Emmerich Kalman
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Emmerich Kálmán (October 24, 1882 - October 30, 1953), also known as Imre Kálmán, was a Hungarian composer of operettas.
Kálmán was born in Siófok, on the southern shore of Lake Balaton, Hungary (formerly in the Austro-Hungarian Empire) in a Jewish family. Kalman had initially intended to become a concert pianist, but because of early-onset arthritis, he instead started focusing on composition. He studied music theory and composition at the National Hungarian Royal Academy of Music (then the Budapest Academy of Music), where he was a fellow student of Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály under Hans Kössler. His early symphonic poems were well-received, although he failed to achieve publication.
However, the popularity of his humorous cabaret songs led him towards the composition of operettas. His first great success was Tatárjárás (the German version is named Ein Herbstmanöver, while the English name is The Gay Hussars) first staged at the Lustspieltheater in Budapest on February 22, 1908. Thereafter he moved to Vienna where he achieved a worldwide fame by composing his operettas Der Zigeunerprimas, Die Csárdásfürstin, Gräfin Mariza, and Die Zirkusprinzessin.
Kálmán and Franz Lehár were the leading composers of what has been called the "Silver Age" of Viennese operetta during the first quarter of the 20th century. He became well-known for his fusion of Viennese waltz with Hungarian csardas.
Kalman left Europe to escape Nazi persecution, settling in California. He became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1942. He emigrated back to Europe from New York in 1949, settling in Paris, where he died.
Operettas with place and date of first production
- Tatárjárás - Budapest - 1908
- Ein Herbstmanöver - Vienna - 1909 (German version of Tatárjárás)
- The Gay Hussars - New York - 1909
- Autumn Manoeuvres - London - 1912
- Az Obsitos - Budapest -1910
- Der gute Kamerad - Vienna - 1911 (German revision of Az Obsitos)
- Gold gab ich für Eisen - Vienna - 1914 (revision of Der gute Kamerad)
- Der Zigeunerprimás - Vienna - 1912
- Sari - New York - 1914
- The Blue House - London - 1912
- Der kleine König - Vienna - 1912
- Her Soldier Boy - New York - 1916
- Soldier Boy - London - 1918
- Zsuzsi kisasszony - Budapest - 1915
- Miss Springtime - New York - 1916
- Die Faschingsfee - Vienna - 1917 (German revision of Zsuzsi kisasszony)
- Die Csárdásfürstin - Vienna - 1915
- The Riviera Girl - New York - 1917
- The Gipsy Princess - London - 1921
- Das Hollandweibchen - Vienna - 1920
- A Little Dutch Girl - London - 1920
- The Dutch Girl - U.S. - 1925
- Die Bajadere - Vienna -1921
- The Yankee Princess - New York -1922
- Gräfin Mariza - Vienna -1924
- Countess Maritza - New York - 1926
- Maritza - London - 1938
- Die Zirkusprinzessin - Vienna - 1926
- The Circus Princess - New York - 1927
- Golden Dawn - New York - 1927
- Die Herzogin von Chicago - Vienna - 1928
- The Duchess of Chicago - U.S. - 1929
- Das Veilchen vom Montmartre - Vienna - 1930
- Paris in Spring - U.S. - 1930
- A Kiss in Spring - London - 1932
- Der Teufelsreiter - Vienna - 1932
- Kaiserin Josephine - Zurich -- 1936
- Miss Underground - written 1942, unproduced
- Marinka - New York - 1945
- Arizona Lady - Bern - 1954de:Emmerich Kálmán