he became good friends with the Mozart family. The family included father Leopold, daughter Nannerl, and son Wolfgang. The Mozarts loved his shows and often invited him to play their favorite family game, dart shooting.
Before Mozart left Salzburg for his opera Idomeneo, he promised to write a special song for Schikaneder. This song was for Schikaneder's play, Die zwey schlaflosen Nächte.
First Time in Vienna
From late 1784 to early 1785, Schikaneder worked with theater director Hubert Kumpf in Vienna. They put on many shows at the Kärntnertortheater. Emperor Joseph II had invited him after seeing him perform. Their shows were very popular with critics and large audiences, including the Emperor himself. They started their season with a return of Mozart's opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail.
Schikaneder also performed plays that had political messages. At that time, most of Europe was ruled by nobles. Schikaneder put on a comedy called Der Fremde. It had a character who made fun of the rich and powerful people in Vienna. Schikaneder and his colleague then tried to put on The Marriage of Figaro, a play that also made fun of the aristocracy. However, the Emperor canceled this show at the last minute.
Even with the canceled play, Emperor Joseph II hired Schikaneder. From April 1785 to February 1786, Schikaneder worked for the Imperial service. He performed at the Burgtheater, singing in Gluck's Singspiel Die Pilgrime von Mekka.
Years at the Theater auf der Wieden
In 1788, the acting group run by Johann Friedel and Eleonore Schikaneder became the main group at the Theater auf der Wieden. This theater was in a suburb of Vienna. When Friedel died in 1789, Eleonore took over. She asked Schikaneder to join her, and he moved to Vienna in May. They started a new company together at the same theater. A friend of Mozart's, Joseph von Bauernfeld, helped pay for the new company.
Schikaneder wanted to focus on opera. He brought two singers from his old group: tenor Benedikt Schack and bass Franz Xaver Gerl. From his wife's company, he kept soprano Josepha Hofer, actor Johann Joseph Nouseul, and Karl Ludwig Giesecke as a writer. New people joined, including Anna Gottlieb and Jakob Haibel.
The new company did very well. Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail was performed again. Schikaneder also created a series of musical comedies. The first was Der Dumme Gärtner aus dem Gebirge, oder Die zween Antons (The Foolish Gardener from the Mountains, or The Two Antons). It premiered in July 1789 and was a great way for Schikaneder to show off his funny acting.
The company also performed fairy tale operas. This started with Oberon in 1789, with music by Paul Wranitzky. Then came Der Stein der Weisen oder Die Zauberinsel in September 1790. This was a special opera because many people worked on the music, including Gerl, Schack, Schikaneder, and even Mozart!
Reviews from that time were mostly positive. They said the music was performed very well. One musician, Ignaz von Seyfried, remembered how skilled the performances were. He described the conductor leading the orchestra "like a General commanding an army of musicians!"
The Magic Flute
The fairy-tale operas at the Theater auf der Wieden led to the most famous one: The Magic Flute. It premiered in September 1791. Mozart wrote the music, and Schikaneder wrote the story. The opera mixed ideas from Freemasonry with traditional fairy-tale themes. Schikaneder played the role of Papageno, a funny bird-catcher character that fit his acting style perfectly.
The Magic Flute was a huge success right from the start. It often sold out and had over a hundred performances in its first few months. Schikaneder continued to perform the opera throughout his career in Vienna.
Mozart sadly died just a few weeks after the premiere, on 5 December 1791. Schikaneder was very sad about this loss. He put on a special performance of The Magic Flute to help Mozart's wife, Constanze, who was having money problems.
Later Years in Theater
Schikaneder continued his career at the same theater after The Magic Flute. He kept writing plays where he played the main character, and these plays were also very popular. He worked with other composers of his time. These works included Der Spiegel von Arkadien with Mozart's assistant Franz Xaver Süssmayr, and Der Tyroler Wastel with Mozart's brother-in-law Jakob Haibel. He even wrote a sequel to The Magic Flute called Das Labyrinth, with music by Peter von Winter. Another popular show was a funny play called Der travestierte Aeneas.
Several times a year, Schikaneder would turn his theater into a place for classical music concerts. Symphonies by Mozart and Haydn were performed. A young Ludwig van Beethoven even played the piano as a soloist there.
Schikaneder kept seven of Mozart's operas in his theater's regular shows. These included Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Le nozze di Figaro, Der Schauspieldirektor, Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte, La clemenza di Tito, and The Magic Flute. The Italian operas were performed in German.
Even though many of his shows were popular, Schikaneder's elaborate productions were very expensive. His company slowly fell into debt. In 1798, his landlord found out the debt was very high and canceled his lease. Schikaneder convinced Bartholomäus Zitterbarth, a rich merchant, to become his partner and help pay off the debt. This saved the company.
Building the Theater an der Wien
Schikaneder and his new partner, Zitterbarth, decided to build a grand new theater. Zitterbarth bought land for the new theater across the Wien River, not far from the old Theater auf der Wieden. Schikaneder still had a document from the late Emperor Joseph II that allowed him to build a new theater. In 1800, he met with the new Emperor, Franz. The Emperor renewed his license, even though another theater director, Peter von Braun, protested. In response, Braun put on a new production of The Magic Flute at his theater, but he didn't mention Schikaneder as the writer.
Construction of the new theater, called the Theater an der Wien, began in April 1800. It opened on 13 June 1801 with an opera called Alexander, which Schikaneder wrote and Franz Teyber composed. The New Grove Dictionary says the Theater an der Wien was "the most lavishly equipped and one of the largest theatres of its age." There, Schikaneder continued his tradition of expensive and exciting shows.
Schikaneder and Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven moved to Vienna in 1792 and became a famous composer and pianist. He performed at the Theater auf der Wieden in its last years. In 1803, the first concert at the new Theater an der Wien was completely dedicated to Beethoven's music. It included his first and second symphonies, his third piano concerto (with Beethoven playing the piano), and an oratorio called Christ on the Mount of Olives.
Schikaneder wanted Beethoven to write an opera for him. He even offered Beethoven an apartment inside the theater building! He also gave Beethoven his story idea, Vestas Feuer. However, Beethoven didn't think Vestas Feuer was right for him. He did use part of the opening scene for a duet in his 1804 opera, Fidelio. Beethoven continued to live in the Theater an der Wien for a while as he worked on Fidelio.
Decline and Final Years
Fidelio premiered at the Theater an der Wien, but Schikaneder was no longer in charge. By 1804, Schikaneder's career was struggling. His expensive shows couldn't bring in enough money to cover their costs. He sold the Theater an der Wien to a group of nobles and left Vienna. He worked in other cities like Brno and Steyr.
Due to economic problems from war and a currency change in 1811, Schikaneder lost most of his money. In 1812, while traveling to Budapest for a new job, he became very ill. He died poor in Vienna on 21 September 1812, at 61 years old.
Family Members in Theater
Two of Schikaneder's family members also worked with him in the theater:
- Urban Schikaneder (1746–1818) was Emanuel's older brother. He was a bass singer. He worked for many years in his brother's acting group as a singer and helped manage the company. In the first performance of The Magic Flute, he sang the role of the First Priest.
- Anna Schikaneder (1767–1862), also called "Nanny" or "Nanette," was his brother Urban's daughter. When she was 24, she sang the role of the First Boy in The Magic Flute.
Emanuel's son, Franz Schikaneder (1802–1877), became a blacksmith for Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria.
Works by Schikaneder
Schikaneder wrote many plays and opera stories. Here are some of his notable works:
Opera Stories (Libretti)
- Die Lyranten oder das lustige Elend (The Minstrels, or Merry Misery). An operetta with music by Schikaneder, around 1775.
- Der dumme Gärtner aus dem Gebirge oder die zween Anton (The Silly Gardener from the Hills, or The Two Antons). A funny opera with music by Benedikt Schack and Franz Xaver Gerl, 1789.
- He wrote five sequels to this work, including:
- Was macht der Anton im Winter? (What does Anton do in Winter?) Music by Benedikt Schack and Franz Xaver Gerl, 1790.
- He wrote five sequels to this work, including:
- Der Stein der Weisen (The Philosopher's Stone or the Magic Isle). A heroic-comic opera with music by many composers, including Mozart, 1790.
- Die Zauberflöte (opera libretto, 1791).
- Der Spiegel von Arkadien (The Mirror of Arcadia). A grand heroic-comic opera with music by Franz Xaver Süssmayr, 1794.
- Das Labyrinth oder Der Kampf mit den Elementen. Der Zauberflöte zweyter Theil (The Labyrinth or The Struggle with the Elements. The Magic Flute's Second Part). A heroic-comic opera with music by Peter von Winter, 1798.
- Vestas Feuer (opera libretto, 1803).
Plays
- Das abgebrannte Haus (The Burned Down House)
- Die Fiaker in Wien (The Cab Drivers in Vienna)
Schikaneder in Stories and Musicals
In the movie Amadeus, Schikaneder is played by Simon Callow. He is shown as Mozart's friend who often turns Mozart's serious works into funny, simple comedies. This sometimes makes Mozart's wife, Constanze, upset. The movie also shows that Schikaneder's requests for new plays put pressure on Mozart.
In 2016, a musical called Schikaneder by Stephen Schwartz opened. It tells the story of The Magic Flute coming from Schikaneder's exciting relationship with his wife, Eleonore.
See also
In Spanish: Emanuel Schikaneder para niños
