Kreutzer, Conradin (originally, Conrad)

Kreutzer, Conradin (originally, Conrad), German conductor and composer; b. Messkirch, Baden, Nov. 22, 1780; d. Riga, Dec. 14, 1849. He was a pupil of Johann Baptist Rieger, the Messkirch choirmaster, and then entered the Zwiefalten monastery (1789), where he studied organ and theory with Ernst Weinrauch (1792–97). He then studied law at the Univ. of Freiburg im Breisgau (1799–1800) before devoting himself to music. He changed his first name to Conradin in 1799. About 1800 he brought out his first operetta, Die lächerliche Werbung, in Freiburg. After a sojourn in Switzerland, he went to Vienna (1804), where met Haydn and most likely studied with Albrechtsberger. His Singspiel Jery und Bätely, after Goethe (May 19, 1810), met with considerable success there. He then scored major successes in Stuttgart with the premieres of his operas Konradin von Schwaben (March 30, 1812) and Feodora (1812). He subsequently served as Hofkapellmeister there (1812–16), and then held that title in the service of Prince Carl Egon of Furstenberg in Donaueschingen (1818–22). After the success of his opera Libussa at Vienna’s Kärnthnertortheater (Dec. 4, 1822), he served as its Kapellmeister (1822-27, 1829-32); was also active in Paris (1827–29). He was Kapellmeister of Vienna’s Theater in der Josefstadt (1833–35), where he achieved his greatest success with Das Nachtlager von Granada (Jan. 13, 1834) and Der Verschwender (Feb. 20, 1834). After another period as Kapellmeister at the Kärnthnertortheater (1835–40), he served as municipal music director in Cologne (1840–2). He spent much time touring with his daughters Cäcilie and Marie, both of whom were singers. He accompanied the latter to Riga (1848). In all, he composed over 40 stage works. The success Kreutzer achieved during his lifetime was not sustained after his death. Only Der Verschwender is retained in the Austrian repertoire. He was also an effective composer of songs, several of which are still sung in Austria and Germany. He also composed several oratorios, masses, cantatas, 2 ballets, 3 piano concertos (1819?, 1822?, 1825?), much chamber music, and numerous piano pieces.

Bibliography

R. Rossmayer, Konradin K. als dramatischer Komponist (diss., Univ. of Vienna, 1928); A. Landau, Das einstimmige Kunstlied C. K.s und seine Stellung zum zeitgenossischen Lied in Schwaben (Leipzig, 1930); H. Leister, C. K.s Lieder für Männerchor (diss., Univ. of Mainz, 1963).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire