Schmidt, Gustav

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Schmidt, Gustav

Schmidt, Gustav, German conductor and composer; b. Weimar, Sept. 1, 1816; d. Darmstadt, Feb. 11, 1882. He studied with Hummel, Eberwein, and Lobe in Weimar and with Mendelssohn in Leipzig, then conducted opera in Brunn (1841–44), Würzburg (1845), Frankfurt am Main (1846; 1851–61), Wiesbaden (1849), Leipzig (1864–76), and Mainz; was court Kapellmeister in Darmstadt (from 1876). He was a determined champion of Wagner and Berlioz. He wrote the operas Prinz Eugen (Frankfurt am Main, 1847), Weibertreue or Die Weiber von Weinsberg (Weimar, 1858), La Réole (Breslau, 1863), and Alibi (Weimar, 1880), as well as songs and choruses.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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Schmidt, Gustav

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