Weingartner, (Paul) Felix, Edler von Münzberg

Weingartner, (Paul) Felix, Edler von Münzberg , illustrious Austrian conductor; b. Zara, Dalmatia, June 2, 1863; d. Winterthur, May 7, 1942. After his father’s death in 1868, his mother took him to Graz, where he studied music with W.A. Rémy. He publ. some piano pieces when he was 16 years old; Brahms recommended him for a stipend that enabled him to take music courses with Reinecke, Jadassohn, and Paul at the Leipzig Cons. (1881-83). He received the Mozart Prize at his graduation. He was introduced to Liszt, who recommended Weingartner’s opera Sakuntala for production in Weimar (March 23, 1884), a signal honor for a young man not yet 21 years old. While progressing rapidly as a composer, Weingartner launched a brilliant career as a conductor, which was to become his prime vocation. He conducted in Königsberg (1884-85), Danzig (1885-87), Hamburg (1887-89), and Mannheim (1889-91). In 1891 he was engaged as court conductor in Berlin, where he led the Royal Opera until 1898 and the royal orch. concerts until 1907; he also conducted the Kaim Orch. in Munich (1898-1905). His reputation as a fine musician was enhanced by his appearances as an ensemble player in the Weingartner Trio, with himself as pianist, Rettich as violinist, and Warnke as cellist. In 1908 he succeeded Mahler as music director of the Vienna Court Opera and conducted there until 1911. He also was Mahler’s successor as conductor of the Vienna Phil. (1908-27), with which he won great renown. He likewise served as Generalmusikdirektor in Darmstadt (1914-19) and as director of the Vienna Volksoper (1919-24). In 1927 he became director of the Basel Cons. He also conducted sym. concerts in Basel. After serving as a guest conductor of the Vienna State Opera (1934-35), he again was its director (1935-36); then once more was a guest conductor there (1936-38). Throughout the years he had engagements as guest conductor with major European orchs. He made his American debut with the N.Y. Phil. on Feb. 12, 1904 and later conducted the N.Y. Sym. Soc. (Jan.-March 1906). He appeared with the Boston Opera Co. on Feb. 12, 1912, conducting Tristan und Isolde; he and his 3^rd wife, Lucille Marcel, were engaged for a season with the Boston Opera Co. in 1913. (His 1^st wife was Marie Juillerat, whom he married in 1891; his 2^nd wife was the Baroness Feodora von Dreifus, whom he married in 1903). He made his debut at Covent Garden in London in 1939 conducting Parsifal. He eventually settled in Interlaken, where he established a summer conducting school. Although Weingartner was trained in the Austro-German Romantic tradition, his approach to conducting was notable for its eschewing of Romantic excess. Indeed, he acquired a remarkable reputation for his devotion to the composer’s intentions, which he conveyed to his musicians via an unostentatious baton technique. His interpretations of the Austro-German repertoire were acclaimed for their authority and integrity. He was the first conductor to record all the Beethoven syms. Weingartner was also a competent music editor; he was on the editorial board for the complete works of Berlioz (1899) and of Haydn (1907). Despite the pressure of his activities as a conductor, he found time for composition. In addition to his first opera, Sakuntala, he wrote the operas Malawika (Munich, 1886), Genesius (Berlin, Nov. 15, 1892), Orestes, a trilogy (Leipzig, Feb. 15,1902), Kain und Abel (Darmstadt, May 17, 1914), Dame Kobold (Darmstadt, Feb. 23, 1916), Die Dorfschule (Vienna, May 13, 1920), Meister Andrea (Vienna, May 13,1920), and Der Apostat (not perf.). He also composed 7 syms. (1899-1937); various other orch. works, including pieces for Voice and Orch. and Chorus and Orch.; songs; much chamber music, including 5 string quartets, 2 violin sonatas, and piano pieces. He made arrangements of Beethoven’s “Hammerklavier” Sonata, op.106, and of Weber’s Aufforderung zum Tanz. He was an excellent writer on musical subjects. Among his publs, were: Die Lehre von der Wiedergeburt und das musikalische Drama (1895), Über das Dirigieren (1896; 5^th ed., 1913; a fundamental essay on conducting), Bayreuth 1876-1896 (1897; 2^nd ed., 1904), Die Symphonie nach Beethoven (1897; 4^th ed., 1901; Eng. tr., 1904; new tr. as The Symphony since Beethoven, 1926), Ratschläge für Aufführung der Sinfonien Beethovens (1906; 3^rd ed., 1928; Eng. tr., London, 1907), Akkorde: Gesammelte Aufsätze von Felix Weingartner (1912), a polemical pamphlet, Erlebnisse eines kgl. Kapellmeisters in Berlin (1912; an attack upon the Berlin intendancy; a rebuttal was publ. by A. Wolff in Der Fall Weingartner, 1912), Ratschläge für Aufführung der Sinfonien Schuberts und Schumanns (1918), Ratschläge für Aufführung der Sinfonien Mozarts (1923), and Lebenserinnerungen (vol. I, 1923; vol. II, 1929; Eng. version, London, 1937, as Buffets and Rewards: A Musician’s Reminiscences), Unwirkliches und Wirkliches (1936).

Bibliography

E. Krause, F. W. als schaffender Künstler (Berlin, 1904); P. Riesenfeld, F. W. Ein kritischer Versuch (Breslau, 1906); W. Hutschenruyter, Levensschets en portret van F. W. (Haarlem, 1906); J. Lustig, F. W. Persönlichkeiten (Berlin, 1908); W. Jacob, F. W. (Wiesbaden, 1933); Festschrift für Dr. F W. zu seinem siebzigsten Geburtstag (Basel, 1933); C. Dyment, F W.: Recollections and Recordings (Rickmansworth, 1975).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

Weingartner, (Paul) Felix, Edler von Münzberg (b Zara, Dalmatia, 1863; d Winterthur, Switz., 1942). Austrian conductor, composer, and writer. Pupil of Liszt 1883 at Weimar, who recommended his opera Sakuntala for production in Weimar in 1884. Opera cond., Königsberg 1884–5, Danzig 1885–7, Hamburg 1887–9, Mannheim 1889–91, Berlin 1891–8, Vienna (after Mahler) 1907–11, Hamburg 1912–14, Darmstadt 1914–19, Vienna Volksoper 1919–24, Boston 1912–13. His orch. appointments included Berlin royal concerts 1891–1907, Kaim Orch., Munich, 1898–1905, Vienna PO 1907–27, Basle 1927–33. Dir., Basle Cons. 1927–35, dir. Vienna Opera 1935–6. Guest cond., London orchs. from 1898. CG début 1939. NY concert début 1904. Amer. opera début (Boston) 1912. Salzburg Fest. début 1934. Comp. several operas, 7 syms. (1899–1937), sym.-poems, concs. (vn., vc.), choral works, 5 str. qts., etc. Wrote autobiography and several other books, incl. treatise on cond. and on interpretation of Beethoven syms.