Joseph Gregor

Joseph Gregory ( born October 26, 1888 in Chernivtsi, † October 12, 1960 in Vienna ) was an Austrian theater scholar and writer. He wrote three librettos for Richard Strauss.

Life and work

Born in what was then Austrian Czernowitz Gregory studied at the Vienna University of musicology, German literature and philosophy, and in 1911 received his doctorate. He has worked as an assistant director Max Reinhardt and 1912-14 as a lecturer in music at the Franz - Joseph University of Chernivtsi. From 1918 he was employed at the Austrian National Library in Vienna. There he founded in 1922 the Theatre Collection, in the he included also the movie from 1929. In addition, he taught 1932-38 and 1943-45 at the Max -Reinhardt-Seminar. In 1953 he retired from the service of the National Library, and retired into private life.

Gregory is known as one of the leading theater scholars of his time. He wrote several standard works, including an acting leader who was later revised by Margret Dietrich and Wolfgang Greisenegger. In addition, he wrote his highly acclaimed biographies time about Alexander the Great, William Shakespeare and Richard Strauss.

Gregor is controversial because of its role in the era of National Socialism, as he ran the political inclusion of library materials persecuted in the Langer's Theatre Collection of the Austrian National Library. Some see it as an attempt to rescue these important stocks entirely in terms of its previous owner before its demise, see the other Gregory, however, as a collaborator and beneficiaries of the Nazi regime. This applies, for example, for the `` gift '' of parts of the autograph collection of Stefan Zweig in 1937: According to Oskar Pausch the obligation of Joseph Gregor was connected with this gift, to protect this collection even after a regime change which actually took place in 1938, and actually Joseph Gregor is supposed to be first come into existential threat because of its acquisition policy and its large Jewish acquaintances under the National Socialist regime. Others see it more critical. The same applies to the purchase of the Theatre Collection by Fritz Brukner and Helene Richter (1861-1942) for the Austrian National Library. When Gregory was 1940 friends of the seizure of the library of Heinrich Schnitzler, with Gregor, learned from the newspaper, he advocated that they came under his OBut. Others are of the opinion that Gregory played the decisive role in the robbery this library. 1943 Gregor dedicated his book The Theatre of the people in the Ostmark Vienna Gauleiter and Reich Governor Baldur von Schirach, which cost some as another indication that Gregor was a beneficiary of and apologist for the Nazi regime.

His grave is located in the Urnenhain the fire hall Simmering.

One year after the seizure of power by the National Socialists in Germany Stefan Zweig emigrated to London. Richard Strauss was therefore looking for a new librettist. Branch struck Joseph Gregor ago as his successor. Strauss, who truly appreciated the theoretical works of Gregory, accepted the election and so it came to several years, but never harmonious cooperation. It created the operas of Peace (after a scenario by Stefan Zweig ), Daphne and Die Liebe der Danae ( after a design by Hugo von Hofmannsthal ).

After completion of Danae score Strauss planned in 1940 - at the suggestion of Heinz Drewes and Hans Joachim Moser - together with Joseph Gregor reworking of the opera Jessonda (music: Louis Spohr, libretto by Eduard Heinrich Go ). When Gregor then offered to create the opera The silent woman with a new text, which could replace the Stefan Zweig, Strauss refused and also dropped the Jessonda project.

Works

Theoretical texts

  • The American theater and cinema. Two cultural-historical treatises. Amalthea, Leipzig 1931 ( along with René Fülöp Miller)
  • World history of the theater. Phaidon, Zurich 1933
  • Shakespeare. Phaidon, Vienna 1935
  • Pericles. Greece's size and tragedy. Munich in 1938
  • Richard Strauss. The master of opera. Piper, Munich 1939
  • Alexander the Great. The world domination of an idea. Piper, Munich 1940
  • Cultural history of opera. Your connection with the life, the works of the spirit and policy. Gallus, Vienna 1941
  • The theater of the people of the Ostmark. German publisher of youth and popular, Vienna 1943
  • Cultural history of ballet. Its design and effectiveness in the history and the arts. Gallus, Vienna 1944
  • World history of the theater. Volume 1: From the origins to the output of the Baroque theater. Piper, Munich 1944, again in 1960
  • History of the Austrian theater. Danube, Vienna 1948
  • Richard Wagner in our time. Speech on the occasion of the re-establishment of the Richard -Wagner- composite. Publisher The center, Saarbrücken 1958
  • The acting leader. ISSN 0342-4553

Libretti

  • Peace. Opera (together with Stefan Zweig in 1934 /35). Music ( 1934-36 ): Richard Strauss. UA July 24, 1938 Munich ( National Theatre)
  • Daphne (1935 /36). Bucolic Tragedy (opera). Music (1936 /37): Richard Strauss. UA October 15, 1938 Dresden ( Semperoper )
  • Die Liebe der Danae ( 1936-40 ). Joyous mythology (opera). Music ( 1938-40 ): Richard Strauss. UA August 14, 1952 Salzburg ( Grosses Festspielhaus )
  • Capriccio ( 1935-39 ). Great conversation piece for music ( opera, along with Stefan Zweig, Richard Strauss, Clemens Krauss and Hans Swarovsky ). Music ( 1939-42 ): Richard Strauss. UA October 28, 1942 Munich ( National Theatre)
  • Florian Geyer. Opera. Music: Hans Ebert ( 1889-1952 ). UA 1952
Max Reinhardt Seminar Reichsstatthalter Friedenstag Daphne (opera) Die schweigsame Frau Ostmark (Austria) Capriccio (opera) Hans Swarowsky Neue Deutsche Biographie Integrated Authority File
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