Franz Xaver Gerl
Franz Xaver Gerl (
30 November 1764 – 9 March 1827) was aLife
Gerl was born on
30 November 1764 inHe evidently had an impressively low vocal range; Branscombe (1991) observes that the very low notes that Mozart included in the part of Sarastro have been "the despair of many a bass singer since."[2]
By 1787 he had joined the theatrical company of
Mozart gradually came to participate more in the activities of the Schikaneder troupe, culminating in his opera The Magic Flute (1791), with libretto by Schikaneder. Gerl premiered the role of Sarastro, and continued to sing this part in many performances through 1792. He left Schikaneder's troupe in 1793.[1]
Gerl may have been a participant in a rehearsal of Mozart's Requiem on the day before the composer died; for details see Benedikt Schack.
Gerl's later career took him to Brno and Mannheim, where he retired in 1826. He died there on 9 March 1827.[1]
Assessment
Family
Gerl married the soprano Barbara Reisinger (1770–1806) on 2 September 1789. She also sang in the Schikaneder troupe, and performed the role of Papagena at the Magic Flute premiere. She went with Gerl to Brno and Mannheim, and died there shortly after giving birth to their second child.[1]
Notes
References
- Branscombe, Peter (1991) W. A. Mozart: Die Zauberflöte. Cambridge: Cambridge
- Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, article "Gerl". Copyright 2007, Oxford University Press.