Leon Jessel facts for kids
Leon Jessel (born January 22, 1871 – died January 4, 1942) was a German composer. He wrote many operettas and light classical music. Today, he is most famous for his lively march, The Parade of the Tin Soldiers, also known as The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers. Jessel wrote hundreds of pieces, including orchestral music, piano songs, waltzes, and marches. He became very well known for his operettas, especially Schwarzwaldmädel (Black Forest Girl), which is still popular today.
Leon Jessel was born Jewish, but he became a Christian when he was 23. When the Nazis came to power in the late 1920s, his music was banned. His popular works were almost forgotten because of this.
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Early Life and Family
Leon Jessel was born in 1871 in Stettin, Germany. This city is now called Szczecin, Poland. His father, Samuel Jessel, was a merchant, and his mother, Mary, was American.
In 1894, Leon became a Christian. This was the same year his first operetta, Die Brautwerbung (The Courtship), was first performed. He married Clara Louise Grunewald in 1896. Their daughter, Maria Eva, was born in 1909. In 1911, the family moved to Berlin. Leon and Clara divorced in 1919. In 1921, he married his second wife, Anna Gerholdt. She was 19 years younger than him.
Music Career
Leon Jessel's parents wanted him to be a businessman. But Leon loved music and wanted to be a musician. He left school at age 17 to follow his dream. From 1888 to 1891, he studied with different teachers. After that, he became a conductor and music director. He worked in many German cities.
Starting in 1892, Jessel worked as a Kapellmeister (a music director) in cities like Mulheim an der Ruhr, Freiberg, and Kiel. He finally settled in Lübeck. There, he was the Kapellmeister at the Wilhelm Theater from 1899 to 1905. Later, he led a men's singing group. While in Lübeck, Jessel wrote many pieces for choirs, operettas, and other musical works.
In 1911, Jessel moved to Berlin. This is where he became very famous. His 1913 operetta, Die beiden Husaren (The Two Hussars), got a lot of attention. He kept writing many operettas and Singspiel operas. Most of these first played in Berlin. In 1915, Jessel also helped start GEMA. This is a German organization that protects the rights of musicians.
Jessel's biggest success was the operetta Schwarzwaldmädel (Black Forest Girl). It first played at the Komische Oper in Berlin in August 1917. The story, catchy songs, and beautiful music made it very popular. It played 900 times in Berlin. In the next 10 years, it was performed about 6,000 times in Germany and other countries. Schwarzwaldmädel has been recorded, filmed, and shown on TV many times. Jessel also had a big hit with his 1921 operetta Die Postmeisterin (The Postmistress). In total, he wrote almost two dozen operettas.
Life During Nazi Germany
Jessel's operettas were very popular and patriotic. Schwarzwaldmädel was even a favorite of Hitler and Himmler. Jessel was a conservative nationalist. His second wife, Anna, joined the Nazi Party in 1932. Because of these things, Jessel thought he would be safe when the Nazis came to power.
However, the Nazi leaders rejected him because he was born Jewish. Even though he had become a Christian in 1894, his music was banned in 1933. Jessel's last major work was his 1933 operetta Junger Wein (Young Wine). Some believe he faced problems as early as 1927.
In 1937, he was forced out of the Reichsmusikkammer (the State Music Institute). This meant his music could not be recorded or shared. In 1941, police searched his house. They found a letter from 1939 to a friend. In the letter, Jessel wrote that he could not work because of the hatred towards Jewish people. He worried about his own safety. On December 15, 1941, Jessel was arrested by the Gestapo in Berlin. He died on January 4, 1942, at the Berlin Jewish Hospital. He was 70 years old.
Legacy
The Parade of the Tin Soldiers
One of Jessel's most famous pieces is the lively march The Parade of the Tin Soldiers. It was first written for piano. Later, it was arranged for orchestras and military bands.
This piece became popular around the world in the early 1920s. It was known as The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers. Nikita Balieff used it in his La Chauve-Souris vaudeville show. In 1923, Lee de Forest filmed Balieff's company performing it. This film used a new sound-on-film process. It premiered in New York City that year.
By the mid-1920s, the song was a big hit. Many orchestras recorded it. It has been performed and recorded ever since. For example, a Betty Boop cartoon called Parade of the Wooden Soldiers was made with the music in 1933. The Rockettes have also performed their own dance to the song since then. They perform it in their yearly Radio City Christmas Spectacular.
In Great Britain, the song was used for many years on BBC radio. It introduced a children's series called Toytown.
Schwarzwaldmädel and Other Works
Jessel's charming operetta Schwarzwaldmädel (Black Forest Girl) is still one of Germany's most popular operettas. It continues to be performed, recorded, filmed, and shown on TV. According to writer Andrew Lamb, Schwarzwaldmädel showed the best of operettas from Europe.
Some of Jessel's other instrumental pieces are also still played around the world. One example is "The Wedding of the Rose" (Der Rose Hochzeitszug).
Memorial
In 1986, a tree-lined plaza in Berlin was renamed Leon-Jessel-Platz. It has a "mushroom fountain" and is surrounded by cafes and restaurants.
Selected Works
Stage Works
- Die Brautwerbung (The Courtship) (Operetta; 1894)
- Die beiden Husaren (The Two Hussars) (Operetta; 1913)
- Schwarzwaldmädel (Black Forest Girl) (Operetta; 1917)
- Die Postmeisterin (The Postmistress) (Operetta; 1921)
- Junger Wein (Young Wine) (Operetta; 1933)
Instrumental Music
- Die Parade der Zinnsoldaten (The Parade of the Tin Soldiers or The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers) (Piano piece; 1897, for orchestra 1905)
- Der Rose Hochzeitszug ("The Wedding of the Rose") (Piano or orchestra; 1905)
See also
In Spanish: Leon Jessel para niños
