{{short description|Austrian actor, librettist and writer}} {{Infobox person | name = Karl Lindau | image = Karl Lindau 1886 Eigner.jpg | image_upright = | caption = Lindau in 1886 | birth_name = Karl Gemperle | birth_date = {{birth date|1853|11|26|df=y}} | birth_place = Vienna, Austrian Empire | death_date = {{death date and age|1934|01|15|1853|11|26|df=y}} | death_place = Vienna, Austria | other_names = Carl Lindau | education = | occupation = {{plainlist| * Actor * Writer * Librettist }} | organization = Theater an der Wien }} '''Karl Lindau''' (also '''Carl Lindau''', born '''Karl Gemperle'''; 26 November 1853 – 15 January 1934) was an Austrian actor and writer. He excelled in comic roles at the Theater an der Wien, and wrote several plays, librettos for operettas and songs.
== Career == Karl Gemperle<ref name="Futter" /> was born in Vienna, the son of Anton Gemperle, a coffee substitute manufacturer. His grandfather, the Swiss Johann Baptist Gemperle, had founded the first Viennese surrogate coffee factory.<ref name="Roser" /> After a technical school education Lindau turned to theatre and made his debut on 20 October 1870 in Graz in the title role of Schiller's ''Don Carlos''.<ref name="Futter" /> Engagements followed at the ''Deutsches Theater'' in Pest, in Frankfurt am Main and in Dresden, in 1879 again in Graz and in 1880 briefly in Olomouc. During this time, Lindau slowly turned from classical roles to comic roles. In 1880, he toured successfully through the United States and Canada with Josefine Gallmeyer, Wilhelm Knaack and Franz Tewele.<ref name="Futter" /> In 1881, he was finally engaged by director Franz Steiner as a comedian at the Theater an der Wien and was a member of the ensemble until 1901. His roles in operettes and Wiener Possen made him a darling of the audience.<ref name="Futter" /> He played Süffle in the premiere of Zeller's ''Der Vogelhändler'' on 10 January 1891.<ref name="Vogelhändler" />
From 1876, Lindau was also active as a writer for the stage. In total he wrote more than 100 full-length plays, including ''{{ill|lustspiel|de}}s'', farces and libretti for operettas, some of which became very popular. Together with Leopold Krenn (1850–1930), he wrote farces (''{{ill|Posse (theatre)|de|Posse|lt=Possen}}'') such as ''Heißes Blut'' (''Hot Blood'', 1892), ''Ein armes Mädel'' (''A Poor Girl'', 1893) and ''Der Nazi'' (1895).{{efn|The title, translated as ''The Nazi'', refers to the diminutive form of the first name of Ignatz Wirbel, a character in the play.<ref name="Theatre1895">{{cite magazine|title=In Vienna|magazine=The Theatre|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=srxIAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA296|date=November 1895|volume=26|publisher=Wyman & Sons|pages=296}}</ref>}}<ref name="Futter" /><ref name="Ploog" /> In their operettas, Krenn and Lindau provided parade roles for Alexander Girardi, such as Korporal Kratz in ''Der Fremdenführer'', with music by Carl Michael Ziehrer.<ref name="Fremdenführer" /> Lindau also translated French comedies into German.<ref name="Futter" />
Lindau died in Vienna.<ref name="Futter" />
== Works == Lindau wrote several librettos for operettas:<ref name="DNB" /> * 1899: ''Die Landstreicher, Operette in zwei Akten und einem Vorspiele''. Libretto with Leopold Krenn. Music by Carl Michael Ziehrer. (premiere 26 July 1899) * 1900: ''Der Schelm von Bergen. Komisch-romantische Operette in 3 Akten''. Libretto with Konrad Loewe. Music by Alfred Oelschlegel. * 1902: ''Der Fremdenführer. Operette in einem Vorspiel und drei Akten''. Libretto with Leopold Krenn. Music by Carl Michael Ziehrer. * 1903: ''{{ill|Frühlingsluft|de}}. Operette in drei Akten''. Libretto with {{ill|Julius Wilhelm|de|Julius Wilhelm (Librettist)}}. Music by Ernst Reiterer "after Josef Strauss motives". (premiere: 9 May 1903) * 1904: ''Die Eisjungfrau. Operette in 2 Akten''. Libretto with Julius Wilhelm. Music by Josef Hellmesberger (after Gustave Adolph Kerker). * 1904: ''Wien bei Nacht. Burleske in 1 Akt''. Libretto with Julius Wilhelm. Music by Josef Hellmesberger. * 1904: ''Jung Heidelberg. Operette in 3 Akten''. Libretto with Leopold Krenn. Music by Ernst Reiterer nach Motiven von Karl Millöcker. (UA: 9 July 1904) * 1905: ''Frauenherz. Operette in 3 Akten''. Libretto (after the French). Music by Josef Strauss, arranged by Ernst Reiterer. * 1905: ''Die Schützenliesel. Operette in 3 Acten''. Libretto with Leo Stein. Music by Edmund Eysler. * 1905: ''Der Schnurrbart. Operette in 3 Akten''. Libretto with Leo Stein. Music by {{ill|Verő György|hu}}. * 1906: ''1001 Nacht. Fantastische Operette in einem Vorspiel und zwei Akten''. Libretto with Leo Stein. Music by Johann Strauss II, edited by Ernst Reiterer. (UA: 27 October 1907) * 1906: ''Künstlerblut. Operette in 1 Vorspiel und 2 Akten''. Libretto with Leo Stein. Music by Edmund Eysler. * 1907: ''Monte Carlo. Operette in 3 Akten''. Libretto with F. Antony (nach einem Stoff von Heribert Hülgerth). Music by Ludwig Roman Chmel. * 1910: ''Lord Piccolo'' (with Carl Lindau), operetta in 2 acts composed by Henri Berény; premiered Vienna, Johann Strauss Theater, 9 January 1910<ref>{{cite book|title=The Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre, Volume 2|publisher=Schirmer Books|year=1994|first=Kurt|last= Gänzl|page=1276}}</ref> * 1911: ''Die romantische Frau. Operette in 3 Akten''. Libretto with Bela Jenbach (after a comedy by Ernst Wichert). Music by Charles Weinberger. * 1911: ''Vielliebchen. Operette in drei Akten''. Libretto with Rudolf Österreicher and {{ill|Michail Alexandrovitch Weikone|de|Michail Alexandrowitsch Weikone|lt=M. A. Weikone}}. Music by Ludwig Engländer. * 1911: ''Das geborgte Schloß. Operette in 3 Akten''. Libretto with Verő György. Music by Hermann Dostal. * 1911: ''Der Frauenfresser. Operette in 3 Akten''. Libretto with Leo Stein and Eugen Spero. Music by Edmund Eysler.<ref name="baltimore"/> * 1915: ''Der Weltenbummler. Operette in einem Vorspiel und 2 Akten''. Libretto with Fritz Löhner-Beda. Music by Richard Fall. * ''Graf Sandor. Operette in 3 Akten''. Libretto with Leopold Krenn. Music by Hermann Dostal.
==Filmography== *''The Vagabonds'', directed by Luise Fleck and Jacob Fleck (Austria, 1916) *''Schützenliesel'', directed by Rudolf Walther-Fein and Rudolf Dworsky (Germany, 1926) *''The Vagabonds'', directed by Karel Lamač (Germany, 1937) *''Frühlingsluft'', directed by Karel Lamač (Germany, 1938) *''Schützenliesel'', directed by Rudolf Schündler (West Germany, 1954) *''Die Landstreicher'', directed by Peter Dörre (West Germany, 1968, TV film)
== Notes == {{notelist}}
== References == <references>
<ref name="Futter">{{cite book | last = Futter | first = Hans Dieter | url = http://www.biographien.ac.at/oebl/oebl_L/Lindau_Karl_1853_1934.xml | title = Lindau, Karl | publisher = Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon 1815–1950 | language = German | pages = 218–219 | accessdate = 28 February 2019 }}</ref>
<ref name="Ploog">{{cite book | last = Ploog | first = Karin | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=TH8wBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA243 | title = ...Als die Noten laufen lernten...Band 2: Kabarett-Operette-Revue-Film-Exil Unterhaltungsmusik bis 1945 | year = 2016 | language = de | isbn = 978-3-73-475316-9 }}</ref>
<ref name="Roser">{{cite web | last = Roser | first = Hans Dieter | url = http://operetta-research-center.org/operette-wien-den-jahren-1938-bis-1944-eine-bestandsaufnahme/ | title = Operette in Wien in den Jahren 1938 bis 1944: Eine Bestandsaufnahme | publisher = operetta-research-center.org | language = de | accessdate = 14 January 2019 }}</ref>
<ref name="DNB">{{cite web | url = https://portal.dnb.de/opac.htm?method=simpleSearch&query=12106428X | title = Works by Karl Lindau | publisher = German National Library | language = de | accessdate = 14 January 2019 }}</ref>
<ref name="Vogelhändler">{{cite web | url = http://www.carlzeller.at/?menu=46&lang=2 | title = Der Vogelhändler | website = carlzeller.at | language = de | accessdate = 14 January 2019 }}</ref>
<ref name="Fremdenführer">{{cite web | url = http://www.operetten-lexikon.info/?menu=158&lang=1 | title = Der Fremdenführer | website = operetten-lexikon.info | language = de | accessdate = 14 January 2019 }}</ref>
<ref name="baltimore">{{cite news | title="Women Haters" Love: New Musical Comedy At Ford's Is Full Of Humor | url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28968529/women_haters_love_new_musical/ | accessdate=28 February 2019 | work=The Baltimore Sun | issue=173 | date=5 November 1912 | page=9 }}</ref>
</references>
== External links == {{commons category}} * {{IMSLP|author=Lindau, Karl}} * {{DNB-Portal|12106428X}} * {{IMDb name}} * {{discogs artist}}
{{Portal bar|Literature|Austria}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lindau, Karl}} Category:1853 births Category:1934 deaths Category:Writers from Vienna Category:Austrian stage actors Category:Austrian male writers Category:Austrian operetta librettists