Franz von Suppé

The composer and conductor Franz von Suppé (April 18, 1819 – May 21, 1895) was born in Split (Dalmatia) and died in Vienna. He is most famous for his operetta overtures, performed mostly at "light classics" concerts.

Life and education

Suppé was descended from a Belgian family that emigrated to Dalmatia, probably in the 18th century. A distant relative of Gaetano Donizetti, his original name was Francesco Ezechiele Ermenegildo, Cavaliere Suppé-Demelli. The "Cavaliere" in his name is a signifier of knighthood. He simplified and Germanized his name when in Vienna, and traded the "cav." of "cavaliere" to "von." Outside Germanic circles his name may appear on programs as Francesco Suppé-Demelli.

Related Topics:
Belgian - Dalmatia - Gaetano Donizetti

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He spent his childhood in Zadar, where he had his first music lessons and began to compose at an early age. As a teenager in Cremona, Suppé studied flute and harmony. His first extant composition is a Roman Catholic Mass, which premiered at a Franciscan church in Zadar in 1832. He moved to Padua to study law, a field of study not chosen by him, but continued to study music. He was invited to Vienna by Franz Pokorny, the director of Josephtädter Theather. In Vienna, after studying with Ignaz Seyfried and Simon Sechter, he conducted in the theater, without pay at first, but with the opportunity to present his own operas there. Eventually, Suppé wrote music for over a hundred productions at Josephstadt as well as at Leopoldstadt, at the Theater an der Wien, and a theater at Baden. He also put on some landmark opera productions, such as the 1846 production of Meyerbeer's Les Huguenots with Jenny Lind. Suppé was also a singer, making his debut in the role of Dulcamara in Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore at the Ödenburg theater in 1842.

Related Topics:
Zadar - Cremona - Flute - Mass - 1832 - Padua - Josephtädter Theather - Simon Sechter - Josephstadt - Theater an der Wien - Baden - Meyerbeer - Jenny Lind - Ödenburg - 1842

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